It’s no fun counting calories around the holidays, but many of us have to do it anyway or risk seeing the numbers creep up on our scales and pant sizes. Those who decide the calories are fun enough to take the risk can always join Weight Watchers in January. Unfortunately, too many Americans don’t like either option – and are willing to sue to prevent having to take responsibility for their actions. What a life – gorging on holiday treats and then getting paid millions for the effort!
As John Stossel noted in a recent Townhall.com column about fast food lawsuits, “Why is a big corporation responsible for its decisions but an individual not responsible for his? Because lawyers can make big money by pretending not to see the obvious.”
So far, no jury has found a restaurant liable for the eating choices of its customers. But, as Stossel notes, it’s only a matter of time. After all, “trial lawyers lost 700 lawsuits before they started winning against the cigarette makers.” And since huge legal settlements and costs get passed down to us as taxpayers and consumers, you and I will lose money because someone chose to sue instead of diet. In the meantime, we are also losing food choices like Super-Size meals as restaurants shrink from the wrath of trial lawyers.
Thankfully, there are some in America who are willing to stand up to ridiculous lawsuits. This fall, the House of Representatives passed a bill to protect the food industry from greedy trial lawyers. In addition, the Center for Consumer Freedom has fought this battle in the media for many years. One CCF television ad shows a Girl Scout being prosecuted because her cookies looked and tasted too good to resist. Another features the Seinfeld soup nazi. Thanks in part to the Center’s attention-grabbing ad campaigns, most Americans are still resisting arrest by the food police.
It’s no time to be lazy though. Morgan Spurlock won awards and fame when he ate nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days and turned it into a documentary, Super Size Me. As Spurlock gained 24.5 pounds and saw a 65-point increase in his cholesterol, he expected viewers to rage against the fast-food industry. (I guess he thinks his audience is as stupid as he must be to eat nothing but processed food for a month. I’d rather watch a documentary on what kind of Americans would choose that diet in the first place.)
A documentary later released by filmmaker Soso Whaley received less attention, but its results are notable. Whaley mimicked Spurlock’s diet for two months – and lost 18 pounds. In “Mickey D’s and Me,” Whaley limited herself to 1800-2000 calories a day, while Spurlock had allowed himself 5000 – more than twice the recommended number for an average man.
In light of Spurlock’s fame, a culture that is increasingly hostile toward both corporations and personal responsibility, and trial lawyers tempting obese Americans with big-number lawsuits, responsible Americans have a battle before them. That’s why Townhall.com partners with the Center for Consumer Freedom in its efforts against frivolous lawsuits – no matter which Grinch (or Santa) is behind them.