Archive for January, 2007

I have to wonder about MSNBC. That lowest rated of all cable news nets…the home of Krazy Keith Olbermann (full of a never-ending supply of Bush hatred and a sick obsession with Bill O’Reilly)…home to the lefty lowest rated cable news series, Chris Matthews…home of nonstop Chris Hanson and those annoying Dateline NBC “to catch a predator” episodes.

The station is taking a turn toward the tawdry and editorial. With a liberal bent.

Super Size Me, the absurd ‘documentary’ from Morgan Spurlock (definitely not a conservative by any stretch of the imagination), has been playing every weekend a few times on Saturday and Sunday.

Why? I’ve no idea. Propaganda, perhaps?

I was watching it (again)…and the ending really shows you how full of it Spurlock is. The entire film is an anti-McDonalds tirade…disguised as a “golly gee- fast food chains are evil making you CHOOSE to eat at their places. Let’s do what we can to put them out of business for the good of all” piece of proganda.

Here is a video clip of the ending…

(DOWNLOAD VIDEO- 1.5 MB wmv file)

Now, unless you’re a brain-dead zombie, you no doubt noticed a few things he said that didn’t make any sense.

First off- Spurlock can’t decide who to blame. Is it evil McDonalds or you? He says that the argument will be ‘no one eats McDonalds everyday 3 times a day. But, in fact, some do.’ I, myself, have never met a person who eats fast food for every single meal of every single day…or even fast food every meal for half the week. Spurlock wants to tarnish McDonalds with the rare exception out there who eats way too much fast food. Then again- there are people that eat fast food several times a week, never exercise, smoke, and drink, and do nothing about it and live to be 100 years old…while others exercise daily, eat right, and stay as healthy as they can and drop dead of a heart attack at 40. That’s a fact. It happens everyday. So- his message of doom and gloom and certain death is nonsensical from the start.

Secondly- Spurlock complains:

“why not do away with your super size options? Who needs 42 ounces of Coke…a half a pound of fries? And why not give me a choice between french fries and french fries?”

The emphasis I added says so much.

Morgan is a man without direction. It’s McDonald’s fault, but the choice is YOURS. Does this guy not understand the meaning of the word “choice”? It means you literally can choose to never eat at McDonalds period. It means you can choose to NOT super size your meal. But, why take away that choice from those people who DO CHOOSE it? Spurlock is all about choice- demanding that McDonalds offer healthier choices…except, he’s not a big fan of a choice of fries or a super size option. Guess what Morgan? DON’T SUPER SIZE IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH! Get a clue, man! What’s good for you is what’s demanded of us? How about you let us live our own lives?

Spurlock then goes onto to moan that McDonalds isn’t loyal to you, but rather to the stockholders. This is why they won’t change. Except- their loyalty to the stocholders IS loyalty to you. If you refuse to choose their restaurant, the stockholders aren’t happy. The goal is to keep people coming to McDonalds. And shocking news- people don’t go to McDonalds for healthy food! They go for stuff that isn’t necessarily health food, but it tastes good! There is, in fact, a direct connection between the stockholders and the customers. This is the case with every business. Your goal is to provide a service people want to choose.

He then says “the bottom line- there a business, no matter what they say.”

Now- has anyone EVER heard McDonalds claim otherwise? Is McDonalds running ads proclaiming they’re no longer a business, but rather a health food non-profit? A church maybe? A community group that wants to feed all the good little people salads and vitamin-fortified water? This statement makes no sense…of course they’re a business, and of course they don’t deny that. Why would they? They’d have a hard time bringing in a profit, then trying to claim they’re somehow a not for profit!

Spurlock then whines “by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions, and no company wants to stop doing that.”

No kidding? Thanks, Sherlock Holmes. Companies are in business to make as much money as they can by offering products people will CHOOSE to buy which, in turn, brings in more money. It’s that money that allows the business to keep offering their products. Besides, he’s being dishonest. He wants to portray them as evildoers with the goal of selling unhealthy food when, in fact, their goal is to sell the products people WANT. McDonalds has tried various products over the years…they’re tried the veggie burger, but do you order it? Do you know anyone else that orders it?

McDonalds actually still offers a veggie burger in some markets. Which markets? The ones where the burger can actually sell! They don’t offer it in markets where no one wants it. Most markets can’t sell it, because people don’t want it. Spurlock would have McDonalds force feed you veggie burgers?

McDonalds echoes this obvious point on their own website:

Q: Why doesn’t McDonald’s offer a veggie burger on its national menu?

A: After testing several types of veggie burgers in different parts of the country, we’ve chosen not to offer one on our national menu at this time. We’ll continue to look at these options and make decisions based on good business sense from a customer interest and sales perspective. Ultimately, however, it’s our customers who choose what’s on our menu. We’ll continue to offer those menu items that are most popular with a majority of our customers.

Precisely! A business does what makes good business sense. To STAY IN BUSINESS. To keep employing their millions of workers and the companies that provide them with raw materials to make their products…the companies that make the paper for the straw wrappers, the box companies, the utilities that are paid to utility companies, the taxes paid to local, state, and federal government, and on and on and on. It’s called free market capitalism, and it works. The menu items offered are the ones the CUSTOMERS CHOOSE. Veggie burgers aren’t big business- so you don’t keep it on the menu. Just as you don’t keep a stock of liver and onions on tap for the rare customer that wants liver and onions…you want that, go down the street to the restaurant that serves it!

Morgan goes on to confuse us even more by announcing that the current paradigm can only shift by YOU choosing to make a difference. Eat healthier (duh), don’t eat fast food all the time (duh), don’t always super aize (duh tres).

He ends it by asking- who do you want to see go [into the grave] first- you or them [McDonalds]?

Good question. Answer? Stop the dishonest tactics against the fast food chain…and let US choose. If it’s all about my right to choose- why make this piece of propaganda to begin with?

Better yet- why is this common MSNBC fare now? And is Michael Moore next?