"Super Size Me"

[truthbetold]

I'm interested to know if anyone saw this movie. I'm posting this in General Discussion because I think this movie has a lot of political undertones (especially concerning corporations) that should be addressed. I purchased the DVD on blind faith and surely was not disappointed. In case anyone is unaware, "Super Size Me" is a man's quest to consume nothing but McDonald's food three times a day, for a total month.
Morgan Spurlock is like a kinder, gentler Michael Moore, and he sure as hell is funny. I used to be quite the McDonald's glutton, but never suffered a lot of weight gain because I try to keep active. But after seeing this film, fast food is now way less appealing to me, and I don't think I'll be darkening the doors of any McDonald's for a long time.
Spurlock's health deteriorates so fast it will make your head spin- a cholesterol leap from 165 to 230, his liver is on the verge of failing, he becomes severely depressed, and he gains almost 25 pounds. Of course, no one eats McDonald's for breakfast lunch and dinner every day- but ONE IN FOUR Americans visits a fast food restaurant at least once a day! That's a lot of burgers.
Even though it contains an amusing reality TV sort of format, "Super Size Me" is pumped with facts and yet manages to keep you entertained every minute.
So, I'm interested to see what my fellow DUers thought of this documentary. And for those of you who haven't had the chance, please do yourself (and your body) an enormous favor and go view this. I guarantee you'll never look at a Quarter pounder the same way again.

[Worst Username Ever]

1. My g-friend got an advance copy at a trade show.

Good stuff. Absolutely terrible what it does to the body. the man gained over a pound a day!!

[Steelangel]

I haven't watch that documentary

but I already know what Fast Foods will do to our health. There is a very good book, 'Fast Foods Nation' by Eric Schlosser, highly recommend to read. It has more information on republicans and their 'crusade' against health-conscious people. Anyway once you read that book, you will never look at fast foods same again ever, I mean it.. Like.. Cow feces in fast food hamburgers, yuck.

I have been health-conscious for long time, I am not surprise what fast foods will do to our health. That's why I decide to boycott all of these fast foods by not buying anything from them. I haven't eat the fast foods for almost five years now.

Anyway I plan to buy that Super Size Me documentary DVD soon to give the support to that director.

[Huckebein the Raven]

7. That book did it for me in terms of fast food burgers

I still eat fast food though but I tend to only go to places like Quiznos, Lenny's, Scholtzkey's (sp ? ) ,etc. I do go to Sonic though.

[jmowreader]

Man, there's cow feces in ALL hamburgers--including homemade ones

And for that you can blame Ronald Reagan and the Streamlined Meat Inspection System.

When they slaughter a cow, they stun it, hang it by the back legs and slit its throat to let it bleed out. (The only legal way to kill an animal that is destined for use in food is by letting it bleed to death.) Next comes evisceration, and the proper technique requires very careful cutting of the belly so that the intestines are not nicked. If the intestines are nicked, feces gets out and contaminates the meat.

Before Streamlined Meat Inspection, they trimmed off anything that feces got on and carefully deposited it in a barrel for use in pet food. (Dogs will willingly eat feces, so they figure that as long as they cook it, it's okay.) Now they either don't trim it off or the barrels go to the grinding line to be turned into hamburger meat for human consumption.

This is why you're required to cook ground beef thoroughly now--as long as you cook the shit all the way through before you eat it, you probably won't get sick from it.

[Steelangel]

15. While that is true but

organic/pasture-feed meats does not contain feces. In California, it is organic law against that. I have been buying the pasture-feed meats from organic farms for few years now.

But of course, all fast foods & conventional meats does contain the feces, as you stated about inspections.

[jmowreader]

19. Organic meat is slaughtered differently

They are extremely careful about how they slaughter organic meat. It is so valuable that they make damn good and sure not to nick the intestines when they open up the animal--that way they don't have to trim off the shit-soaked parts. They also process slowly enough that the workers can take the time to do a good job.

If the organic people were processing at the volume Excel or IBF do, you'd see shit in organic meat too.

[Steelangel]

20. I completely agree with you

that's what conventional beef industry SHOULD do that.

[jmowreader]

52. Oh My God That Would Raise The Price Of Beef One Cent a Pound!

One of the first things President Kerry needs to do is to revoke every one of the Reagan-era tamperings with the Pure Food Act.

Before Reagan came around e.coli was no big deal, because the meatpackers took the time to disembowel carcasses in such a way that the shit stayed where it was supposed to. And you didn't see them using human feces to fertilize fruits. You NEVER heard of anyone dying from e.coli! Now? If fifty people don't die from e.coli in the course of a year, it's a light year for e.coli infection. Our e.coli rates are higher than those in Korea--where human waste has always been used as fertilizer. (The Koreans know how to deal with human-waste-fertilized foods: you wash ground fruits in a weak bleach solution there.)

Before Reagan came around there was no such thing as a peanut allergy. Peanuts were processed differently then, and the nitrosamine levels in peanut products were low enough to not turn nuts into sensitizers. Now? Check the archives and you'll see threads about schools sending letters home: "Do not allow your child to eat peanut products for breakfast and do not pack peanut products in his or her lunch, because we have a child in our school who will go into anaphylactic shock and die if a child who ate peanuts in the last 12 hours breathes on him."

Before Reagan came around everyone in the meat industry spoke and understood English. Meatpacking was considered to be a good job! People started packing meat at the age of 18 and trained their children to pack meat. Now? Eastern North Carolina is the home of a lot of poultry and pork plants. Those plants are always advertising for managers. Qualification number one: "Must be bilingual Spanish/English" because there ain't a person in the building who speaks English who doesn't have a clipboard under his arm. This is because a chicken-plant employee makes minimum wage and meatpacking is one of those fields that has devolved into "a job Americans won't do."

Kerry can fix this. Kerry must fix this.

[truthbetold]

18. Oh God.

I feel sick. That's...ugh...

[Selwynn]

42. Don't care.

Meat is yummy. :)

mmmmmm..

[Djinn]

56. but is mad cow so tasty

or just a simple case of bacterial poisoning that may leave you with knackered kidneys and require dialysis for the rest of your life?

I'm a meat eater too and I eat my fair share of crud fast food but most people just assume that "they" (the business', the government, the slaughterhouses) wouldn't do anything to risk their health...they would and they do.

[flvegan]

50. Gives the term "eating shit" a whole new meaning. Enjoy!

[flvegan]

2. Rented it last night

I sincerly hope that it opens some folks' eyes. Of course, this country's obesity epidemic isn't just McD's fault, but it points out a certain mentality that more is always better. I loved that his significant other is a vegan chef. Talk about opposites...

Tonight, I'll watch the debates and Outfoxed (though I must admit, I'm itching to see the extras in F9/11...I got my copy today).

[maxsolomon]

46. and she looked so HEALTHY

gal looked like a bird. she needs some meat on er bones.

[flvegan]

49. Looked healthier than

most of the other folks in the movie. Her needing meat on er bones is opinion.

[marlakay]

3. It was out when I went to blockbuster this weekend

so people are seeing it! and when I return the movie today I got instead I hope its in.

[lightbulb]

4. made me sick

In a good way. I'd have a hard time watching it again. While it's true you'd have to be a grade A moran to eat McD's every meal, his point is well taken that the stuff is poisonous and has no place in any thinking person's diet. Sure it tastes good, but I hear Heroin feels pretty good too, and is shooting up all the time a good idea?

[Warpy]

5. It's got to be 35 years since I last ate that crap

and I remember clearly the feeling of having grease ooze out of every pore of my body afterward. Ugh. That was it.

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Great movie. I recommend "The Corporation" too.

http://www.thecorporation.com/

[movie_girl99]

8. i did see it

It definitely made a difference in me. My family didn't eat much fast food before but now its a much more rare occasion.

[CrispyQ]

10. This is the one I want to see. Is it out on DVD yet?

[BlueEyedSon]

12. Dunno, I saw it in a theater in NYC

May be available on bittorent.
:evilgrin:

[truthbetold]

16. Yes.

I'm not sure when it came out, but I purchased it last week.

On edit: I encourage everyone to buy it when they can. I mean, this is Morgan's first feature film, and I want to show my support and send a message to the big corporations at the same time. You know the old saying, "We're mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore."

[mrfrapp]

9. Worth Watching

It's a good film. I recommend "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser as a companion book.

You say that no-one eats McDonalds three times a day, which is probably true but is it unreasonable to suppose that there are people who eat "fast-food" of any description three times a day? My understanding is that Spurlock chose McDonalds arbitrarily and the film was about fast-food in general and not specifically about McDonalds.

I think anyone who leaves the film thinking that gorging on McDonald's is bad but Burger King's okay, is missing the point. I could be wrong, but that's my impression.

[truthbetold]

17. Yeah.

I mean, Morgan does a good job of exploring some other fast food restaurants as well, but I think the reason he focuses on McDonalds is that it's clear they are the biggest fast food chain. Kill the leader and the followers will diminish.

[TahitiNut]

21. Spurlock interviews Eric Schlosser as a Bonus on the DVD.

It's more a meeting of the minds and conversation than an interview, but it's quite good.

[fob]

41. About that electoral-vote.com counter, I was shocked to see Kerry

down so far after such a good week. So I clicked thru and the guy just changed his info to go back and average polls over the last 30 days, and after people told him polls that far back don't mean shit he revised it to look 7 days back! What an inopportune time to do that, it makes it look like Kerry's surge resulted in a major loss!

Ugh.

[0rganism]

51. I think there's a damn good reason to choose McD's for the study

No other fast food joint does as much advertising TO KIDS as McD's. Don't believe me? Just get up early to watch the cartoons on Saturday morning, or catch the cartoons for the after-school crowd. Sure, the other franchises advertise, but I swear McD's outnumbers any of them 2-to-1, and they have the damn clown...

[TrustingDog]

11. did you see the amount of Sugar piled up on the table...

near the end of the film...He consumed a freaking one pound of sugar every day...!

and the part that said some of the McShit salads have more calories and crap than a Big Mac.

POISON!
This could be exactly what the 'corporates' want... a fat lazy depressed sick addicted populace.

[WindRavenX]

13. the scariest fact for me was...

He consumed the equivalent of over a pound of sugar a day!!
Holy CHRIST.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

47. Yup, that fact stood out for me, too

I knew that McDonald's put a lot of added sugar in their stuff (such as coating their French fries with it before frying), but I didn't realize quite how much.

[ChickMagic]

14. We saw it

I've never been a McD fan, but hubby loves the place. He's about 300 lbs and pays no attention to what he shoves down his gullet. After watching Supersize Me, he gave up McD for 2 days straight. A record.

[Richard D]

22. I saw it last night.

And anyone who hasn't seen it should do so ASAHP. Even if you never eat fast food, it can be a life-changing experience.

[JuniorPlankton]

23. Great movie

saw it in a theater. Very funny!

[forgethell]

24. I didn't watch it; I won't watch it.

I try to get my facts from journals of known reputation, reputable news sources, etc. This is hardly a scientific experiment. Anybody who eats like this man did, deserves whatever happens to him, health-wise.

That being said, all the scientific research in the world won't change the fact that I like beef; I like hamburgers; and I like fast food. So sue me. Whoops, that's probably coming down the pike from the Food Police.

[WindRavenX]

26. Does the fact that...

...a very fit man nearly died from eating that shit they call food at McDonalds mean anything?
Anybody who eats like this man did, deserves whatever happens to him, health-wise.

Yeah, anyone that DOES eat like he did deserves that. But you missed a big point of the movie: not everyone has the choice to EAT HEALTHY. Kids from low-income schools, for example.
I like the occasional fast food myself (Taco Bell rawks), but I make the CHOICE to eat there occasionally...some people are forced to eat poorly due to the fact it's far cheaper to eat at places like McDonalds and Wendy's then to prepare a lean,nutritious meal. And another big point is that those corporations specifically target kids to eat their shit.
So while it may not be the most scientific, that doesn't mean the film is worthless because it made many great points.

[forgethell]

43. to answer your first question

Not to me. His responsibility. As for the kids, well that's a differnet problem entirely. whatever solution is found, it must not restrict the choices of people who think differently and can care for themselves.

Pro-choice - it's not just for abortion, anymore.

[Jack_DeLeon]

74. Bullshit....

A loaf of bread, slices of ham, bag of chips, and a 12pk of Dr. Pepper can provide more meals than McDonalds at a cheaper cost.

[forgethell]

75. Well, goody for you.

I don't care what you eat. I'm not offended by your choices. Why should you be offended by mine? Do you have a coherent ationale? I sincerely doubt it, but I'm willing to learn.

By the way, I applaud your choice of Dr. Pepper, my favorite beverage also. But a 12 pack? How many meals will that cover?

[dave123williams]

30. Well, I hope you LIKE coronary artery disease...

liver failure, hypertension, diabetes and lovehandles :)

I shudder to think what the long-term effects of ingesting this crap are...well, you can actually see it in the ever growing number of total fattasses in this country. Freedom in America now means freedom to be a fat fucking pig, I guess.

[forgethell]

44. But thhose things would

be my problem, wouldn't they, not yours, nor none of yours, or anybody else's, business.

[dave123williams]

53. We're all in this TOGETHER, you silly little person...

What's bad for you will ultimately affect me, and others. Duh!

[forgethell]

62. No we're not

And cease with the persoal attacks. If I drop dead, it may affect my wife, and kids, it may affect my parents. but YOU have absolutely NO stake in my health and well-being. And If you do, cease it. I can take care of myself. In other words, I want to eat what I like; and unlike you, am willing to extend that courtesy to everyone else.

[truthbetold]

34. "I didn't watch it"

Sums it up right there.
Next, please.

[forgethell]

45. I'm crushed. n/t

[Djinn]

58. I think you missed the point

have you been able to find any reputable professionals that say a diet high in fast food is a good idea? have you found any professionals that would say eating fast food AT ALL is a good idea? any that say it's a good thing for kids to eat over processed fat filled shite with no nutritional content as part of their school lunches? or any health economists that have explained how the huge incidence of obesity in the US is GOOD for the health budget??

It's not about whether you like beef or not - I do to, and I'll go further and admit I like crappy fast food (not a lot but more than I should) it's about deception and PR that overrides reality

[forgethell]

63. it's about deception and PR that overrides reality

Only for fools and the truly ignorant. No, I didn't miss the point. The point is that professionals are like beans, you buy and sell them, figuratively speaking, of course, as you need them and their services. YOU, and YOU alone, have the right to make decisions as to what actions you will take, what prices that you are willing to bear.

I'm willing to take the chance to have an occasional burger or two. I don't plan to stuff myself like this idiot film-maker and then pretend that I am bringing enlightenment to the masses. That is propaganda, pure and simple.

[Djinn]

67. unfortunately

there is a pretty large pool of "ignorant and foolish" when it comes to the processing of food.

you can only make a decision NOT to eat meat with shit contamination IF you know that's a possibility, this actually also blends in to the GMO debate to which the vast majority of people in the world (especially the US, sorry) are really ignorant. Even those who consider themselves knowledgable have no idea what "modifying' actually entails and the possible dangers inherent in introducing genes from bacteria etc into the food chain. The entire US population is currently being used as an experiment and it may well backfire on you one day, but as people are NOT informed about it they don't make a fuss.

nobody said anyone can "make decisions" for you but there's nothing wrong with helping people make informed ones.

[forgethell]

69. No, I agree, there is nothing wrong

with helping people make informed choices. But the use of progaganda to inflict a viewpoint on others is despicable and Nazi-like.

Still, I don't even mind this, so much, except that the point of it all is to involve the government in "helping" people to make the right "choices". This is tyranny!!!

I am informed, and I still choose to eat the things I like instead of tofu and nuts. Why add 10 years to my skinny arcass if they are going to be miserable??

Let people make up their own minds.

[Bridget Burke]

72. I like an occasional steak myself.

Rib eye, medium rare. I buy the most natural beef around--for taste & safety. Cheap beef tastes like a feedlot smells. Ground beef is especially hazardous. If I want a burger, I'll do as Alton Brown does & grind my own--or go to a couple of good places I know.

None of the "beef" available at McDonald's is worth eating.

Private individuals do not create "Nazi-like" propaganda. Governments do.

[forgethell]

76. I have to disagee with your

last statement. the Nazis did not start off as the government, and they did create propaganda along the way to getting there.

Further, individuals can definitely repeat Nazi-like propaganda, wouldn't you agree?

[Djinn]

73. making a pretty light hearted doco

is Nazi-like?

That's fine that YOU'RE informed, most people aren't - btw I'd be really surprised if you weer au fait with the possible long term consequences of American food being saturated with GMO's, not even manay scientists can answer that one, as far as choice is concerned, did anyone in the US request their food be mutated with bacteria genes? where was the choice there?

I honestly don't see how anything in this movie is advocating that the government be nefariously involved in "helping" people to make the right "choices", maybe you shoul actually see the movie - your prejudices against it don't hold water - nothing in this issue is tyrannical, slave labour in Burma is tyranny, this is a movie which no-one forces upon anyone.

[forgethell]

77. In America today, there is no

reason for anyone not to be informed.

As for the movie, while it is true that I haven't seen, and do not intend to see, the movie, I have no objection either to it's having been made, nor anyone seeing it.

My objection is to the usual pattern of these things. When people refuse to alter the behavior to fit the pre-conceived notions of the health-Nazis, government action will be called for, legal suits will be filed, it's happened already. Check out the precedents against guns, and cigarettes.

[hatrack]

25. It's a good movie. If you read Schlosser, you know most of it, but . . .

There's something about seeing it personalized that makes it even better.

[WindRavenX]

27. even his sex life was affected

High fat diet can lead to erectile problems and a decrease of libido.

[dave123williams]

28. Saw it; HILARIOUS guy, really.

Felt ill after watching it; it was hours before I had to have more McDonalds ;-)

[Cicero]

29. Didn't someone do an opposing documentary?

A woman decided to do the same thing and eat only McD's for a month. But she ate responsibly (that is, got the salads and such) and exercised, and she ended up actually losing weight.

It all comes down to personal responsibility, I guess.

Later,

[noiretextatique]

31. corporate personal responsibility

since corporations have been granted personhood, it's high time people like mcdonald's tell the truth about the products they sell.
it's shameful that we allow businesses to sell harmful products, when we can demand that they don't. it's socially irresponsible.

[Bridget Burke]

32. I don't know, did they?

IMDB has info on every film made--or planned. Can you find something there?

Please post a link.

I gave up on McD's a long time ago. It tastes like shit.

[rinsd]

33. What was the name?

I wasn't able to find anything with the info available.

The premise of eating the salds and stuff makes nominal sense. But it's hard to comment without seeing it.

"Supersize me" though an overall "duh" premise(ie: eat nothing but McD's burgers and you will be in trouble health wise) really drives the message home. His body is absolutely DESTROYED by this.

[truthbetold]

37. That might be true...

But really, who goes to McDonald's for a salad? Also, let me check something...okay, most McDonald salads are anywhere between 300-600 calories for one, a fact I got from the McDonald's website, checking their nutrition listings.
Also, don't kid yourself, people usually load up on packets of dressing and unhealthy toppings on salads. I doubt this lady was doing the same. And of course, you'll lose weight exercising constantly, but the majority of people who eat at McDonald's regularly don't go hit the gym right after.

[jmags]

59. My post is below this...but I do.

I go to McDonalds and get a salad. I get it with the vinagarette dressing. If I wanted to make a point about how eating 6,000 calories a day is unhealthy, I suppose I could eat Big Macs and large fries every meal. But I don't. I go to McDonalds and I choose to eat healthy there.

[Rob H.]

66. Yes, there is an opposing documentary, BUT...

...Soso Whaley, the woman who participated in it, works for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative anti-regulatory front group. (To further illustrate CEI's political leanings, pro-Japanese internment camps wingnut Michelle Malkin and "reporter" John Stossel also have ties to CEI.)

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

35. morgan's from my home state of wv

i got to talk to him and his wife for a while after the local premiere and they're both wonderful people

[truthbetold]

36. Wife?

Did he marry his vegan girlfriend?
If so, good for them! She seems like a lovely person!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

40. maybe not

my mistake - it was in was back in may, so i forgot


she may still just be his girlfriend, but it was the same girl - she runs a nutrition website now

[Inulro]

38. French Fries

Did anyone see the bonus material on the DVD. He put McDonald's french fries in jar and various other foods. 8 weeks later, the McDonald's french fries looked just the same. WTH? That's just freaky.
The regular potato french fries were molded by the first week.

[truthbetold]

39. Wow, that's gross.

I didn't check out all the bonus material yet; I think I'll do that later. Yikes.

[WindRavenX]

48. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

:puke:

[MostlyLurks]

70. The French Fry Scene...

Watching those things not decay naturally pushed my wife and me over the edge. We both knew fast food = shit but actually seeing it defy all natural laws of order was the last straw.

He also has that interview with the author of "Fast Food Nation" where he says that the average McDonald's burger is made from the meat of 1000 or more different cows. That leaves little doubt in my mind that I'm all ate up with the BSE already.

Anyhoo, wifey and I have sworn off fast food...but it's only been about week so far. Wish us luck.

[InhaleToTheChief]

54. Great movie!

Saw this movie in Kona a few weeks ago. It was at a dinner and a movie setup where you could get a healthy, fresh, tasty meal made of local ingredients and then watch the movie.

I can't imagine a more appropriate movie in that context. I never want to eat fast food again after Super Size Me. Fortunately, I'm a willing vegetarian.

I highly recommend this flick!

[NinetySix]

55. Read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser.

n/t

[jmags]

57. The guy ate 6,000 calories a day!

What the hell do you expect. I'm on a tight budget right now, and I go to McDonalds all the time. I get a side salad, fruit parfait, a cheeseburger and water. I'm 6'0 170 lb.

He could have gone to a Supermarket and eaten the junk food there the entire time, consuming 6,000 calories a day, and had terrible health effects. He could have done the same thing at Denny's or Chili's or any restaurant, where portion sizes are twice what you need.

I have not yet been able to see it, although I plan to see the dvd, but I did get to see Spurlock talk recently. And I really don't get it.
I go to McDonalds, I have maintained my weight (actually 10 pounds thinner than 2 years ago) my blood pressure and cholestoral are fine, because when I have to go I make smart choices. I don't see why it's McDonalds fault for selling hamburgers and fries any more any other place that sells some unhealthy food.

[Djinn]

60. I eat crap and am also not fat

have low blood pressure and normal cholesterol, but then again my dad's uncle smoked a pack a day from the age of 13 to the day he died at 96, never had any lung/heart troubles...that doesn't mean that smoking isn't the cause of lung/throat etc cancer and heart disease, just that some people are lucky.

The personal choice thing IS fine, how many times do you see posters in McDonalds that say "our salads may contain as much fat as our burgers" and how many packets of mince (ground beef in your parlance I think) say "this packet may contain traces of faeces"?? - Spurlock's film ISN'T about McDonalds, McDonald's is used as an illustrative device, it's about the food industry. SO choice is kinda a moot point

[rniel]

65. It's not only about carrying extra weight

My dad weighs 160 lbs. at 5'10" but has high cholesterol.

[Fatima]

61. I have not seen it yet, but

I do know that McD's sales are waaay down...possibly a combo of things going on including the effect this movie may have had. People are waking up (I believe) to the fact that this food is pure garbage and loaded with toxins. I also know they did away with the Super Size option. See what happens when the consumer votes with the wallet?

(that's why I wish more people would boycott WalMart)

[rniel]

64. Just rented it last night

What was really amazing is you got to remember all of those health problems, weight gain, cholesterol change happened in one single month.

If he would've kept it up for 2 months he would've had liver failure and maybe would've literally commited suicide with fast food.

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kwyjibo]

71. Meat from 1,000 cows in every burger

yuck.

Everybody, be sure to watch the interview with Eric Schlosser on the dvd extras. He's the author of Fast Food Nation.