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The Vox Box

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  3. <em>Don't</em> Supersize Me!

Don’t Supersize Me!

Who's to blame for an overweight America?

Okay, so my health class has been watching Supersize Me, and it really has me thinking: what is the initial cause of America's health problems?!

I've begun to compile a list. We (America) have large serving sizes, fast food readily available, high fat/high calorie foods in place of healthy options, shortsightedness in some of our decisions, and media that has influenced us beyond belief.

In part of the film Supersize Me, Morgan (the guy who dares to eat only McDonald's for 30 days) interviews some young kids. He shows them pictures of George Washington, Jesus, Wendy from Wendy's, George W. Bush, and Ronald McDonald. All of the kids knew who Ronald McDonald was, but they knew hardly any of the others.

There's another part where this group of people keeps attempting to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. They try and try, but each time they mess it up. However, when asked, they can easily sing the "Big Mac" theme song.

So, here are my little wonders. What is to blame for America's obesity? How can we fix it? Why is it that Americans are more obese than any other country?

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.