Jones 1
Bucky Jones
English Writing 101
Pr. Zack O’ Neill
19 September 2013

Fast Food: America’s Drug A burger, French fries, along with a refreshing beverage. The most convenient meal to eat at an affordable price. What is there not to like about fast food? It’s very tasty and can be found at almost any busy intersection. Fast Food Nation is a book written by an investigative journalism name Eric Schlosser. He goes in-depth on the culture of fast food and how it affects
America. Is satisfying your cravings worth risking your health? The dark side of the All-
American meal makes us the number one obesity country in the world. They say money is the root of all evil, and this is the perfect example on how capitalism find loop-holes in our government to build an everlasting empire. If we continue to allow this industry to lure our kids in, our expected life-span will surely be minimized in great numbers. One element of the fast food industry that Eric Schlosser scrutinize in detail is advertising and marketing to children. He discusses how Ray Kroc and Walt Disney (two men that played central roles in the creation of new American Industries) “perfected the art of selling things to children” (33). Although this marketing strategy seems a bit too manipulative, it led many big companies to follow their footsteps because of their success in marketing aimed at kids. This strategy soon became standard not only for fast food, but for just about everything that is being sold in today’s market. I disagree with the fact that they are targeting our youths. It goes to show where we stand in society and the government should take action and set rules and regulations especially in this industry. We are the unhealthiest country in the world because of fast food.
Are we going to let this issue be a deterrent our nation from excelling? How are we going to go about this issue that isn’t being recognized?
Jones 2 The 1980’s was the decade when a handful of American companies directed at children. Eric Schlosser claims that many working parents, feeling guilty about spending time with their kids started spending money on them (42). I definitely agree with what he is saying because parents tend to give in when they feel bad about how they treat their kids and it is part of nature to feel that way. We’re not perfect human beings and whatever keeps a kid happy, we are more than welcome to assist them in any way. “Cradle-to-grave” was the marketing strategy marketing strategy that they used. Hoping that childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases (43). Coming from an economic standpoint, it is obvious that it had created more jobs for citizens to make a living, but when you think about what exactly it is marketing, there is no doubt that fast food deserves a lot of heat. I am specifically okay with toy makers, video game designers, and amusement parks but when it comes to fast food companies, I am very frustrated the lack of influence they have on kids to stay fit and be active. They have many others to clean up their mess. Nowadays athletes are the ones that are doing their due diligence and are out there volunteering and reaching out to our youths to stay healthy. Until that day comes to pass; I can never see myself being a supporter of something that just isn’t right. I understand that there is a lot of money to be