The Gary Null Blog

by Gary Null Ph.D. The opening shot of the 1990s' film GirlQuake!, written and directed by Michael Randall, is of a hamburger frying on a grill. In an Arizona diner, a group of overweight American men are smoking, drinking, and chowing down on burgers, dogs, fries, coffee, and other junk food. They get their comeuppance when they attempt to rape a bevy of fit, quaintly dressed extraterrestial Wonder Women, and the biggest food junkie is smothered to death in a gigantic fruit bowl of raw hamburger meat. One way to look at this scene is as an ironic commentary on addiction: addictions ill fit us for facing life's sometimes unexpected challenges, and one way or another an addiction will kill you if you don't wise up. The scene also serves as a reminder that we can be addicted to other substances besides drugs—such as sugar and caffeine.