Class slides for2/23 & 2/24

Revision Strategy:Enhancement

Clear your desk except for a pen;it’s quiz time.

Anticipating (and welcoming) questions & objections

*If everybody already agrees, there’s no point in writing.

*Q & O let you explain in greater detail.

*Q & O allow you to explore different perspectives.

*If you don’t address Q & O, you appear close-minded.

*Bringing up Q & O yourself helps take the “sting” out of them.

In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies might need to accept some of the blame for today’s obesity epidemic, just as tobacco companies have had to shoulder some of the blame for tobacco-related illnesses. Given the dominance of fast-food chains, he suggests that since teens don’t really have any alternatives, fast-food restaurants have a responsibility to offer some healthy alternatives to their standard burger-and-pizza fare.

So – does Zinczenko have a valid point?

In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies might need to accept some of the blame for today’s obesity epidemic, just as tobacco companies have had to shoulder some of the blame for tobacco-related illnesses. Given the dominance of fast-food chains, he suggests that since teens don’t really have any alternatives, fast-food restaurants have a responsibility to offer some healthy alternatives to their standard burger-and-pizza fare.

So – does Zinczenko have a valid point?Probably not. Sure, if McDonalds were really the only game in town, then they

would surely have a responsibility to offer more than just burgers and fries. But despite the fact that almost every town in America has at least one McDonalds – or so it seems, anyway – Ronald McDonald, his royal competitor, and their multitude of cholesterol-raising colleagues are not the only option available to America’s impressionable youth. If I drive just one traffic light down from my local McDonalds, for example, I can get grilled chicken at Chick-fil-a or a low-fat sandwich at Subway. If I drive two blocks past Burger King, I can get a soup and salad at Atlanta Bread Company or a veggie stir-fry at one of several take-out places. America wanted healthy options, and the market replied.

In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies might need to accept some of the blame for today’s obesity epidemic, just as tobacco companies have had to shoulder some of the blame for tobacco-related illnesses. Given the dominance of fast-food chains, he suggests that since teens don’t really have any alternatives, fast-food restaurants have a responsibility to offer some healthy alternatives to their standard burger-and-pizza fare.

So – does Zinczenko have a valid point?Probably not. Sure, if McDonalds were really the only game in town, then they

would surely have a responsibility to offer more than just burgers and fries. But despite the fact that almost every town in America has at least one McDonalds – or so it seems, anyway – Ronald McDonald, his royal competitor, and their multitude of cholesterol-raising colleagues are not the only option available to America’s impressionable youth. If I drive just one traffic light down from my local McDonalds, for example, I can get grilled chicken at Chick-fil-a or a low-fat sandwich at Subway. If I drive two blocks past Burger King, I can get a soup and salad at Atlanta Bread Company or a veggie stir-fry at one of several take-out places. America wanted healthy options, and the market replied.

“But Zinczenko wrote his article in 2002,” you might be saying, “and these healthy alternatives were not available then.” And you’d be right. Back at the turn of the century, things were starting to get out of hand, and Zinczenko was on target with his observation that “the [fast food] industry is vulnerable.” But before things went too far, the industry heard, and they responded. Competition worked. The problem might not have totally disappeared, but that teenager with a big hunger and a small wallet has lots more options today than were available when Zinczenko was a kid.

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)

So what would “winning” look like? What’s the alternative to failure?

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)

What do I mean by “what works”? Let me explain . . .

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)

What are those policies and what have they accomplished?

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)“But compassion gets us nowhere,” you might object.

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)You might think that the only way to stop a behavior is to punish it.

The United States must declare an end to the war on drugs. The war has filled the nation’s prisons with poor drug addicts and small-time drug dealers. It has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world. And it has not stemmed the widespread use of illegal drugs. By any rational measure, this war has been a total failure.

We must develop public policies on substance abuse that are guided not by moral righteousness or political expediency but by common sense. The United States should immediately decriminalize the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana should no longer be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and those who seek to use marijuana as medicine should no longer face criminal sanctions. We must shift our entire approach to drug abuse from the criminal justice system to the public health system. Congress should appoint an independent commission to study the harm-reduction policies that have been adopted in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The commission should recommend policies for the United States based on one important criterion: what works.

In a nation where pharmaceutical companies advertise powerful antidepressants on billboards and where alcohol companies run amusing beer ads during the super Bowl, the idea of a “drug-free society” is absurd. Like the rest of American society, our drug policy would greatly benefit from less punishment and more compassion.

Eric Schlosser, “A People’s Democratic Platform” (2004)

Your turn.

Take out hard copies of your previous two papers:• response to Kareem Abjul-Jabbar article• response to article that you selected

Raise (and answer) several questions about your position.

Use paragraphing, key phrases (such as templates from the book), and key words (such as “I” and “they”) to be certain I know the source of each claim or idea.

Have a good proofreader check your draft:

Your name and class/section should appear at the top.Use 12-point Times New Roman font.Use 1-inch margins.Cite author and title of article to which you respond. Distinguish clearly between “they say” and “I say.”Use conventional spelling and punctuation.Indent each new paragraph.Give every pronoun a clear antecedent.Write at least 400 words (in the body of the paper).Finish; don’t merely stop.

The grade for this paper is your midterm grade.