In 2004, Morgan Spurlock released his documentary Supersize Me, in which he sets out on a thirty-day McDonald’s binge to answer the question of what happens to the human body when it is fed nothing but fast food for every meal for a month. The fast food industry is the leading cause for the nation’s obesity epidemic. Yet, every day millions of Americans make the choice to eat at one of the many fast food establishments available. With fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, located on virtually every corner, they are a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive meal option for many people.
The convenience and low cost provide many people with the option of eating at places like McDonald’s more than once a day. This knowledge is what led Spurlock to go on his quest. With the percentage of obese Americans growing higher every year, he seeks to educate the general population about what they are truly doing to their bodies. Throughout the film, he provides a solid, thought-provoking argument by using claims of fact, appeals to logos, and appeals to pathos to show that the fast food industry provides a direct contribution to the nation’s increase obesity.
Claims of fact are a useful tool for getting and maintaining the audience’s attention. Spurlock uses claims of fact to entice the audience by discussing the changes to the nation’s obesity problem. He also informs the audience of how McDonald’s targets children. According to Spurlock, “America has become the fattest nation in the world. Over 100 million Americans today are fat or obese.” (Supersize Me). He claims that part of the reason for the nation’s obesity problem is the change in sizes in fast food options.
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When many fast food restaurants first opened, there was one standard size for french fries and one for fountain drinks. As of 2004, sizes have increased at McDonald’s to include small, medium, large, and supersize. McDonald’s also targets children by using commercials and special meals to draw their attention. Spurlock emphasizes this point by highlighting the fact that Happy Meals contain a toy and colorful, themed boxes, while the commercials have created many fun children’s characters such as Ronald McDonald. For an added visual appeal, many McDonald’s restaurants have playgrounds added to them.
The rhetorical strategy of appealing to logos is evident in many ways. Spurlock appeals to logic of the audience through his extensive medical tests before, during, and after his experiment. He demonstrates the how important it is for a person to get their health checked before embarking on a journey like his. Before beginning, Spurlock is tested for his weight, blood sugar, fat content, cholesterol levels, and liver function.
Spurlock emphasized the importance of having good health beforehand by featuring the doctors explaining all the possible side effects he would need to look out for and how his good health would lessen the effects. Once he and his doctors determined his health to be adequate, he set out to start the experiment. To demonstrate the dangers to his health, he is seen checking in regularly with doctors to monitor his progress and shows the audience that he is gaining weight and body mass, as well as having increased cholesterol levels.
Throughout the documentary, he shows the doctors expressing their concern about his weakening health. By the end of his experiment, he has undergone a massive transformation. Within the thirty-day period, he gained 24 ½ pounds and 13% body mass. Spurlock relies on the audience to logically conclude that the health changes are a result of the food he is consuming.
Appealing to the emotions of the audience is another attempt he allow the audience to gain an understanding of why they should think before they eat. Spurlock appeals to pathos by causing an effect upon on the emotions of the audience. During the scene where he calls his mother to tell her about his failing liver functions, he makes sure to capture her heartbroken response to draw sympathy from the viewers. He also gains sympathy after showing himself vomiting after finishing a Big Mac, supersized french fries, and a supersized Coke.
He highlights the effect this diet has on other people as well by featuring his girlfriend talking about his mood swings and how the unhealthy diet has affected his intimacy with her. He attempts to draw concern from the audience as well by showing a scene that demonstrates that kids today can more easily recognize characters from fast food restaurants easier than they can identify historical figures or even Jesus.
Supersize Me is a brilliant effort to educate people about the growing health problems caused by fast food restaurants. By eating nothing but McDonald’s for thirty days straight, Director Spurlock provides excellent information and compelling visualization of what people are truly doing to their bodies when they eat at these establishments. He provides logical evidence that helps emphasize his main argument. Playing on the emotions of the audience is a masterful attempt at causing them to think about considering what they are putting in their bodies before they eat it. Overall, Spurlock’s argument is successful and compelling.
