>> ^TheFreak:

Epic cognitive dissonance at 4:05.


I thought it was already at epic levels around 3:25.

"So basically everyone should be responsible for raising the kids...except their parents? Who's driving the kids to McD? Who's paying for the food? Who ultimately decides to celebrate a kid's birthday at McD? And who fails to provide a healthy diet at home that would lessen the negative impact of an occasional McD meal?" - campionidelmondo



You also have to realize that Education is education. That's what school is there for. I don't teach my kids everything they need to know, some things they learn in school or on their own. Like mine, most kids are smart. Mine will call me on something I get wrong. They do have differing opinions that I don't always share.

As an adult, If I like McDs (though I don't), and I go there all the time. My kids should have that opportunity to learn facts contrary to my habits and be able to call me on it.

The school system is there to help guide our kids in their education in the areas the parents fall short. This is true for science, math and even shop class. If I hate sports, should my kids not be allowed to take Phys Ed? They already have health and nutrition in school (part of science class I believe) why not show them the film and make it part of the curriculum.

We already do it with "Family life" class (or what ever your town calls it) - kids learn all about sex, STDs, personal health and hygiene and are better off for it.
Why should Nutrition be different?

I don't see where teaching kids basic food facts would be a bad thing. Likewise showing them the results of bad choices as in Supersize Me or the book Fastfood Nation.
All insults to bad parents aside, problems also arise when big business/lobby groups want to get involved in what gets taught to our kids.

A little bit extreme but funny link by the way!

>> ^hpqp:

Stupid kids grow up to be stupid parents and have lots of stupid kids who grow up to be stupid parents and (et cetera ad nauseum)... at some point someone has to step in. I for one am all for mandatory school viewings of "Supersize Me" as early as preschool. If kids are going to be brought to poison outlets by their fat, lazy-ass and empty-headed parents, at least let them know what their in for.
Remember this?

I was going to read sageminds comments, but I don't want to have to get a magnifying glass...what happened to the font size!

*controversy

Adding video to channels (Controversy) - requested by MrFisk.

you obviously live in canada or somewhere else where public school teaches kids science, math, sex ed and healthy lifestyle choices.. instead of simply the skills they need to work in retail or join the military.

also, humanity as whole doesn't really understand nutrition. there are plenty of decent, resonable parents who don't have a clue what a balanced diet actually looks like and actually try to raise their kids to have good habits.

also, i don't think taking away a 5 cent toy is going to do anything about the people who eat fast food often enough for it to be a major problem. it has already become a habit .. my son probably wouldnt care about going to mcdonalds ever again if he wasnt going to get a toy, but we also eat mostly plants at home and grab fast food less than once a month on average.

banning high fructose corn syrup would do more to curb obesity. this is epicly stupid. like throwing a bigger warning label on a carton of cigarettes and felating yourself for combating lung cancer.
In reply to this comment by Sagemind:
"So basically everyone should be responsible for raising the kids...except their parents? Who's driving the kids to McD? Who's paying for the food? Who ultimately decides to celebrate a kid's birthday at McD? And who fails to provide a healthy diet at home that would lessen the negative impact of an occasional McD meal?" - campionidelmondo



You also have to realize that Education is education. That's what school is there for. I don't teach my kids everything they need to know, some things they learn in school or on their own. Like mine, most kids are smart. Mine will call me on something I get wrong. They do have differing opinions that I don't always share.

As an adult, If I like McDs (though I don't), and I go there all the time. My kids should have that opportunity to learn facts contrary to my habits and be able to call me on it.

The school system is there to help guide our kids in their education in the areas the parents fall short. This is true for science, math and even shop class. If I hate sports, should my kids not be allowed to take Phys Ed? They already have health and nutrition in school (part of science class I believe) why not show them the film and make it part of the curriculum.

We already do it with "Family life" class (or what ever your town calls it) - kids learn all about sex, STDs, personal health and hygiene and are better off for it.
Why should Nutrition be different?

Happy Meal toys made me obese. Joe Camel gave me cancer. Big-breasted blonde bimbos made me an alcoholic and gave me carpal tunnel syndrome. Now, if only the city of San Francisco could give me a break.

It's true, taking the toy away won't stop kids from wanting Mc'Ds but it may cause McDs to think about a few more healthier choices to the kid's menu so they can get the toys back into play!

And yes, I admit, even my family likes fast food - it's there when you need it! My daughter is starting to grumble a bit like me ever since she watched SuperSizeMe (on her own - I might ad) but my son loves it. The kids usually get the grilled chicken wraps but always with a side of fries (and of course pop/soda) and that's just reality. We don't go often - once/month, maybe more when we have extra cash. It's a love/hate thing!

And yes @peggedbea, I do live a bit of a sheltered life up here in Canada with no practical knowledge of what it's like elsewhere. Good thing we have the internet to share these ideas

I've never really thought of it from the point of view of "skills they need to work in retail or join the military" because, although we have retail (which, yes, sucks), we don't consider the military most of the time - most could care less about it. (not that we don't honor those who choose it), it's just more of an option of choice here that a last resort for employment. (or something like that - it's late, my brain needs sleep)

@Sagemind Kids are not going to prepare their own meals. They're always gonna eat what their parents, or the school, provides them with. If they're being provided with crap food then that's what they're gonna eat. They don't buy their own groceries, don't know how to prepare a meal and so on.

Education might help to break the cycle, so that maybe the kids grow up to be more responsible parents when it comes to nutrition, but passing these arbitrary laws is so painfully pointless.

It's true, taking the toy away won't stop kids from wanting Mc'Ds but it may cause McDs to think about a few more healthier choices to the kid's menu so they can get the toys back into play!

These sorts of items are already on their menu. But come on - this is a fast food restaurant. By definition, fast food is crap for the system. In order to make food that passes health inspections you have to process the bejeezus out of it. The dream of restaurants that serve "fresh from the garden" healthy food is unrealistic given our regulatory requirements, legal environment, and population logistics. If you want healthy food, then don't freaking eat at a fast food joint. Duh.

But that's all beside the point. It isn't the government's job to tell people what to eat, or force restaurants to adhere to some Orwellian/Huxleyan vision of centrally controlled food intake. It is not your right, or the government's right to rig the game so as to coerce people into behaving in ways that you approve. I eat like a bird, and only eat out once a month or so. That's a personal choice. I'll make it on my own, thank you kindly. If I want my kid to eat right, then I'll feed them healthy food myself and I don't need some city or agency blackjacking restaurants to do it for me.

Do you think nicotine happy meals would be fine so long as they don't come with a toy? That's what SF is saying. They're not trying to ban unhealthy food; they're banning toys. I'd have mixed feelings about them banning the food, too, but at least they'd be directly addressing the problem.

>> ^misterwight:

To use The Daily Show's argument, to all of you boo-hooing about the death of corporate freedom, would you support McDonald's if it decided to start adding nicotine to its kids' meals? Some other artificial addictive, yet unregulated substance? I mean, it's not like anyone's forcing the parents to take their kids there.


@kceaton1: close your tags!

I would say neither is okay, actually. I would also say that just because SF had yet to draft law against kids' meals full of trans fats doesn't mean that they wouldn't want to. The direct approach is not always the most legislatively viable one. As for what is right and what is wrong, that is just a philosophical disagreement.