For more than fifty million Americans, fast food has transformed into something much more significant than a meal or a bad habit, so much so that it has become a way of life. Unfortunately, dedicated consumers throughout the country have become so entranced by its convenience and affordability that they are oblivious to the fact that the real cost of eating fast food is something that never appears on the menu. In his film, director Morgan Spurlock publicizes his experiment devoted to portraying the negative effects such a diet can have on the human body in order to prove to the general public just how unhealthy fast food, such as McDonalds, can be. Supersize Me, a film dedicated to exploring the impact of the fast food industry on the average American, utilizes powerful rhetorical strategies to argue that the abundance and accessibility of fast food chains in the United States is a prominent factor in the obesity of its citizens.
In order to support his claim that fast food is negatively affecting the overall health of citizens, Spurlock references statistics and expert testimonies that allude to the appeals of logos. In the introductory voiceover of the film, initial statistics are used in order to present the listener with an idea regarding the severity of the obesity epidemic. Spurlock states that over one hundred million Americans, nearly sixty percent of the entire population, are considered medically obese, and that four hundred million of these obese citizens will die each year due to health failures related to their weight. This is the nation's most significant cause of preventable death, second only to smoking. He explains that considering McDonalds operates thirty thousand locations in over one hundred countries spanning six continents, they are the company at fault. Because such quantitative data is rooted in mathematical fact, his evidence is not arguable, and Spurlock is able to use it as support to strengthen his claim.
