Sometimes I wonder if people realize that they are simply fodder for the great marketing machines of big business. I understand and accept that marketing is a natural by-product of capitalism. If something is offered for sale it is only natural to promote that item. However, there is a bifurcated problem. There are no natural limits to what can be stated or claimed and people are unwilling to critically evaluate the product being hawked. The result is that people buy something they don’t need that is in some cases overtly harmful to them.
Think of all the fast food that has become common place. Ronald is under few restrictions when it comes to selling a Happy meal of Big Mac. It is not his responsibility to make wise food choices for the consumer. Such responsibility belongs to the consumer. Make no mistake it is a war between big marketing and everyone else and everyone else is out gunned. This is not just about fast food. We are pummeled daily with marketing messages professionally designed to accomplish one thing only – sell us their product.
In the case of poor diets the irony almost amusing if it were not so depressing. Society has adopted the “all you can eat” message as the Holy Grail of food and the results are evident in the obesity epidemic that is so visible. In no small part, the marketers have contributed to this epidemic by their effective campaigns. So how do we reverse this health epidemic? The correct approach, the only one that makes any real sense, is for everyone to do the obvious and start eating the way we know we should. But we don’t.
Instead, there is another industry that wants to acquire some of our capital, the diet industry. Forget the bogus claims made by the late night infomercials. Just think of how much the pharmaceutical industry has spent on developing the next, best weight loss pill. Onexa was recently voted down by the FDA but Lorcasering and Contrave are waiting in the wings for their chance in front of the FDA panel. If approved, they will join existing medical arsenal in the obesity war such as orlistat, sibutramine and others.
Doesn’t this seem silly? Marketing contributes to our making poor food choices that result in an obese nation and then marketing tells us about the new pills to correct the obesity. A whole lot of businesses are making a whole lot of money on the cycle of making us overweight and then selling us a method to make us lose weight. It would make much more sense if we were to eliminate the middle men and just do what we know we should do.. eat right.
But we won’t. This is not just about Ronald and the obesity epidemic. In general, the marketers will continue to do what they do.. sell. People will continue to consume things they don’t need. The only way the cycle will be broken is if people start to think critically for themselves. Until that happens they will remain themselves just a food source for the big business that depended on their poor choices for their own sustenance.
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