Persuasive
Feel free to download this sample speech to view our writing style, or use it as a template for your own paper. If you need help writing your assignment, click here!
| Assignment Type | Speech |
|---|---|
| Subject | Communication |
| Academic Level | Undergraduate |
| Citation Style | MLA |
| Length | 4 pages |
| Word Count | 1,315 |
Need Some Help Writing your Paper?
We offer custom written papers starting at $32 / page. Your will get a completely custom-written paper tailored to your instructions, with zero chance of plagiarism.
Document Preview:
Fast Food - Beware!
“Good Mood Food”
“Have it Your Way”
“Finger-lickin’ Good”
“You Deserve a Break Today”
“I’m Lovin’ It”
The sights, sounds and smells are all around us everyday. The public is bombarded with tantalizing messages carefully designed to urge, coax and convince individuals to purchase and consume fast food. “Choose our delicious roast beef; personalize your order; get a bucket of chicken; take a quick, easy meal home to your family; and, you will love our food,” they say. The dozens of fast food chains with tens of thousands of ever convenient locations never rest in their competition for a share of the market. And, it all begins in childhood where 96% of school age children in America know Ronald McDonald. He ranks second only to Santa Claus (Schlosser, 2001). This desire for drive-through cuisine does not, however, stop with childhood. Unfortunately, the lifelong habits of eating fast food have lifelong detrimental effects to the body, mind and spirit.
In response to the ever-increasing scientific information about the exact nature of the food served at typical fast food establishments, some chains now offer “healthy” menus. This, according to research, is nothing more than a slick marketing campaign. The International Journal of Obesity reports, “Nutrition experts might be able to navigate the menus of fast food restaurant chains, and based on nutritional information, compose apparently ‘healthy’ meals, there are still many reasons why frequent fast food consumption at most chains is unhealthy” (Stender, Dyerburg, & Astrup, 2007, p. 887). They continue, “[Fast food] contributes to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Fast food generally has a high-energy density, which, together with large portion sizes, induces over consumption of calories” (Stender et al., p. 887). In other words, when you order the “biggie” size you are eating too many calories in relation to the portion.
Although everyone knows that this type of food is not healthy, the various companies still thrive in the marketplace. Studies have shown that students in grades seven through twelve that have the highest frequency of fast food restaurant use have the lowest concerns about healthy eating, even though they are aware of facts (French, Story, Neumark-Sztainer, Fulkerson, & Hannan, 2001). This same set of students also has high student employment rates, high television viewing habits, high home availability of unhealthy foods, and high perceived barriers to healthy eating (French et al.; Kline, 2005). These results point to the overall environment that feeds the frenzy for fast food. While this seems like an insurmountable list of variables to overcome, changing just one factor can have a positive impact. Perhaps the most powerful one to change would be to simply drive by the drive through!
Another response from the industry to the detrimental health findings about their products is to keep an ever-changing “new” menu. Each chain will cycle through a new type of burger, new style of chicken, or differently flavored standards like French fries. Oftentimes, with the implication that they are “healthier.” There is a powerful psychological component to this type of marketing that tempts the customers who might have decreased their visits. Along with the apparently “cheap” dollar menus, this is a potent combination for the consuming public. Again, this is a bit of a ruse. For example, the chicken nuggets at a few of the popular chains are still soaked with grease and have a beef extract flavoring that results in twice the fat content of hamburger in equal measure (Goossens, 2003).
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of fast food is the idea that it may be addictive. Research study after research study has been done proving that, yes, it is addictive. Then big business will conduct a study and “find” that, no, it is not addictive. Who is correct? “It is well established that food and addiction are closely linked,” says Diane Martindale (2003). In her article in New Scientist, Martindale states, “Gorging on fat and sugar causes brain changes normally associated with addictive drugs such as heroin.” The energy dense food served at fast food restaurants can cause these brain changes, according to Martindale and others in her article. While the process is protracted and delayed by the “big money” corporations who stand to lose a substantial piece of their market share, the evidence keeps piling up. Fast food is addictive…
Another disturbing physiological reaction in the brain after eating fast food is the release of dopamine - that natural feel-good chemical that we possess. Fast food, like known addictive drugs provides a “short cut” to this feeling of reward (Martindale, 2003). Additionally, your brain loses the ability to determine if you are full and should stop eating. A hormone in the brain also controls this response. Fast food dampens and ultimately changes the settings for this in your brain. Therefore, the more fat you eat, the more fat you want to eat because the thermostat in your brain, so to speak, has been reset without you knowing it. While not irreversible, this is a frightening result to eating a Big Mac! Further evidence that what you are eating from the drive through is controlling you.
Again, these eating patterns are learned in childhood. “American children are exposed to about 10,000 food commercials per year – the bulk of them for fast food” (Goossens, 2003). A neurobiologist, Sarah Leibowitz, at Rockefeller University, found that “early exposure to fatty food could reconfigure children’s bodies to that they always choose fatty foods” (Martindale, 2003). Reconfigure the biology in your child’s body! This fact alone should give every parent pause before feeding their children fast food. According to Martindale (2003), “Children [who are] fed kids’ meals at fast food restaurants are more likely to grow up to be burger-scoffing adults.”
In your haste to work, care for families and children, take care of a home, and find a little time for rest and recreation, fast food seems the perfect fit. In 2002, Americans spent $115 billion dollars on fast food – this number is larger than money spent on “higher education or personal computers or new cars” (Martindale, 2003). Clearly the marketing, lack of information, inability to convince the public, or simple convenience is guiding these buying habits. And, there are generations of individuals suffering for it with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, altered brain chemistry, and a silent addiction for the nutritionally barren food products found at fast food restaurants!
Watch closely the next time a commercial comes on the TV for a fast food establishment. When you hear the catchy slogan and happy jingle “Good mood food,” this might be more accurate than anyone is comfortable believing! Perhaps “Have it your way” is simply pandering to the nagging thoughts that you are subjected on a daily basis to endless marketing and psychological tricks about unhealthy products. Take a moment to remember that those “finger lickin’ good” chicken pieces are swimming in fat and artificial flavors. “You deserve a break today” is reminding you how busy you are while offering a seemingly benign solution to feeding your family everyday – at the expense of everyone’s health. And, lastly, if you are “lovin’ it,” then you need more facts about the real costs to your health and your mind.
References
French, S. A., Story, M. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Fulkerson, J. A., & Hannan, P. (2001, December). Fast food restaurant use among adolescents: Associations with nutrient intake, food choices and behavioral and psychosocial variables. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 12, 1823-1833.
Goossens, C. (2003). Persuasive imagery: A consumer response perspective. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Kline, S. (2005). Countering children’s sedentary lifestyles: An evaluative study of a media-risk education approach. Childhood, 12(2), 239-258.
Martindale, D. (2003, February 1). Burgers on the brain. New Scientist, 177(2380). Retrieved from http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/fastfood032103.cfm
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Stender, S., Dyerburg, J., & Astrup, A. (2007). Fast food: Unfriendly and unhealthy. International Journal of Obesity. 31, 887-890.
“Good Mood Food”
“Have it Your Way”
“Finger-lickin’ Good”
“You Deserve a Break Today”
“I’m Lovin’ It”
The sights, sounds and smells are all around us everyday. The public is bombarded with tantalizing messages carefully designed to urge, coax and convince individuals to purchase and consume fast food. “Choose our delicious roast beef; personalize your order; get a bucket of chicken; take a quick, easy meal home to your family; and, you will love our food,” they say. The dozens of fast food chains with tens of thousands of ever convenient locations never rest in their competition for a share of the market. And, it all begins in childhood where 96% of school age children in America know Ronald McDonald. He ranks second only to Santa Claus (Schlosser, 2001). This desire for drive-through cuisine does not, however, stop with childhood. Unfortunately, the lifelong habits of eating fast food have lifelong detrimental effects to the body, mind and spirit.
In response to the ever-increasing scientific information about the exact nature of the food served at typical fast food establishments, some chains now offer “healthy” menus. This, according to research, is nothing more than a slick marketing campaign. The International Journal of Obesity reports, “Nutrition experts might be able to navigate the menus of fast food restaurant chains, and based on nutritional information, compose apparently ‘healthy’ meals, there are still many reasons why frequent fast food consumption at most chains is unhealthy” (Stender, Dyerburg, & Astrup, 2007, p. 887). They continue, “[Fast food] contributes to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Fast food generally has a high-energy density, which, together with large portion sizes, induces over consumption of calories” (Stender et al., p. 887). In other words, when you order the “biggie” size you are eating too many calories in relation to the portion.
Although everyone knows that this type of food is not healthy, the various companies still thrive in the marketplace. Studies have shown that students in grades seven through twelve that have the highest frequency of fast food restaurant use have the lowest concerns about healthy eating, even though they are aware of facts (French, Story, Neumark-Sztainer, Fulkerson, & Hannan, 2001). This same set of students also has high student employment rates, high television viewing habits, high home availability of unhealthy foods, and high perceived barriers to healthy eating (French et al.; Kline, 2005). These results point to the overall environment that feeds the frenzy for fast food. While this seems like an insurmountable list of variables to overcome, changing just one factor can have a positive impact. Perhaps the most powerful one to change would be to simply drive by the drive through!
Another response from the industry to the detrimental health findings about their products is to keep an ever-changing “new” menu. Each chain will cycle through a new type of burger, new style of chicken, or differently flavored standards like French fries. Oftentimes, with the implication that they are “healthier.” There is a powerful psychological component to this type of marketing that tempts the customers who might have decreased their visits. Along with the apparently “cheap” dollar menus, this is a potent combination for the consuming public. Again, this is a bit of a ruse. For example, the chicken nuggets at a few of the popular chains are still soaked with grease and have a beef extract flavoring that results in twice the fat content of hamburger in equal measure (Goossens, 2003).
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of fast food is the idea that it may be addictive. Research study after research study has been done proving that, yes, it is addictive. Then big business will conduct a study and “find” that, no, it is not addictive. Who is correct? “It is well established that food and addiction are closely linked,” says Diane Martindale (2003). In her article in New Scientist, Martindale states, “Gorging on fat and sugar causes brain changes normally associated with addictive drugs such as heroin.” The energy dense food served at fast food restaurants can cause these brain changes, according to Martindale and others in her article. While the process is protracted and delayed by the “big money” corporations who stand to lose a substantial piece of their market share, the evidence keeps piling up. Fast food is addictive…
Another disturbing physiological reaction in the brain after eating fast food is the release of dopamine - that natural feel-good chemical that we possess. Fast food, like known addictive drugs provides a “short cut” to this feeling of reward (Martindale, 2003). Additionally, your brain loses the ability to determine if you are full and should stop eating. A hormone in the brain also controls this response. Fast food dampens and ultimately changes the settings for this in your brain. Therefore, the more fat you eat, the more fat you want to eat because the thermostat in your brain, so to speak, has been reset without you knowing it. While not irreversible, this is a frightening result to eating a Big Mac! Further evidence that what you are eating from the drive through is controlling you.
Again, these eating patterns are learned in childhood. “American children are exposed to about 10,000 food commercials per year – the bulk of them for fast food” (Goossens, 2003). A neurobiologist, Sarah Leibowitz, at Rockefeller University, found that “early exposure to fatty food could reconfigure children’s bodies to that they always choose fatty foods” (Martindale, 2003). Reconfigure the biology in your child’s body! This fact alone should give every parent pause before feeding their children fast food. According to Martindale (2003), “Children [who are] fed kids’ meals at fast food restaurants are more likely to grow up to be burger-scoffing adults.”
In your haste to work, care for families and children, take care of a home, and find a little time for rest and recreation, fast food seems the perfect fit. In 2002, Americans spent $115 billion dollars on fast food – this number is larger than money spent on “higher education or personal computers or new cars” (Martindale, 2003). Clearly the marketing, lack of information, inability to convince the public, or simple convenience is guiding these buying habits. And, there are generations of individuals suffering for it with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, altered brain chemistry, and a silent addiction for the nutritionally barren food products found at fast food restaurants!
Watch closely the next time a commercial comes on the TV for a fast food establishment. When you hear the catchy slogan and happy jingle “Good mood food,” this might be more accurate than anyone is comfortable believing! Perhaps “Have it your way” is simply pandering to the nagging thoughts that you are subjected on a daily basis to endless marketing and psychological tricks about unhealthy products. Take a moment to remember that those “finger lickin’ good” chicken pieces are swimming in fat and artificial flavors. “You deserve a break today” is reminding you how busy you are while offering a seemingly benign solution to feeding your family everyday – at the expense of everyone’s health. And, lastly, if you are “lovin’ it,” then you need more facts about the real costs to your health and your mind.
References
French, S. A., Story, M. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Fulkerson, J. A., & Hannan, P. (2001, December). Fast food restaurant use among adolescents: Associations with nutrient intake, food choices and behavioral and psychosocial variables. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 12, 1823-1833.
Goossens, C. (2003). Persuasive imagery: A consumer response perspective. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Kline, S. (2005). Countering children’s sedentary lifestyles: An evaluative study of a media-risk education approach. Childhood, 12(2), 239-258.
Martindale, D. (2003, February 1). Burgers on the brain. New Scientist, 177(2380). Retrieved from http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/fastfood032103.cfm
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Stender, S., Dyerburg, J., & Astrup, A. (2007). Fast food: Unfriendly and unhealthy. International Journal of Obesity. 31, 887-890.