"I always thought it was good for you"

[Klodomir]

Well well well... we have discussed the possibility of this on this very forum before, and now it has happened: a group of obese Americans are suing fast food restaurants for making them fat!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2151754.stm

Thursday, 25 July, 2002, 23:33 GMT 00:33 UK

Fat Americans sue fast food firms

More than half of all adult Americans are overweight

A group of overweight Americans have sued several US fast food giants accusing them of knowingly serving meals that cause obesity and disease.

The lawsuit - filed in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx - says that McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken misled customers by enticing them with greasy, salty and sugary food.

"The fast-food industry has wrecked my life," Caesar Barbar, one of plaintiffs, told the New York Post.

Mr Barbar - a 57-year-old maintenance supervisor who weighs almost 125 kilograms (275 pounds) - said he regularly ate fast food until 1996, when a doctor warned his diet could potentially kill him.

Mr Barbar said he had already had two heart attacks and has been suffering from diabetes.

'Bad eating habits'

"I always thought it was good for you. I never thought there was anything wrong with it," he said.

A recent assessment of obesity in the US found that more than a half of all adult Americans were overweight.

About 54 million adults were classified as obese - that is people who are about 15 kilos or more over the healthy norm based on height - and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year were attributed to obesity-related diseases.

Health groups say one of the biggest culprits for this growing epidemic is junk food, and that the best time to break the cycle between obesity and bad eating habits is when people are young.

Fast food companies - such as McDonald's and Burger King - are currently participating in a campaign urging young Americans to eat a healthier diet.

A spokesman for a restaurant industry group has ridiculed the legal action.

"He must be aware that fully two-thirds of all foods consumed in America are consumed in people's homes. Is he proposing that we sue America's moms?" John Doyle of the Center for Consumer Freedom told ABC News.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Hahaha.
Thanks Klod.

 

[Klodomir]

ANG!!!! *big sloppy kiss*

 

[Angela Harlem]

Hey you're on!! *smooch* You got pm?

 

[SomeGreatReward]

further proof of the following:
Kneejerk American response = Sue anything that moves

 

[z edge]

Unfortunately you are right there SomeGreatReward.

Is it the ease of obtaining legal representation? Is it because liberal lawyers will make a case out of anything?

Or is it because so many people want to live the "american dream" and will do anything to achieve the otherwise impossible?

But it is a cycle that is only driven farther off base within itself. If you have a legitamite problem, and you take it to the source (such as with my car the dealership f***ed up) they will ignore unless you get a lawyer involved (as I have).

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

people like this disgust me.

oh yes, it is totally the fast food companies' fault that people are fat. umm...no? true, many years ago they did tend to hide the fact that their food was so high in fat. but anyone who thinks or ever did think a mcdonald's cheeseburger was low in fat is insane. with all the nutrition guides for these places that can easily be found (on their walls, in brochures, on their website) it's hard not to know the fat content. for example, i know a whopper has more fat than a big mac (that actually surprised me as i thought flame broiled would be better) and wendy's is one of the worst, fat-wise.

but come on.

some lazy fat ass said
The lawsuit - filed in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx - says that McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken misled customers by enticing them with greasy, salty and sugary food.

"The fast-food industry has wrecked my life," Caesar Barbar, one of plaintiffs, told the New York Post.

Mr Barbar - a 57-year-old maintenance supervisor who weighs almost 125 kilograms (275 pounds) - said he regularly ate fast food until 1996, when a doctor warned his diet could potentially kill him.

Mr Barbar said he had already had two heart attacks and has been suffering from diabetes.

at the very least...kentucky FRIED chicken. how could one not think it would not be a healthy meal? true, some fast food places have been in trouble for targeting things to vegetarians, for us only to find out things are cooked in the wrong oil, etc. and that pirate's booty stuff also lied about how much fat was in that stuff.

but when you get up to 275 pounds, have had two heart attacks and suffers from diabetes, and has had a doctor tell you to STOP EATING IT, it's your freaking fault. this reminds me of that fat acceptance group (i don't remember the name, but someone posted a link for it in the southwest thread), where the guy who founded it had had his foot amputated because of diabetes. that doesn't happen to every diabetic. it happens to the ones who refuse to change their diet and exercise and get poor circulation because of it.

when you "regularly" eat fast food and notice a great deal of weight gain, it's kind of a hint to tell you to stop eating so much. sure, it's okay to eat it. it's okay to eat anything, as long as it's done in moderation. i can order a pizza, chinese food, fast food, and have a steak, but i can't eat very much of any of it unless i want to gain 20 pounds. the same goes for everyone. if this guy wins, the best case scenario will be that he'll get some surgery done to help him lose some weight. worst case scenario will be he will either continue on his fast food frenzy and spend his millions eating himself into oblivion, or get the surgery and continue eating horribly and gain the weight back.

 

[Klodomir]

BTW, does anyone believe that mayo-for-brains here had two heart-attacks and got diabetes before anyone told him to watch his diet?

I don't think he has a leg to stand on with this, but you mark my words... someday, somewhere, someone will win a lawsuit like this. And then what? Fast food restaurants will have to protect themselves from lawsuits by refusing to serve anyone with a BMI above 25? Nice!

 

[Angela Harlem]

Actually yes Klod, I DO believe it. This is a man stupid enough (or thinks he has shrewd smarts enough) to sue a fast food chain and win.
I guess its easy for us to sit here and mock this dumb arse, but really, I dont think its about winning. I somehow dont think he is the latest in this fad of suing the giant businesses and corporations of America. This guy most likely genuinely believes these chains have some kind of obligation and failed. I agree that they have an obligation, but I do not think for one minute they have failed. Not once to my knowledge has McDonalds for instance ever advertised their food as healthy. I think the closest they have ever come is to describe something as having a 'healthy taste'. This may not be true in America.

The thing that bugs me the most I think is this man specifically stating he had 2 heart attacks and has type 2 diabetes as support for his claims. Once diabetes is diagnosed, comes education to any patient with it about healthy eating and the various consequences of having the condition. His ignorance is his fault. If he feels he was never properly informed, it is certainly not the fast food chains' error. Type 2 diabetes can also remain undiagnosed for up to 2 years in some people. During this time, the side effects and damage to organs, circulation and vision have already begun. As for suffering 2 heart attacks, the same again. Surely any doctor would examine the reasons WHY after the 1st attack. Again, diet and lifestyle are a major contributor to such things. And again, where is the fast food chains' culpability?

This man had 3 wake up calls and each time appeared to ignore them. I cannot believe he does not feel the responsibility is his. By winning this, he will set a precedent I dont think is worthy.

 

[Klodomir]

That's what I meant, Ang. There's just no way that he could have had two heart-attacks and be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and not have a doctor discuss diet with him.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Sorry klodo, yes I did agree with what you said. I find it unlikely too, that anyone would not have informed him - which is what you said. I dont talk rool good sumtimes.

 

[sharky]

This reminds me of some stupid talk show I saw about fat kids. They had a mother on who had a two-year-old son who weighed 200 pounds. And they had an average meal for this kid laid out on tables. Yes, plural. For breakfast, the kid had 10 pancakes, a plate full of bacon, 8 pieces of toast, 4 bowls of cereal, some sausage and a gallon of orange juice....and it just went from there.

Kids, I had a medium french fry and a nine piece Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's yesterday. It tasted good. I probably should've ordered a six piece McNuggets-- it would have been healthier-- but I wanted the bigger one. And you know what? Tomorrow I'm going to walk down to my office cafeteria and have a salad with low fat dressing and then go to the gym and work out for an hour. It doesn't take rocket science to figure this healthy food thing out.

On a side note, I made myself a burger tonight on my George Forman grill. Its disgusting how much grease burned off that thing but ya know what? It tasted better without the grease.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

The thing that bugs me the most I think is this man specifically stating he had 2 heart attacks and has type 2 diabetes as support for his claims. Once diabetes is diagnosed, comes education to any patient with it about healthy eating and the various consequences of having the condition. His ignorance is his fault.

This man had 3 wake up calls and each time appeared to ignore them. I cannot believe he does not feel the responsibility is his. By winning this, he will set a precedent I dont think is worthy.

i know. his fourth wake up call will probably come when he has to get some toes or even a foot amputated. of course, as i mentioned in my last post, this usually (or always?) is the result of a diabetic ignoring the doctor saying the patient diet and exercise.

 

[BAW]

When you are putting an artery clogging burger or a diabetes causing sugery coke into your body, when you are smoking a cancer causing cigarette, when you take a drink of liver disease causing alcohol...it all boils down to one thing.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Cigarettes carry a warning label...people still smoke. Alcohol carries a warning label, people still drink. Label fast food all you want, people will still gorge themselves with it.

People have been known to come out of cancer surgery and ask for a cigarette. My father was days away from death from liver disease, drinking a beer. This man can lose both feet to diabetes and he will still eat a poor diet.

 

[Klodomir]

The thing is that this lawsuit brings up all kinds of unpleasant questions. I mean, if these muppets actually won this lawsuit, they will in fact be saying that they - and others like them - are too stupid to feed themselves... and if they are too stupid to feed themselves, what about their children? Should fat people even be allowed to have children? Or should fat children be taken away from their parents as victims of neglect? Of course, I don't believe these things, but isn't that what these people are saying about themselves?