What Is David Ludwig's Response To The American Culture? Is It Collectivistic?

What does American culture represent today? Is it collectivistic? Individualistic? A plethora of opinions and values make this a contentious topic. Though there are varied opinions on the matter, there are specific arguments the general public would identify as part of the American cultural identity. The American culture entails independent, self-sufficient individualistic characteristics that embody the general populations values. America’s response to the obesity epidemic reflects this mythos. Paradoxically, the blame inflicted on the individual to justify a nationwide epidemic, has reproduced this individualistic mythos. This strategy that has been used for decades is flawed; given that it ignores the possibility of addressing the root of …show more content…
Ludwig’s study, that Taubes endorses, proposes a different approach to obesity. Ludwig explains that obesity is in part related to the uncertain science and underlying special interests. Ludwig, Taubes and Robert Lustig further argue that the concept, “a calorie is a calorie,” that is being pushed onto the American public, is in fact flawed. Ludwig’s study proves weight loss will not occur by simply cutting down the amount of food one consumes, but rather the type of food one consumes. However, the public professionals today, have placed primary responsibility on individuals by advertising the “calorie is a calorie” concept. All the while exonerating the food industry by marketing low-quality food products, which today has led to the obesity predicament. Ludwig interestingly points out that special interests not only blame the amount of food the individual consumes but provide the individual with solutions such as exercise. This also assumes that that the reason the individual is not in healthy shape is due to the individual’s inability to exercise well and consume a certain number of calories. Yes, the correlation between weight loss and exercise is strong, but it is not the main solution. The type of calories consumed will likely affect the number of calories burned when working out. Thus we notice a correlation with …show more content…
It appears that it is much easier to blame the individual than analyze the causes on a societal level. This chronic-related diet disease is, in part, due to society’s fundamental issue with raising the community’s awareness and approaching this from a societal standpoint. Understandably so, the individualistic mythos carried out by American culture explains the lack of societal effort to push for a change in public discourse on obesity. While the obesity epidemic falls within the individualistic mythos, CrossFit somewhat contradicts this mythos that the culture carries out. On the one hand, the obesity epidemic paves way for the American society to continue pushing the obese individual outside the confines of society. Thus, forcing blame on these individuals. CrossFit fulfills several needs that the American culture lacks by fulfilling a need for a welcoming