Why are so many people becoming grande boondas?

Question

more and more people in this world are becoming obese. my question you all is........WHO IS TO BLAME!

Answer 1

maybe people are getting too fat because they are depressed and eat to feel better.

Answer 2

From a sociological perspective we can place blame on certain agents of socialization, a lack of informal controls, and a lack of formal controls.

American media as an agent of socialization caters to he who pays the most.  Companies (I have to pick on 'em) like McDonalds pay big bucks to put their logo, idea, slogan, and message in front of you every single day.  Through this constant exposure, you are tempted to go eat there.  The result is of course, weight gain.  It is difficult to eat at McDonalds for me and not go past my recommended (needed) caloric intake for the entire day in a single meal.  

Informal social controls are faltering in modern american society.  The traditional family unit is pretty much just a tired old idea at this point.  One result of this is a lack of informal social controls (those not coming from the governing state).  This results in impulsive behaviors like immediate gratification of hunger instincts.  Without a mother saying, "Watch what you eat!" or, "You'll spoil your dinner."  What is to stop a young adult (or an adult for that matter) from developing unhealthy dietary habits.

Some will argue (myself NOT one of them, but I mention it for the sake of diversity) that the state should exert control through formal controls.  Proponents for this idea (in your example) would argue for increased regulations regarding dietary portions, promotion of dietary content, educational programs (one thing I AM for), and other formalized methods of combatting obesity.  

To answer your question of who is to blame, as a psychologist I have to say the individual is ultimately in control of their eating/exercising behavior.  As a sociologist and fat guy in training I have to say that the modern media is doing wonders at creating a sedintary generation that is impulsive in our eating behaviors.  I love eating big macs (thursdays two for two dollars is a fantastic, fat day for me) and watching the boob toob all day.  Is that good for me?  Of course not!  Do I know that, yeah I do, I know more about nutrition than the average American.  However, I still get weak in the jaw when I see those two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and pickles all on a sesame seed bun on my 106 inch tv.