Length: 750+ words
Due Dates: See syllabus (3/9
7 as a draft and 3/14 for a grade)
1. Pick one of the two essays on pp. 151-161 of TSIS and argue in favor of (confirmation) or against (refutation) its premise/ thesis. However, you should try as best you can to develop your own thesis, your own unique perspective, about the topic. Note that whatever you do, you will have to respond to arguments in the other essay.
2. In the first paragraph, develop your perspective as a response to the source. You might want to mention the author’s name and the title of the essay in paragraph one.
3. In paragraph two, summarize the source’s thesis and main supporting ideas. Note: You have already written such a summary paragraph, so you should know what you're doing
4. In subsequent paragraphs, confirm or refute the source’s thesis and main supporting ideas in separate paragraphs. Let the summary paragraph guide the organization of these “body” paragraphs.
5. As you write those paragraphs, think in terms of the paragraph “moves” we discussed in class. In any given paragraph, are you discussing the effect(s), positive or negative, of the source’s general thesis/ proposal? Are you confirming its general argument/ thesis in a way that the writer did not? Are you confirming one of its supporting arguments/ sub-points? Are you refuting the general premise/ thesis? Are you refuting one of its supporting arguments/ sub-points? Are you responding to one of its counter arguments? (Are you refuting its refutation? Doesn’t writing a response essay get durned complicated?) Each paragraph is an argumentative move and therefore requires a specific argumentative pattern.
6. Provide evidence for the source’s point of view in the form of SHORT quotation and paraphrase. You want to sound objective and even-handed here even if you disagree.
7. You may use any or all of the sources in the rest if the TSIS section. Cite the sources informally in the text.
8. Include a concluding paragraph, but in an essay this short, you should not be summarizing your essay or the sources ideas. We will discuss approaches to introductions and conclusions in class.
Post some notes here by Tuesday at 5 PM.
- I will write a confirmation of the essay “Don’t Blame The Eater.”
ReplyDelete- I believe that the eaters are less at fault than the fast food industry and the food industry in general.
- Zinczenko made a very good point that fast food is way too cost-effective relative to other foods in the industry and that it is easy to fall into a heavy fast-food diet if one has a bad situation, financially.
- Zinczenko made a very compelling introduction when he talked about how he grew up in a tough situation economically, with divorced parents and neither one really making a lot of money to help him live a fast-food free life.
- Zinczenko described a handful of cogent facts that involved bloated calorie figures, shady advertising schemes, and a national decline in our population’s health.
- He was very right when he said that fast-food, while unhealthy, is extremely convenient financially and is very accessible to nearly everybody, with locations almost everywhere in the country.
- I believe that the food industry should make more of an effort to make other, healthier foods more cost-effective, relative to cheap, greasy fast-food.
Confirmation Paragraph: What you eat is your Business
ReplyDeleteTo solve the overweight epidemic, individuals need to be made more responsible for their own health and have easier access to healthy food
The government should not tell us how to eat, it should be up to the individual
The government could take a back seat role and instead offer incentives not rules for living a healthy lifestyle
There are already government rules going into place that take away incentives for living a healthy lifestyle
The state is impeding into the private sector of business, but the state does need some say in what goes for healthy lifestyles, they could provide incentives for those businesses that offer incentives for private citizens living healthy lifestyles
We would take greater care of our health if we knew that we would personally pay for our bills
I plan on doing a refutation of Don't Blame the Eater
ReplyDeleteThere are alternative ways to find meals besides just eating fast food
A majority of overweight people are probably those who have a lot of money and choose to eat a lot of fast food-ill try to find statistics
If someone is so poor that they cant pay for meals they are most likely qualified for food stamps making the "its the only option" argument irrelevant
The author provides no statistical connection between obesity/diabetes and families with low income
• The costumers of fast food should not be blamed for getting fat it is the alluring advertisements that should be blamed – my perspective, in agreement with the “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko
ReplyDelete•Advertisements are geared toward kids –find evidence
o Ronald McDonald shows happy children eating McDonald’s
o Ads on kids TV channels
•Advertisements cause kids to want McDonald’s because of the manipulative ads
•McDonald’s is unhealthy
o Explain/find statistics on health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, (childhood) obesity – could be a good ‘hook’
•Address counterarguments
o Specifically ones that say it is the individual who has the choice
o But prove the customer has no choice because the ads are manipulative
o Healthy food is expensive, people can only afford McDonald’s
o The argument that some healthy food like a sandwich isn’t that expensive might be true but people want a filling, warm, and cooked meal especially for dinner
o People won’t make better choices just because they are paying for it – because people are ignorant - the calorie info is confusing and ads still convince people they want the food
o They also don’t see the future of diabetes or heart disease until it is on their doorstep, people believe they are invincible until they aren’t, almost like Scrooge from A Christmas Carol
I will confirm what you eat is your business:
ReplyDeleteBringing the government between you and your waistline.
examples of the changes govt is bringing to the US to fight obesity|
the way is to: foster a sense of responsibility
confirm and emphasize that THIS is the deal right here. People making bad choices.
No one is to blame but the eater.
however, I can also make a case with the other essay by confirming Don’t blame the eater. In America, there are a lot more options. Every sort of chip has a hundred flavors to fit exactly what you demand so you can’t resist but buy it. Ranch flavored sun flower seeds, only in the United States. Every possible flavor of pop corn, vanilla coke cherry coke and what not. So America is presented with all these options. This could be a topic to make a case about.
“Wicked crunch outside creamy chocolate inside!!! New Kellogs Krave!”
An advert for a breakfast cereal.
Clearly I still haven’t picked a side. Still debating. I think it’s a mixture of people and companies accommodating each other.
But I have seeing what has stronger arguments for and against it. What I can make a more stronger, personal and compelling essay.
Refutation for What You Eat Is Your Business
ReplyDelete-The individual cannot truly be hold accountable until the government takes certain actions
-There needs to be nutrition and wellness classes in schools; an individual needs a proper education on wellness and nutrition or they will never know what foods to eat and what to avoid
-The government needs to lower the cost of healthy foods
-There needs to be an increased number of healthy options at fast food restaurants for busy parents to feed their children quick and healthy food
-A happy meal with apple slices, a cheeseburger, and milk (a so called healthy option) still contains 430 calories
Refutation: What You Eat Is Your Business
ReplyDelete- the government needs to be held partially accountable and they need to take action to make things better
- there should be a mandatory nutrition class that needs to be taken in order to graduate
- healthy foods need to be cheaper and easier to obtain for all, especially the lower income families
- fast food restaurants should be required to offer more healthy choices that are actually healthy
Favor of Balko’s thesis agitating the public into taking responsibility for our health.
ReplyDeleteRefute Zincenko: Reason for being fat in 1980s applies today
-Healthier fast food options now
-Parental control greater than before (cell, credit cards)
-Body image and working out weren’t promoted as much ex: Today’s body is much slimmer and now schools have public gyms *data* for students to work out
Agree Balko: Reward the healthy by halting plans to further publicly-fund health care
-Bigger motive to stay fit; i.e. Worker’s will want maximum benefits, family will want children fit so cheaper healthcare, and doctors could be more influential to staying healthy
-Facts about trial lawyers encouraging less jurors who show personal responsibility bias
Refutation of “Don’t Blame the Eater”
ReplyDelete-Many children do learn how to manage their diet, usually from elementary school
-There are plenty of places to find healthy food: grocery stores, supermarkets, and local shops
-While Type 2 diabetes is primarily caused by obesity, there are other causes
-The billions of dollars spent to prevent diabetes is spent to prevent/cure both types of diabetes
-Alternatives are more common than the article suggests. There are non-fast-food places everywhere. Also, fast-food restaurants have some alternatives if the costumer is cautious.
-There are cheap, fast eateries like Subway that have food healthier than a burger and fries, such as flatbread sandwiches and an apple.
-Many fast-food restaurants are improving the information they provide for their food. Also, books such as CalorieKing provide information about eating out.
-Many other factors are involved in obesity: exercise, medical conditions, genes (metabolism), trauma and stress, and overall lifestyle.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/obesity-cause
http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/diabetes-causes
Refutation: What You Eat Is Your Business
ReplyDelete-the Government is partially to blame for the extreme number of unhealthy and overweight Americans.
-American meat processing is one of the most unhealthy in the world.
-Nutrition should be incorporated into children's education.
- "healthy choices" at McDonalds are still large amounts of calories.
- costs of food in general need to be adjusted so that Americans are picking healthy foods
-healthy alternatives need to be introduced.
-incentives also need to be introduced.
-I plan to refute Zinczenko's article
ReplyDelete-Highlight importance of personal responsibility
-Use Balko's examples of government regulations on food to support
-Discuss supply and demand and finding alternatives
-Use Zinczenko's point "proven health hazards with no warning labels"
-Not only proven, but well-known
-Zinczenko attributes exercise and improved diet to luck?
-While most nutrition facts may be confusing or not conveniently posted, they usually available upon request or displayed on website
Agree with Balko’s idea of people needing a sense of personal responsibility
ReplyDelete-refute the idea that the poor don’t have options
-there are places to eat healthier
-people should make their own health one of their top priorities
-discuss how government stepping in discourages people from living unhealthy life styles
-possibly touch on how regulations on what we eat may possibly be a violation of our rights
- Allowing weight loss to become an issue of public health care would lead to government restrictions on consumer choices
-refute David Zinczenko?