
"Super Size Me"
02/15/22 • 62 min
19 Listeners
Aubrey thought she could swear less in this week’s episode. She was wrong.
Support us:
Links!
- Super Size Me Trailer
- "Super Size Me" - CBS NewsWhere's the Beef? The Challenges of Obesity Suits
- Morgan Spurlock on Sexual Misconduct Confession, 'Super Size Me 2'
- Former Employees Say Morgan Spurlock's Production Company Was 'Fratty Boys' Club'
- Food and Drug Law Journal
- “Cheeseburger Bill” protects food industry - The Lancet
- Meet the science teacher who lost 60 pounds eating nothing but McDonald's three meals a day
- Impressed by the demise of Supersize? Take a closer look
Aubrey thought she could swear less in this week’s episode. She was wrong.
Support us:
Links!
- Super Size Me Trailer
- "Super Size Me" - CBS NewsWhere's the Beef? The Challenges of Obesity Suits
- Morgan Spurlock on Sexual Misconduct Confession, 'Super Size Me 2'
- Former Employees Say Morgan Spurlock's Production Company Was 'Fratty Boys' Club'
- Food and Drug Law Journal
- “Cheeseburger Bill” protects food industry - The Lancet
- Meet the science teacher who lost 60 pounds eating nothing but McDonald's three meals a day
- Impressed by the demise of Supersize? Take a closer look
Previous Episode

"Illness Influencer" Belle Gibson
In 2015, Belle Gibson was an Australian "eco-preneur" with a vegetarian cookbook, a blockbuster wellness app and a terminal cancer diagnosis. Today, she's one of the most hated figures in the country.
Support us:
Links!
- The Woman Who Fooled The World
- What we know about Belle Gibson
- The mystery of Belle Gibson, who claimed she cured cancer with clean living
- Friends and doctors raise doubts over 'Healing Belle' cancer claims
- Mega-blogger Belle Gibson casts doubt on her own cancer claims
- Melbourne mum Belle Gibson on taking the world by storm with her app The Whole Pantry, while fighting terminal brain cancer
- The Belle Gibson scandal: The rise of lifestyle gurus as micro-celebrities in low-trust societies
- Belle Gibson: "My lifelong struggle with the truth"
- Catalog of Belle’s posts and timeline
- Bad Influencer: The Great Insta Con
- Cosmo: An honest account of our experience with Belle Gibson
- Julia Watson's "Breakfast, School Run, Chemo"
Next Episode

Jordan Peterson Part 1: The Carnivore Diet
Oops all meat: How a '50s bodybuilder, a Grateful Dead roadie and an unreadable professor accidentally launched one of America's wildest fad diets.
Here's Mike's "Cancel Culture" video!
Note: In our discussion of Jordan Peterson’s political correctness lecture, I made a sarcastic comment about looking “slim in this dress.” After the episode came out, we started hearing from listeners that my comment reminded them of fatphobic jokes they’d heard in the past and didn’t feel consistent with the message of the show. They were right! It was a bad joke and we've removed it from the episode. We'll be discussing this and our approach to handling feedback and editing past episodes in more detail soon. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know! — Mike
Support us:
Links!
- Joe Rogan Experience #1070 - Jordan Peterson
- Atlantic article on the all-beef diet
- Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy
- Is Jordan Peterson the stupid man's smart person?
- How dangerous is Jordan B. Peterson?
- The Intellectual We Deserve
- Jordan Peterson & Fascist Mysticism
- The Pronoun Warrior
- Jordan Peterson’s Gospel of Masculinity
- The Bizarre Fad Diet Taking the Far Right by Storm
- Inside the World of the 'Bitcoin Carnivores'
- Human Ancestors Were Nearly All Vegetarians
- My carnivore diet: what I learned from eating only beef, salt and water
- The Inuit Paradox
- Why Right Wingers Are Going Crazy About Meat
- Owsley “The Bear” Stanley’s Active Low-Carber Forum Posts
Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
Maintenance Phase - "Super Size Me"
Transcript Summary
In this episode titled "Super Size Me," hosts Michael Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon critically analyze the controversial documentary "Super Size Me" and its impact on society. They discuss the film's premise, where Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonald's food for 30 days, and question the validity of health claims made in the movie. Aubrey highlights her criticism of using fat bodies to provoke disgust and the portrayal of McDonald's as villainous. The hosts delve into the class and race politics surrounding fast food consumption, discuss the difficulty in proving a direct causal relationship between McDonald's and obesity, and critique the misrepresentation of facts in the documentary. They also touch on the MeToo allegations against Morgan Spurlock and reflect on the narrative of personal responsibility when it comes to fast food choices. Overall, this thought-provoking episode challenges the popular notions associated with fast food and offers a nuanced perspective on the issues presented in "Super Size Me."
Transcript
Michael: Welcome to Maintenance Phase, the podcast that has 30 days to fatten you up, or knock you down, or whatever that movie is about [crosstalk].
Aubrey: [laughs] All of a sudden, we're just like the witch in Hansel and Gretel.
Michael: I know. It doesn't hold together as a metaphor. I apologize.
Aubrey: [laughs]
Michael: I'm Michael Hobbes.
Aubrey:
"Super Size Me" Top Questions Answered
Who directed the documentary film "Super Size Me"?
Morgan Spurlock directed the film "Super Size Me."
When was the documentary film "Super Size Me" released?
The film "Super Size Me" was released in 2004.
What is the premise of the documentary film "Super Size Me"?
The film explores the effects of eating only McDonald's food for 30 days on the filmmaker's health and well-being.
Did the documentary film "Super Size Me" receive positive attention?
Yes, the film received a lot of attention and became popular.
What controversies are associated with the director of "Super Size Me," Morgan Spurlock?
Morgan Spurlock faced MeToo allegations and admitted to sexual assault and harassment during the MeToo movement.
Did fast food chains like Subway, KFC, and Wendy's make PR moves to appear healthier after the release of "Super Size Me"?
Yes, Subway and KFC made PR moves to appear healthier, while Wendy's eliminated the Biggie size but renamed their sizes for optics.
Did "Super Size Me" contribute to the passage of any legislation in the fast food industry?
Yes, the film contributed to the passage of Cheeseburger Bills, which protected fast food companies from lawsuits.
What criticisms have been made about the documentary film "Super Size Me"?
The film has been criticized for its accuracy, portrayal of causality, and its stigmatization of fat people without addressing underlying factors.
What impact did the documentary film "Super Size Me" have on McDonald's portions?
McDonald's claimed to have eliminated supersize portions as a result of the film, although the changes were not substantial.
Does the documentary film "Super Size Me" accurately depict the relationship between fast food and obesity?
Some aspects of the film, such as its portrayal of obesity and its impact on health, have been questioned for their accuracy and oversimplification.
Did the documentary film "Super Size Me" address the larger systemic issues related to food inspection and production?
Critics argue that the film focused more on criticizing fast food without adequately addressing larger systemic issues in the food industry.
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