Generations at Odds
“Each generation imagine itself to be more intelligent than the one before it and more wiser than the one that comes one after it” (George Orwall, 1945). Is there truth in this statement? That could suggest that each succeeding generation makes better choices and each preceding generation is better informed. If this is true, Baby Busters can then be considered a healthier generation than Baby Boomers. One major difference between Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1965, and Baby Busters, born between 1978 and 1987, is the tendency of smoking. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, smoking was viewed as a sophisticated practice. Progressive advertisings created a picture of enjoyment, esteem, and acceptance. Furthermore, producers advocated unsubstantiated claims of health benefits such the alleviation of asthma symptoms. As a result, society endorsed smoking as a
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During the latter period, significant research was done on how to maintain a healthy diet. Laws began the strict governance of allowable food additives. Furthermore, content labelling and the inclusion of nutritional information on packaging were progressively enforced. Not only did this eliminate potentially harmful content, but also gave individuals the necessary information to make a smarter choice. On the other hand, although some research had been conducted in the preceding period, limitations of access to pertinent information led to an uninformed society. Individuals relied heavily on advertising and, more often than not, based their product choice on opinion as opposed to fact. Through the 1982 publishing of the “red book” officially known as the “Toxicological Principles for the Safety Assessment of Direct Food Additives and Color Additives Used in Food” and the subsequent passing of the “Nutritional Labelling and Education Act”, society became more aware and subsequently made healthier food
In Michael Pollan’s essay “Escape from the Western Diet,” he directly to Americans about the western diet and why he believes they need to escape from it. The reason Americans should escape the western diet is to avoid the harmful effects associated with it such as “western diseases” (Pollan, 420). To support his view on the issue, Pollan describes factors of the western diet that dictate what Americans believe they should eat. These factors include scientists with their theories of nutritionist, the food industry supporting the theories by making products, and the health industry making medication to support those same theories. Overall, Pollan feels that in order to escape this diet, people need to get the idea of it out of their heads.
Protection of the consumer consisted of passing the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was an act being pushed to ban misleading labels and preservatives that contained harmful chemicals. “The Food and Drugs Act of 1906 brought about a radical shift in the way Americans regarded some of the most fundamental commodities of life itself, like the foods we eat and the drugs we take to restore our health.” (Swann,1)Protecting the consumer was President Roosevelt’s main priority.
The author himself mentioned the modern industry made its impact on the “whole food”. So people need to check product’s chemical content to be sure they eat the real food; it makes it impossible to separate diet from science, like Pollan wanted. I also do not think the author treated the nutritionism fairly. While he was right in his critique of debates between different “cults” of direct nutrients, the nutritionism has the true basis. Food’s value really is in its nutrients, and the problem of the Western Diet is that meals lack of some compounds and have an excess of other.
In the prologue of his book Salt, Sugar, and Fat, Moss recounts a time when CEOs of processed food giants, including General Mills, Pillsbury, and others, gathered to address the issue that many medical experts were slamming processed food as very unhealthy. Moss uses his word choice to paint former General Mills CEO Stephen Sanger in a very bad light when he writes, “But most often, he said, people bought what they liked, and they liked what tasted good. ‘Don’t talk to me about nutrition,’ [Sanger] reportedly said, taking on the voice of the typical consumer. ‘Talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good.’ To react to the critics, Sanger said, would jeopardize the sanctity of the recipes that had made his products so successful.
Almost 17% of the adult population in the United States smoke cigarettes. Smokers are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, lung cancer or blindness. Cigarettes smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, so there are ranges of advertisements showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, and always telling people to do not smoke it, either by images, statistics or phrases. Among all advertisements that shocks, there is one in particular that it was not necessary a single word on it to do that. This ad is a colorful one that was created by the Roy Castle which is a lung cancer foundation, and was released on December 2007 on magazines and newspapers in the United Kingdom.
However, as cigarette smoking became increasingly popular in the 1960s, the incidence of COPD became well-known to the public (CDC, 1999). Back then, cigarette smoking was labeled as cool, cheap, and socially acceptable. Cigarettes were originally sold as luxury goods for the urban elite. Ubiquitous messages reinforced the positive attributes of tobacco, causing the youths to have the impression of smoking as a social norm. As a popular trend, the baby boomer generation became known as the “smoking era.”
On the other hand, Millennials may not have the same opportunities as the generations before them, and they may
Intro: When people eat food they do not think about what is in it, or how it is made. The only thing people care about is what the food tastes like and how much they get. During the 1900’s the meat packing industry had not regulations of any kind. All that mattered to the industry was that they made as much money as possible with as little expenditure as possible. During this times people were often made sick and died either from working conditions or poor food quality.
In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” by David H. Freedman, he claims that processed foods can help fix the obesity crisis in a more realistic manner, rather than whole-some foods. The popular opinion emphasizes whole-some foods because they aren’t informed about the similitude between processed and unprocessed foods. The essence of the essay is that people believe processed foods are bad and unhealthy for us, therefore whole-some foods are highly recommended for the health of an individual. Freedman mentions many prominent authors who wrote books on food processing, but the most influential voice in the food culture Freedman makes a point of is, American journalist, Michael Pollan. The media and Michael Pollan indicate that everything should be replaced with real, fresh, and unprocessed foods, instead of engineering in as much sugar, salt, and fat as possible into industrialized foods.
World War II had ended, and American soldiers were finally returning home with their chance at living out the American Dream after enduring the hardships of war. With the prosperity of the post-war economy, young soldiers and other Americans alike could comfortably afford to raise children, unlike before in the time of the war or the Great Depression (Elliott). Millions of couples settled down in the rapidly-growing suburbs and had their children there, owed to the flourishing economy at the time. These factors combined led to the “baby boom,” in which the United States experienced a spike in the birth rate, with an average of over 4 million babies being born annually from 1946-1964 (Elliott). As any generation, the people born during this
N., & Brandt, A. M. (2006). “The Doctors’ Choice Is America’s Choice”: The Physician in US Cigarette Advertisements, 1930–1953. (American Journal of Public Health. February 1, 2006).
The Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 was the 1st consumer protection law by the Federal Government, this act was passed by President Theodore Roosevelt. The main purpose of the Pure Food and Drug act was to prohibit transportation of contaminated, poisonous, and misbranded foods, drugs, medicines and liquors. Without the pure food and drug act our food, medication, and other product would be filled with dangerous chemicals that would have harm in our health and potentially cause death. Before the 20th century, there were no laws or regulations that protected Americans from hazardous foods and medicines. This meant that there were no restrictions of what chemicals could be put in one’s food or medicine, leaving the open to mass deaths of contaminated or poisonous products.
Have you ever wondered if your beloved old aged grandparents could be affecting you financially? Here is some background information. Your beloved grandparents were most likely a part of the “Baby Boom” generation (classified as born from about 1946 to 1964). In the late 1970’s to early 1980’s the “Baby Boom” generation overtook the work force and was the main contributor to the economy. Now that the Baby Boom generation aren’t even close to babies anymore and they’ve worked for 30+ years, they are starting to retire and take advantage of the resources that the government has for them once they reach the age of 65.
However, even though they married quickly, the marriages did not last. As the boomers grow older, technology is changing and is vital part of life in todays society. There are boomers who are easily trained on the new technology, and then there are those who believe technology is the spawn of Satan. Economically, boomers were far ahead the youth
Smoking has been a long time habit round the world. However, in the past, smoking cigarette was very popular and known to be a cool recreational drug, and was widely accepted by the community across the world. Today smoking has been less widely accepted and more restricted because of the many health risks that are linked to smoking cigarette. These days, people are well educated and more knowledgeable about the health risks of smoking.