# Is McDonalds making a big mistake with ads that respond to the "Super Size Me" movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195 "2004-06-19T14:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/81 "2004-06-23T11:47:33Z")
> [@stringy](#): > > In Australia, we’re getting bombarded with these ads from the CEO of McDonald’s Australia (15 times during the footy on Saturday night!). [Spitting chips - McDonald’s fights back](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/13/1087065034025.html?oneclick=true). (I’ve actually seen the doco, unlike some of the people in here criticising it on false premises). I think some of your criticisms are unfair. > [@](#): > > Some of the claims made by Russo (the CEO) in that article are pretty inaccurate. > For instance, he says that “We believe, and have always believed, that McDonald’s can be eaten as part of a well-balanced diet. What Mr Spurlock set out to do, which was double his daily calorie intake, deliberately not exercise and over-eat, was totally irresponsible.” > > Well, as Spurlock found out when he called 100 nutritionists, no nutritionist recommends eating McDonald’s as part of a well-balanced diet. He didn’t deliberately double his calorie intake, it’s just what happens when you eat nothing but McDonalds, and that’s not too far away from what some people do. His exercise was reduced to that of the average American, because it’s average, normal Americans who are eating McDonalds. He only had 3 meals a day, no snacks, so he wasn’t over-eating. Russo didn’t claim that nutritionists recommend eating McDonalds as part of a balanced diet. He said he and McDonalds Corp believe that it can be eaten as part of a well-balanced diet. To me, that means not eating it every meal and not eating a large amount of it when you do have it. By it’s very definition, a well-balanced diet is one that contains a variety of food and is within the recommended daily limits in regards to calories and fat. If you do over-eat or indulge in too many fatty/greasy/calorie laden foods, then you’re not following a well-balanced diet. If you are moderate in your eating habits you can include the occasional McDonalds meal without adversely affecting your health. Therefore there’s nothing blatantly untrue about that statement. > [@](#): > > Again from the article:"‘We’ve been taking the issue of obesity seriously for a few years now,’ he said, referring to the introduction of salads, nutritional labelling and low-fat breakfasts." A few years now? The salads and low-fat breakfasts were introduced in Australia late last year, and the labelling only started a couple of months ago. Russo did not claim to have acted on the issue of obesity a few years ago, he only claimed that they started taking it seriously a few months ago. I did not interpret his statement to mean that they had been offering salads and nutritional panels for “a few years”, just that the issue has become more of a concern for them. I imagine it would have taken McDonalds a long time to develop new menu items, source them, test them and finally implement them Australia-wide, and I see no reason to doubt that the issue has been on the table (so to speak) for a lot longer than the new products have been available. > [@](#): > > Last Thursday the late news on Ch. 10 had a sound-bite from Russo: he said they’d made the ad because “loyal customers of McDonalds” had told them to stand up for themselves. Poor multi-billion dollar corporation, being picked on by a guy who uses them as a gimmick to get people to watch his documentary about obesity and it’s causes. My heart bleeds for them. Yeah, ok I agree there. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/82 "2004-06-23T13:37:09Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > > [@tracer](#): > > > > Soso Whaley isn’t the only person who’s run a personal experiment to eat only at McDonalds for a month and lost (or maintained) weight: > > > > [http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/ne...ssue\_detail.asp](http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/ne...ssue_detail.asp) : > > Once again, this experiment was not within the parameters of what Sperlock did. That’s the _point_! Spurlock and his movie have people saying that McDonald’s is Eeeevil when the fact of the matter is it was his _diet_ that caused his health problems. That’s what his detractors are pointing out but many people don’t want to hear it, least of all Spurlock himself. Yet Whaley is the one being labled an attention whore? :dubious: What’s more is Spurlock has gone back to eating burgers a few times a month, just not from McDonalds. I’m sure he’s had enough of _those_. I’m sure he also knows that if he ever does start eating McDonalds again, his free publicity is likely to go _poof_. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/83 "2004-06-23T15:55:49Z")
You know, reading this thread makes me really hungry for a double Quarter Pounder with cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/84 "2004-06-23T17:31:41Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > That’s the _point_! Spurlock and his movie have people saying that McDonald’s is Eeeevil when the fact of the matter is it was his _diet_ that caused his health problems. That’s what his detractors are pointing out but many people don’t want to hear it, least of all Spurlock himself. Yet Whaley is the one being labled an attention whore? :dubious: > > What’s more is Spurlock has gone back to eating burgers a few times a month, just not from McDonalds. I’m sure he’s had enough of _those_. I’m sure he also knows that if he ever does start eating McDonalds again, his free publicity is likely to go _poof_. Spurlock and the movie _do not claim that McDonalds is evil_. Spurlock, in the movie, blames his weight gain and health problems squarely on his diet and lack of exercise, _not on McDonalds_. If you haven’t seen the film then quit making pronouncements about what it says or doesn’t say. McDonalds is just a symbol in the film. Spurlock is saying this is what happens when you eat crap and don’t exercise. The _source_ of the crap is not the point. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/85 "2004-06-23T18:31:05Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Spurlock and the movie **do not claim that McDonalds is evil**. Spurlock, in the movie, blames his weight gain and health problems squarely on his diet and lack of exercise, **not on McDonalds**. > > If you haven’t seen the film then quit making pronouncements about what it says or doesn’t say. McDonalds is just a symbol in the film. Spurlock is saying this is what happens when you eat crap and don’t exercise. The **source** of the crap is not the point. Still misreading my words, I see. Here they are again: “Spurlock and his movie have people saying that McDonald’s is Eeeevil when the fact of the matter is it was his diet that caused his health problems.” This is not any sort of proclomation against the movie but rather the _audience_! Specifically, the part of the audience that leaves thinking, “Wow! McDonald’s is Eeeevil!” This is where the source of the crap _is_ that point and what Spurlock’s detractors are addressing. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/86 "2004-06-24T05:12:07Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > What’s more is Spurlock has gone back to eating burgers a few times a month, just not from McDonalds. I’m sure he’s had enough of _those_. I’m sure he also knows that if he ever does start eating McDonalds again, his free publicity is likely to go _poof_. IIRC, he said on his Daily Show interview that he still eats there occasionally. This is only hypocritical if you mistake his message as “Don’t eat fast food or McDonalds, ever”, which it is absolutely not. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/87 "2004-06-24T05:13:59Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > IIRC, he said on his Daily Show interview that he still eats there occasionally. This is only hypocritical if you mistake his message as “Don’t eat fast food or McDonalds, ever”, which it is absolutely not. But that is how it is perceived by many, including the media. That is, of course, in no part thanks to the title “Supersize Me” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/88 "2004-06-24T12:42:45Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > IIRC, he said on his Daily Show interview that he still eats there occasionally. This is only hypocritical if you mistake his message as “Don’t eat fast food or McDonalds, ever”, which it is absolutely not. He has specifically said that he’s avoiding McDonald’s but I don’t know if it was on the Daily Show or not. There’s a link in the second or third page of **pizzabrat** ’s trainwreck of a Pit thread but I don’t have time to look it up at the moment. **Duderdude2** : exactly. That’s the point that **DtC** keeps missing. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/89 "2004-06-24T15:04:36Z")
[Mens’ Health](http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/printer_friendly/0,2826,s1-6-40-6-1425,00.html) was the one with this: > [@](#): > > Today, I still eat burgers (although not McDonald’s), but probably just once a month. A clip of The Daily Show interview can be found at [Comedy Central’s official site](http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/videos.jhtml). Spurlock talks about a Pavlovian effect from the smell of their food but not eating. Was there more than what Comedy Central has? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/90 "2004-06-24T16:10:06Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > He has specifically said that he’s avoiding McDonald’s So what? He’s not telling anyone _else_ not to eat at McDonalds. I fail to see any hypocrisy in simply being sick of McDonalds himself. I repeat for like the 50th time: Sperlock does not attack McDonalds in the movie. > [@](#): > > **Duderdude2** : exactly. That’s the point that **DtC** keeps missing. No, the point _you_ keep missing is that people who have actually _seen_ the film do _not_ come out with an impression that Sperlock was attacking the McDonalds. Theb only people who have the notion that the movie is a hatchet piece on McD’s are people who have not seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/91 "2004-06-24T16:18:12Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > No, the point _you_ keep missing is that people who have actually _seen_ the film do _not_ come out with an impression that Sperlock was attacking the McDonalds. Theb only people who have the notion that the movie is a hatchet piece on McD’s are people who have not seen it. Wrong. Our own **pizzabrat** has seen the movie and used it as an example of why McDonald’s food is dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/92 "2004-06-24T16:43:41Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > So what? He’s not telling anyone _else_ not to eat at McDonalds. I fail to see any hypocrisy in simply being sick of McDonalds himself. I repeat for like the 50th time: Sperlock does not attack McDonalds in the movie. And I repeat for like the 50th time: [it’s not about the movie](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5000597#post5000597)! ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/93 "2004-06-24T17:15:55Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > And I repeat for like the 50th time: [it’s not about the movie](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5000597#post5000597)! Right, I would think it’s more about the media’s fallout and how its affecting public perception. This thread is proof enough of that. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/94 "2004-06-24T17:59:45Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Once again, this experiment was not within the parameters of what Sperlock did. He deliberately restricted himself from exercising more than the average American. Ok, so can we be in agreement then that “eating every meal at McDonalds” isn’t what made him sick? It’s “eating every meal at McDonalds while following rigid experimental parameters” that made him sick. Parameters like: Eating every item on the menu without regard to what you want to eat, or what is healthy Eating meals even if you’re not hungry Supersizing when asked rather than when you wish to Eating the entire meal, every time, rather than stopping if you’re sated It seems apparent to me that it was these rules that caused him to become ill, not the quality of McDonald’s food. Go into ANY good restaurant, and you’ll be asked, would you like an appetizer, entree, dessert, coffee, etc… eat all that every single day every single meal and you’d be sick as a dog too. Unfortunately, he used McDonalds and fast food as his target so they’re fighting back. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/95 "2004-06-24T18:56:35Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Ok, so can we be in agreement then that “eating every meal at McDonalds” isn’t what made him sick? It’s “eating every meal at McDonalds while following rigid experimental parameters” that made him sick. > > Parameters like: > Eating every item on the menu without regard to what you want to eat, or what is healthy > Eating meals even if you’re not hungry > Supersizing when asked rather than when you wish to > Eating the entire meal, every time, rather than stopping if you’re sated. He also snacked between meals. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/96 "2004-06-24T19:30:58Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > C.) John Stossel is a tool (it bears repeating). Dogbert? Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/97 "2004-06-24T19:53:29Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > Dogbert? Is that you? Were you aware of Diogenes other sobriquet before you asked that? Am I the only one who finds it amusing that **Wolfian** is asking a poster named for Diogenes the Dog, whether or not he’s Dogbert? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/98 "2004-06-25T04:46:34Z")
Thanks to everyone above who said nice things about my personal decisions. I haven’t been perfect this week but I have been a LOT better. I have been cooking quite a bit and keeping to healthy, unprocessed foods most of the time. I have cracked my habit of needing to stop for a treat in the cafeteria or on the way to/from work successfully. Drinking more water – well, it’s a good trick to lose weight to feel full. I’m not where I’d like to be on the water, but I am trying to drink more to stop drinking so much soda (though I never drink anything but diet soda). I haven’t had a Diet Coke all week, which is my ‘other’ addiction. I have also exercised quite a bit using my new Dance Dance Revolution set and that is going very well. I like it and am getting better at it, and am already able to keep going longer. I think it’s quite relevant that this sort of self-examination was the moral of the film. The moral was not that McDonalds is bad, but that corporations are there to make money, not take care of you – so you have to take care of yourself. ---
**Author:** ![stringy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@stringy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stringy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/99 "2004-06-25T05:07:27Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > I think it’s quite relevant that this sort of self-examination was the moral of the film. The moral was not that McDonalds is bad, but that corporations are there to make money, not take care of you – so you have to take care of yourself. I think the majority of viewers came away from the movie with this moral. Good luck with your new eating plan - I’m doing a similar thing myself, after seeing the movie. It’s been hard to give up some of the crap I’d been eating, but I feel a lot better for it. I hope you’re feeling the benefits too? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195/100 "2004-06-25T05:10:13Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Ok, so can we be in agreement then that “eating every meal at McDonalds” isn’t what made him sick? It’s “eating every meal at McDonalds while following rigid experimental parameters” that made him sick. > > Parameters like: > Eating every item on the menu without regard to what you want to eat, or what is healthy > Eating meals even if you’re not hungry > Supersizing when asked rather than when you wish to > Eating the entire meal, every time, rather than stopping if you’re sated > > It seems apparent to me that it was these rules that caused him to become ill, not the quality of McDonald’s food. Well the quality of the McDonalds food was part of it but he _says_ it was his self-imposed “rules” that made him sick. He doesn’t blame McDonalds in the film. Between this and the pit thread I’m getting exhausted from arguing with people who haven’t seen the movie misrepresenting what it says. The film is about _personal choices_. It’s_not_ about McDonalds. It doesn’t _blame_ McDonalds. Can we get that straight, please? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcdonalds-making-a-big-mistake-with-ads-that-respond-to-the-super-size-me-movie/251195.md?page=6)