Ban Ronald McDonald?

[charlou]

For those of you big on government regulation and legislation,

Wait, who are you addressing? You're advocating greater state interference in the lives of families.

[Hermit]

Why go after the commercials, when we know that the lengthy time watching tv and the extra calories being forked into their faces is what is causing the problem?

It's "the extra calories being forked into their faces" aspect that I am addressing here. Advertising works in that regard. Promoting "the extra calories being forked into their faces" ought to be outlawed, beginning with the Ronald McDonald device.

[Ironclad]

Ronald McVomit should be tried for Crimes Against Humanity.
Send the fekker to The Hague! + =

[Coito ergo sum]

For those of you big on government regulation and legislation,

Wait, who are you addressing? You're advocating greater state interference in the lives of families.

Actually, I've told you what I would advocate, which is more education and school programs - specifically NOT more interference.

What I'm asking you folks is why you are so quick to "ban" things based on a tenuous connections or "possible" association, but you folks ignore the strong evidence that obesity is caused by the marked increase in t.v. watching and the marked increase in calorie intake, which nobody disputes and which is demonstrable.

[Coito ergo sum]

Why go after the commercials, when we know that the lengthy time watching tv and the extra calories being forked into their faces is what is causing the problem?

It's "the extra calories being forked into their faces" aspect that I am addressing here. Advertising works in that regard. Promoting "the extra calories being forked into their faces" ought to be outlawed, beginning with the Ronald McDonald device.

Damn...I hope we never live in your folks' world....

"This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." Senator Amidala.

[Trolldor]

Hey, I can quote Star Wars too!

Any corporate executive:

"Han Solo: It is for *me*, sister. Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. *I'm* in it for the money."

[charlou]

What I'm asking you folks is why you are so quick to "ban" things based on a tenuous connections or "possible" association, but you folks ignore the strong evidence that obesity is caused by the marked increase in t.v. watching and the marked increase in calorie intake, which nobody disputes and which is demonstrable.

You folks? I'm doing neither of those things, actually.


This is a cultural problem which requires a cultural solution. This:

Actually, I've told you what I would advocate, which is more education and school programs - specifically NOT more interference

gets my support.


Life. Be in it.



It's cute, if a bit trite and ... naively neat.

[Trolldor]

Obesity is linked to fast food, the prevalence of fast food - from frequency in placement as well as frequency of advertising, combined with the sheer chemical engineering, combined with their legal right to create misleading labels, combined with the wilful submission to their fast hands and quick cash by Right-wing politicians.
Well, the fast food industry wants America getting fatter. The fatter they are the more money they earn.

[Hermit]

Why go after the commercials, when we know that the lengthy time watching tv and the extra calories being forked into their faces is what is causing the problem?

It's "the extra calories being forked into their faces" aspect that I am addressing here. Advertising works in that regard. Promoting "the extra calories being forked into their faces" ought to be outlawed, beginning with the Ronald McDonald device.

Damn...I hope we never live in your folks' world....

"This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." Senator Amidala.

We're talking about the callous abuse of power by a gigantic corporation here, with a budget exceeding that of quite a number of nations, not the noble ideal of freedom of expression. Even in your country there already are advertising standards that must not be breached. Trouble is, they are too soft still.

[Coito ergo sum]

Why go after the commercials, when we know that the lengthy time watching tv and the extra calories being forked into their faces is what is causing the problem?

It's "the extra calories being forked into their faces" aspect that I am addressing here. Advertising works in that regard. Promoting "the extra calories being forked into their faces" ought to be outlawed, beginning with the Ronald McDonald device.

Damn...I hope we never live in your folks' world....

"This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." Senator Amidala.

We're talking about the callous abuse of power by a gigantic corporation here, with a budget exceeding that of quite a number of nations, not the noble ideal of freedom of expression. Even in your country there already are advertising standards that must not be breached. Trouble is, they are too soft still.

Advertising standards protect against lies, fraud and deceptions.

This isn't supposed to be about "stickin' it to the big corporations." Isn't it about stopping or reversing the rate of obesity? If so, why would we engage in measures that do little, if anything, to stop the problem, when we know full well what the problem is: kids get fat because they eat too much and sit around in front of the t.v./computer for 6 hours a day not burning the calories off. Eliminate all commercial advertising, and you don't change that.

It's not JUST or even "in large part" fast food causing the obesity. It's OVEREATING in general that is causing obesity. Snack foods at home are likely a bigger culprit because they are daily things now - sodas, candies, ice cream, potato chips and all sorts of other snacks are out of control. People are serving their kids excessive foods at home far more than they are taking them out to eat.

Note the following:

22% of Americans did not do any physical activity in the past month. ANY!

"In 1999, an estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults were overweight, along with 13 percent of children and adolescents. Only 3 percent of all Americans meet at least four of the five federal Food Guide Pyramid recommendations for the in- take of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats. And less than one-third of Americans meet the federal recommendations to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week, while 40 percent of adults engage in no leisure-time physical activity at all."
-- from "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity," December 2001.

According to the CDC, lifestyle behaviors is the major factor contributing to obesity in children and adults. One major suggestion by health officials is a reduction in "screen time." The CDC promotes a reduction in sedentary-TV-watching position and replace it with positive physical and prosocial activities.

According to the CDC, "The average tween spends four and a half hours each day in front of a screen. This includes watching television, video-tapes or DVDs, playing video games, using a computer or browsing the Internet. Television is the medium with which children spend the most time -- two and a half hours each day.

26 percent of U.S. children watch four or more hours of television per day.
67 percent of U.S. children watch two or more hours per day.
Almost half (48 percent) of all families with tweens have all four of the latest media staples: TV, VCR, video game equipment and a computer.
The bedroom of the 21st century child is a multimedia environment. Of children 9 - 13 years old, more than half (57 percent) have a TV in the bedroom; 39 percent have video game equipment; 30 percent have a VCR; 20 percent a computer and 11 percent Internet access."

The American Association of Pediatrics recommended moderate guidelines that pediatricians should recommend to parents:

Limit children's total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day.
Remove television sets from children's bedrooms.
Discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage more interactive activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together.
Encourage alternative entertainment for children, including reading, athletics, hobbies, and creative play. (Pediatrics. Volume 107, Number 2. February 2001, pp 423-426)

I can tell you one thing is for sure. Based on everything the CDC says, the Surgeon General, and the American Association of Pediatrics - if you want a kid to lose weight, then ban them from the t.v. That's would be virtually guaranteed effective at reducing weight. Change the lifestyle from sedentary to active.

[Trolldor]

Advertising standards protect against lies, fraud and deceptions.

"Fresh"

[Hermit]

Isn't it about stopping or reversing the rate of obesity? If so, why would we engage in measures that do little, if anything, to stop the problem, when we know full well what the problem is: kids get fat because they eat too much...

Stopping you right there. Yes, kids get fat because they eat too much. If advertising was ineffective, MacDonalds wouldn't waste billions of dollars on encouraging to eat more of their fattening foods. This has nothing to do with liberties. It's a callous, socially pernicious endeavour and should be stopped just the way tobacco companies are basically prohibited from promoting the consumption of their coffin nails in many countries now.

I commend any effort to encourage kids to adopt a less sedentary life style, but this does not mean it's ok to allow encouragement of unhealthy life styles via advertising campaigns. The latter is precisely what MacDonalds is doing.

[Coito ergo sum]

Advertising standards protect against lies, fraud and deceptions.

"Fresh"

"New"
"Improved"
"Big"
"Tasty"
"Awesome"

Point?

[Coito ergo sum]

Isn't it about stopping or reversing the rate of obesity? If so, why would we engage in measures that do little, if anything, to stop the problem, when we know full well what the problem is: kids get fat because they eat too much...

Stopping you right there. Yes, kids get fat because they eat too much.

Bingo.

If advertising was ineffective, MacDonalds wouldn't waste billions of dollars on encouraging to eat more of their fattening foods.

Nobody said it was ineffective.

Where's the evidence that kids are obese because of mascots like Ronald McDonald?

This has nothing to do with liberties. It's a callous, socially pernicious endeavour and should be stopped just the way tobacco companies are basically prohibited from promoting the consumption of their coffin nails in many countries now.

So, it doesn't matter if stopping Ronald McDonald doesn't reduce obesity, you just don't like the companies or their product. Yes?

[Hermit]

If advertising was ineffective, MacDonalds wouldn't waste billions of dollars on encouraging to eat more of their fattening foods.

Nobody said it was ineffective.

Where's the evidence that kids are obese because of mascots like Ronald McDonald?

The evidence is right there in MacDonalds' advertising budget, for crying out loud. As you acknowledged, kids eat too much, and MacDonalds is spending billions in enticing them to eat more. One of their tools is the Ronald MacDonald device. If it didn't work for the corporation it wouldn't fucking well spend all that money on it, would it?

This has nothing to do with liberties. It's a callous, socially pernicious endeavour and should be stopped just the way tobacco companies are basically prohibited from promoting the consumption of their coffin nails in many countries now.

So, it doesn't matter if stopping Ronald McDonald doesn't reduce obesity, you just don't like the companies or their product. Yes?

Moot point. See above.