Vicarious Mother

[D'Snowth]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...annual-shareholders-meeting-article-1.1354106

Okay, so last night on the news, they were reporting about this fourth-grade girl, who actually contacted the C.E.O. of McDonald's condemning him for tricking kids into buying a lot of "junk food", just so they can get toys, and how they need to stop targeting kids to eat food that is incredibly unhealthy for them, yada-yada-yada... even then, I knew that somehow, this couldn't have been the girl's own words, because what kind of 9-year-old has that kind of mentality? My assumption was maybe a parent of hers was another one of those fanatical vegans or something who works for PETA and wrote up a statement for their daughter and told them to say it to the president of McDonald's...

Then seeing this article almost confirms my suspicions.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Well I remember 4th grade was when we started writing about current events in class and kids were actually starting to express opinions on issues and politics. However, looking back it was pretty clear that everyone was just echoing their parents' views, lol.

Still, it has to start somewhere I guess!

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeah, they usually save current events for middle school.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I actually feel like people really misunderstand the lure of McDonald's. As a kid I didn't eat the food just so I could get the toy. I ate the food because it tasted good. The toy was part of the whole package and experience.

And there is no "trick." Junk food just tastes better. I get just as annoyed at health experts lying to kids that healthy food tastes just as good as junk food. It doesn't. Kids have to learn that not everything in life is going to be fun and tasty, but sometimes you have to eat it anyway.

McDonald's should be treated as a "sometime food" (to borrow a phrase). The problem is lower income families are having to rely on it too much.

 

[Drtooth]

McDonald's should be treated as a "sometime food" (to borrow a phrase). The problem is lower income families are having to rely on it too much.

There's a generation of people who just can't cook. That's the problem. Not to mention the poverty line. Which begs the question... why is no one going after those companies that sell 5 liter aquariums of terrible tasting soda at dollar stores or Banquet frozen dinners for a buck. They're cheaper and worse. or better yet... chain restaurants. No one goes after the casual eating establishments that deep fry everything and give you huge plates of it. I've been on this soap box for years. No one wants to go for deep, meaningful, and long lasting solutions. They want a windmill crusade that does little to help any problem and punishes anyone responsible.

About Kid's Meals... yeah. I miss the days when kids ate them. Kids don't get fat off of kid's meals. They get fat over the biggest thing on the menu. The Kid's meal is a portion size kids are supposed to have. Small burger, small fries, small drink. They made the fries even smaller now. "Trick" nothing. They make the small amount of food kid friendly, and yes that includes having a toy in there so they don't make mommy get them the Big Mac. As for the toys... GAH! If you can't buy them separately, there's a thing called e-bay. Stop ruining it for collectors. If you're morally opposed to eating food that isn't organic root marm, you say no. You say no and deal with the whining like a parent does.

 

[D'Snowth]

Because McDonald's is a corporate giant, especially as far as the fast food industry goes, they're like the top dawg in their field, so naturally, these crazies always target them specifically.

But as if this whole thing isn't ridiculous enough, NOW, they're saying that little is apparently "unimpressed" with McDonald's response to "her" statements.

 

[fuzzygobo]

It would be fun to see this little girl in a few decades running a corporation of her own, bearing the brunt of protesting cranks. I wonder how the shoe would feel on the other foot? How will her mommy advise her to deal with it? Time will tell....

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeah, I'm upset that I grew up in a time where all we got were stickers, or little foldy paper puzzles, or crap like that instead of actual prizes in Cracker Jacks.

 

[mr3urious]

No one goes after the casual eating establishments that deep fry everything and give you huge plates of it.

In most cases, the stuff from those places can be as dense in calories, or more so, than Mickey D's.

http://no-obesity-epidemic.org/no-obesogenic-foods.html