After comfortably nestling in a chair on the second floor of Curry Student Center, I reach into my newly acquired white paper bag and pull out my shiny foil prize: a junior bacon cheeseburger. Pulling back the foil, I soon devour my tasty treat. Why? Because I want to. High in fat, but oh so good. I know my prize will proudly be displayed just above my belt. But it was cheap, delicious and served quickly as the scurry to my next class began.
No power from up high beckoned me to indulge in this junior bacon cheeseburger. I wasn’t drawn to it by some ill-fated attraction to the freckle-faced, pig-tailed Wendy. The memory of Dave Thomas’ inviting smile did not cloud my sense of judgment. No, I say to the hypothesized legality proposed by Richard Daynard in the April 9 issue of The News. I simply wanted a burger. I didn’t want to bare the high cost of sushi or D’Angelos, and the line at Wendy’s was invitingly short. I was happy to find a meal that would fit my schedule and not burden my wallet. And it was a personal choice for which I accept full responsibility. It’s my body, it’s my choice. Isn’t that the liberal oath?
The lack of personal responsibility in this society is an increasing problem, and, quite frankly, it disgusts me. It disgusts me more than reading the calorie count next to the price of my ninety-nine cent burger. Obesity in America may be attributed to the increasing number of citizens choosing fast food, but the problem is rooted in the fact that people won’t accept the responsibility of eating such food. It is common knowledge that fast food is unhealthy. Those seeking retribution from companies like McDonald’s are simply displacing blame for their self-induced health problems.
Daynard is deluded in his thinking. Filing lawsuits against fast food companies will not solve the problem of obesity. It will only encourage more people to act irresponsibly. Next, Daynard may set his sights on Chester Cheeto, again rising prices for all and lining the pockets of the hefty and irresponsible.
– Nicholas Puleo is a sophomore political science major.
