Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

A McDonald's in Brazil has been ordered by the court to pay a former employee a sum of money because the job may have caused him to gain weight:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39897648/ns ... ?gt1=43001

Do you agree with this court ruling?

Comments or Opinions?

Interesting. I know that, whenever you start a job here, you're generally required to have a medical exam beforehand, and then another one when you leave, to see if any negative problems came about because of your job. That said, I've gained almost 65 pounds in the last 13 years and it wasn't because I worked at a fast food joint. Setting aside the last two weeks or so, I rarely eat fast food here anymore.

I think it is fair because, according to our law, the companies are obliged to either provide food or an amount money to be used to buy the lunch. I had an acquintance who worked there and they gave no choice for her: her lunch had to be one of the hamburgers. If she wanted to eat something else, she had to pay with her own money and, considering her wages, it would be impossible. So, if the company doesn´t offer you a healthy alternative, it is fair to sue the company for the health problems caused by the lunch offered.

Fascinating. I always learn something new about Brazil in these threads. So, employers are legally required to provide a lunch, either by offering food or money to buy something. With those choices, I can understand why McDonald's would choose to provide food from their own menu. Hamburgers are probably one of the least expensive items, so the company is trying to save money by making that the lunch.

It's unfortunate that they offer only hamburgers, though. When they chose not to offer a more healthy meal, they opened the door for this lawsuit. I hope they will change their practices based on the outcome of the suit. Maybe they will only offer a health lunch instead of a hamburger.

It is not that all the employers are obligated to pay the money for lunch or provide lunch, but most of syndicates obtained these rights, so the employers end being obliged to provide the benefit, since once the syndicate obtained the right, the employers are obligated to follow.

Anyway, for me, those who sue McDonald´s because of the quality of their food and eat in McDonald´s as a choice are a bunch of hypocrites, because they chose to eat there, so they have to deal with the consequences of their act. But those who are obliged to eat (the employees) are allowed to complain. McDonald´s should offer an healthy alternative, so the employee could choose. Then, if he ended eating hamburger everyday, it was his/her choice and McDonald´s could not be held responsible for that.

There's a documentary you guys should watch titled "Super Size Me". It's about a guy who eats nothing but McDonald's food every meal for thirty days.

I saw that movie a couple years ago. It still irritates me that so many people don't take responsibility for their actions. If you decide to eat there frequently and gain weight, it's not the restaurant's fault. It's no secret that too much fast food is bad for you. Eat it once in a while, fine, but people need to look in the mirror sometimes and just say 'I made a mistake' once in a while instead of blaming someone/something else.

That said, McD's could at least help its employees a bit and offer some choice for lunches outside hamburgers.

Sure, this documentary "Super Size Me" is one of those documentaries whose main argument is based on a fallacy, but which are able to shape some people's minds in relation to a subject.

I remember many people praising the documentary and condemning McDonald's because they said the guy just replied yes to every super-size offered, so that showed how McDonald's is evil.

But that is a fallacy. Every store you go will offer you products. If you buy them and end in poverty, it was your choice to accept the suggestion. If I suggest you should jump off the bridge, I'm not to be held responsible for your suicide if you decide to do so. I could only be held responsible if I promised you you wouldn't die, but, unlike cigarette companies who denied smoking was bad for the health, I've never seem McDonald's stating that eating super-sized hamburgers, French-fries and drinking super-sized cola for every meal was not harmful.

There are very few things in this world that can be blamed solely on someone else without at least half of the blame falling on your own shoulders.

Super Size Me, while I've never seen the film myself, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that eating at a fast food restaurant for three meals a day, for an entire month would definitely not be healthy. That being said, I don't know anyone who's eaten at a fast food restaurant for more than three days in a row, and even then, they didn't eat there for all three meals. That documentary isn't giving anyone accurate facts, so you would be doing yourself a favor to not take it at face value.

The standard shifts at McDonald's are about eight hours each. Having worked in restaurants before, I know that it's not difficult at all to go an entire shift without eating. The individual who sued them for gaining weight... simply could have chosen not to eat there. It always amazes me how people can do ridiculous things, like that woman who sued McDonald's for spilling hot coffee on herself. Wasn't her argument "you should have warned me that it was hot"? Who goes into a restaurant and specifically orders cold coffee? Nobody that I can think of unless they specifically order a coffee that's meant to be cold, such as the Iced Cappuccino from Tim Hortons.

The trick to remaining at a healthy weight has nothing to do with not eating at fast food restaurants. However, if you also exercise, then there wouldn't be a problem. So, people can blame fast food restaurants all they want for making them obese, but this is all I have to say: get off your lazy backside, and go run on a treadmill. If you're exercising a good amount and still gaining weight, then you either have rock-bottom metabolism, or you're eating too much unhealthy food.

Come on, guys. Rika would be disappointed.

Jack Lias wrote:There are very few things in this world that can be blamed solely on someone else without at least half of the blame falling on your own shoulders.

Super Size Me, while I've never seen the film myself, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that eating at a fast food restaurant for three meals a day, for an entire month would definitely not be healthy. That being said, I don't know anyone who's eaten at a fast food restaurant for more than three days in a row, and even then, they didn't eat there for all three meals. That documentary isn't giving anyone accurate facts, so you would be doing yourself a favor to not take it at face value.

The standard shifts at McDonald's are about eight hours each. Having worked in restaurants before, I know that it's not difficult at all to go an entire shift without eating. The individual who sued them for gaining weight... simply could have chosen not to eat there. It always amazes me how people can do ridiculous things, like that woman who sued McDonald's for spilling hot coffee on herself. Wasn't her argument "you should have warned me that it was hot"? Who goes into a restaurant and specifically orders cold coffee? Nobody that I can think of unless they specifically order a coffee that's meant to be cold, such as the Iced Cappuccino from Tim Hortons.

The trick to remaining at a healthy weight has nothing to do with not eating at fast food restaurants. However, if you also exercise, then there wouldn't be a problem. So, people can blame fast food restaurants all they want for making them obese, but this is all I have to say: get off your lazy backside, and go run on a treadmill. If you're exercising a good amount and still gaining weight, then you either have rock-bottom metabolism, or you're eating too much unhealthy food.

Come on, guys. Rika would be disappointed.

It is not so easy as that. Here in Brazil people work 9h + 1h mandatory for lunch, if you work during the daytime. Consider plus 2h to come and go to the job in the big cities and you get 12h without eating. Ask any specialist and he will say it is not advisable to stay 12h without eating. By the way, a simpler solution McDonald's could provide was to allow people take their own food if they want (many companies do so), so it would be employee's choice to eat the burger or not. I don't know whether McDonald's provide some alternative, so it may be only one of those bogus cases that get some support just because "McDonald's is evil".

By the way, even having a rock-bottom metabolism, like me, the person is always responsible for what they eat.