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Post by phil on Nov 20, 2007 13:26:52 GMT -5
Sleeps two ... At least !!
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Post by RocDoc on Nov 20, 2007 15:46:25 GMT -5
 holy shit what a waste of effort. to actually bury people built in such a way that they need that? didn't they useta light lamps with whale blubber? hell you could light a city for a month with one of those freak 600-700 pounders... |
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Post by Matheus on Nov 20, 2007 18:06:07 GMT -5
Sleeps two ... At least !! Business has finally caught up with the demands of fat vampires. |
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Post by phil on Dec 4, 2007 7:39:15 GMT -5
Reading Tim Kasser's The High Price of Materialism offers a philosophical answer to the question "Why Americans(and other Western nations)so overweight?" In the book, Kasser says that people make more money now but they are not any happier than they were 40 years ago and that the more insecure we are, the more materialistic we become. Individuality, money, work, law and order are more important for us than a healthy attitude toward life, social cohesion and any notion of community. Society is now at the service of Capitalism, not the other way around as it should be ... Remember Junior after 9/11 telling people to go shopping ? Bottom line is, money, or food, can't replace good relationships, self-acceptance and community feeling ... Chew on this for a while ...  |
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Post by RocDoc on Dec 5, 2007 16:17:55 GMT -5
chews a bit...
seems a little simplistic, wishing for utopia in the face of splintered (and overpopulated) nations everywhere and so many people worldwide adrift grabbing onto pretty much whatever they can reach.
and what's 'community' exactly?
for instance, just for instance, white europeans clustering together (in arguably exclusive rural wisconsin/iowa towns for germans, swiss and icelandics and/or the same sort of religion-based parishes in the urban megalopolises across the usa) for mutual support in the first ½ of the 1900s, i do not think would be looked upon today as anything less than (at best, the now largely reviled and apparently exclusionary) 'nationalism' or at worst (the obviously even more separationist) racism.
those ethnic enclaves/ghettos and the notion of them is closed today to everyone BUT the so-called 'minorities' it seems.(yikes!)
'community' for large segments of the population comes through more as a state of being without those affiliations of nationality, religion, etc....state-less, because with affiliations comes the accusation of 'preferences'(!) and/or favoritism makes you now instantly suspect as being politically incorrect.
and then this kasser makes the conclusion that no, we do not live in same world as we did in 1966? gee.
it sorta begs for an exclamation of 'well, no shit'.
his offer then, was to fix everything how?
NOT the manufactured community/solidarity of socialism?
no?
then what sort of massive social re-jiggering would be 100% effective for this apparent malaise causing us to get all fat n'shit?
rrrright.
so then how do we roll time back?
perhaps a nice plague would do it?
[/ sarcasm ]
sorry phil, i read that sort of shit and makes me even MORE a pessimist. well, re the state of where the world's going, anyway.
these days life IS sweet for me, but the changes/imperfections in the world point it out as being very bittersweet as well.
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Post by phil on Dec 6, 2007 10:34:36 GMT -5
You still don't know why Americans are so overweight ? You just have to start them early ...  NewYork Times December 6, 2007 Straight A’s, With a Burger as a Prize By STUART ELLIOTT FAST-FOOD chains often post nutritional report cards about their product ingredients on restaurant walls. Now one is using children’s report cards to help stimulate sales. The McDonald’s restaurants in Seminole County, Fla., and the Seminole County School Board have agreed to reward students for good grades and attendance during the 2007-8 school year with Happy Meals. The program replaces one that for the last 10 school years had been sponsored by local Pizza Hut restaurants, according to the school district. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade can now receive a Happy Meal from a local McDonald’s restaurant as a “food prize,” as it is described, for achievements like all A’s and B’s in academic subjects or two or fewer absences from school. The “report card incentive,” as the program is called, is a business partnership between the owners of the McDonald’s restaurants in Seminole County and the school board, according to information published on the jackets in which the children receive their report cards. The jackets are used throughout the school year. Teachers put report cards in them, and students take them home for their parents to sign to let the teachers know the report cards have been read. The jackets also bear a cartoon of Ronald McDonald, the chain’s brand mascot for children, and its Golden Arches logo. Article continues ... www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/business/media/06adco.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1196942541-tPP8tuZ2bp86A81YBURIWA&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin |
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Post by Dwazee on Dec 6, 2007 11:24:13 GMT -5
they always did that with pizza hut and the book reading rewards. food is all sorts of misused in this country as a reward or incentive.
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Post by phil on Dec 6, 2007 11:26:33 GMT -5
In the Québec public school system,
no commercial advertising of any kind
can be directly adressed to children under 13 years of age ...
Same goes for TV commercials selling kids' stuff
which cannot be aired
during children programming periods ...
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Post by RocDoc on Dec 6, 2007 17:54:49 GMT -5
a small shrug and a 'so what'.
yes, i'm doing my one-note 'dance' again here...
You still don't know why Americans are so overweight ?
did they offer 365¼ days worth of happy meals or something?
and till the age of 14?
what did i miss?
it's well-documented fact that across the us, school funding is SO strapped, so then a mcdonalds corp (or someone else...ibm, say)picks up the tab for a few programs, fronts for the printing of the report cards too probably (further defraying costs), and they shouldn't be allowed to place something which is already so ubiquitous here and therefore so redundantly benign (and really VERY minor as i see it. one happy meal, wow. a buck sixty five. c'MON, as though this is brainwashing...what, like american kids do NOT know what a happy meal is?) on a bloody report card and to not be allowed to put their name anywhere and take some credit for their good works??
'stimulating sales'?
this author is trying to rake muck where there ain't none.
maybe it's designed to shock people who've never ever been here.
like dwazee said, similar things re 'a token', re 'a reward', have been going on for a long time.
only now the 'sponsorship' angle is making itself seen, because times are WAY more bad for schools than when i was a kid and this concept of sponsorship itself has become way more prevalent as a way of circumventing the need for taking more money (ie taxation) from the general public for various public and/or private projects.
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Post by Dwazee on Dec 6, 2007 19:06:52 GMT -5
well, there are many many things wrong with the food system in this country. fast food nation was incredibly helpful in reading about that--if you dont want to read, then supersize me is an adequate substitution. i went vegetarian before i read the book, but its interesting to see where your food comes from.
i got pizza and loved mcdonalds as my favorite food as a kid, but i didnt get fat. i also ate healthy food other times and went outside and exercised alot. kids these days have their video games, more calories loaded into meals (we never had double cheeseburger happy meals), and lack of recess and exercise. its kind of a given at this point.
PLUS something that not many people think about--it's expensive to eat well. fresh fruits and veggies arent cheap. what are? things that have lots of chemicals and preservatives, things that will last months, like deli meat, canned goods, boxed meals, tv dinners, etc. what else is cheap? a cheeseburger at mcdonalds/burger king/whatever. from a socioeconomic standpoint, it's sad to realise that good food is harder to buy on smaller budgets (hence the college foods like ramen), and that getting a gym membership or equipment isnt cheap either. i make more than i did in college, and i still struggle to get food that isnt all processed crap.
they do talk about that a bit in the book. im sure someone upthread must have mentioned it, but it's worth reading.
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Post by ScottsyII on Dec 8, 2007 16:08:26 GMT -5
Why are Americans overweight? Same reason as in any other western nation...
Junk. food. culture.
It's killing us all.
Now where's my big mac?
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Post by Dwazee on Dec 12, 2007 7:54:55 GMT -5
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Post by phil on Dec 17, 2007 7:25:20 GMT -5
HÉ! Gotta keep the wheels of consumerism greased and start those kids on the right path as soon as possible ...! Facts About Marketing To Children
Children as TargetsAdvertising directed at children is estimated at over $15 billion annually – about 2.5 times more than what it was in 1992.1 Over the past two decades, the degree to which marketers have scaled up efforts to reach children is staggering. In 1983, they spent $100 million on television advertising to kids. Today, they pour roughly 150 times that amount into a variety of mediums that seek to infiltrate every corner of children’s worlds.2 According to a leading expert on branding, 80 percent of all global brands now deploy a “tween strategy.”3 Commercial TelevisionThe average American child today is exposed to an estimated 40,000 television commercials a year — over 100 a day.4 A task force of the American Psychological Association (APA) has recommended restrictions on advertising that targets children under the age of eight, based on research showing that children under this age are unable to critically comprehend televised advertising messages and are prone to accept advertiser messages as truthful, accurate and unbiased.5 Beyond the TubeAccording to the Kaiser Family Foundation, youth are multitasking their way through a wide variety of electronic media daily, juggling iPods and instant messaging with TV and cell phones. In fact, they pack 8.5 hours of media exposure into 6.5 hours each day, seven days a week — which means that they spend more time plugged in than they do in the classroom.6 By the mid 1990s, direct marketing, promotions, and sponsorships actually accounted for 80 percent of marketing dollars.7 New Dream Poll, “Nag Factor”According to a national survey commissioned by the Center for a New American Dream: American children aged 12 to 17 will ask their parents for products they have seen advertised an average of nine times until the parents finally give in. More than 10 percent of 12- to 13-year-olds admitted to asking their parents more than 50 times for products they have seen advertised. More than half of the children surveyed (53%) said that buying certain products makes them feel better about themselves. The number is even higher among 12- to 13-year-olds: 62% say that buying certain products makes them feel better about themselves. Nearly a third of those surveyed (32%) admitted to feeling pressure to buy certain products such as clothes and CDs because their friends have them. Over half of 12- to 13-year-olds (54%) admitted to feeling such pressure. The nagging strategy is paying dividends for kids and marketers alike: 55% of kids surveyed said they are usually successful in getting their parents to give in.8 What Kids Really WantAccording to a 2003 New American Dream poll, 57 percent of children age 9-14 would rather do something fun with their mom or dad than go to the mall to go shopping.9 In SchoolsThe American Beverage Association (formerly National Soft Drink Association) at one point estimated that nearly two thirds of schools nationwide had exclusive “pouring rights” contracts with soda companies.10 An informal survey of Channel One advertisers from a few years ago found that 27 percent of the ads were for junk food. The next highest category, at 10 percent, was military recruitment.11 Channel One also advertises movies, TV shows, and video games featuring violence, strong sexual content, and alcohol and tobacco use.12 Harming Children’s Well-Being Obesity: Rising levels of childhood obesity track an explosion of junk food ads in recent years13. Emotional well-being: Author and Boston College sociology professor Juliet Schor finds links between immersion in consumer culture and depression, anxiety, low self esteem, and conflicts with parents14. Self-image and sexual behavior: Wheelock College education professor Diane Levin sees correlations with sexual imagery in children’s ads and increases in eating disorders among girls, adding that as “children struggle to make sense of mature sexual content, they are robbed of valuable time for age-appropriate developmental tasks, and they may begin to engage in precocious sexual behavior.”15 Financial self-control: National surveys reveal that kids are leaving high school without a basic understanding of issues relating to savings and credit card debt. No surprise, then, that over the past decade, credit card debt among 18-24 year olds more than doubled16. Site and References here ... www.newdream.org/kids/facts.php |
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Post by luke on Dec 17, 2007 9:18:49 GMT -5
I'm with RD here. I read that NYT article the other day and thought it was garbage.
We had the "gold cards" when I was in school, where you got awarded for the honor roll with a card that offered discounts at certain places and some free snacks at others. You have to be a fucking moron to think that some kid is going to spend his nights studying extra hard for a free cheeseburger.
"Why did you make straight A's, Timmy?"
"For free cheeseburgers!"
"Little Billy's failing school because they took his free soft serve away!"
This is one of the WORST examples of laying the blame on others that I've seen recently. To criticize these innocent programs- in the face of all the REALLY fucked up shit that places like McDonald's do- is lazy and inept.
The whole thing with taking sugar/carbonated drinks out of schools has gotten entirely out of hand, too. You have schools now (like the ones my wife has taught at) where athletes are denied access to sports drinks. This is ridiculous.
The idea that schools need funding from the private sector to operate disgusts me, but to criticize these programs because they "encourage obesity" is ignorant. This is completely unrelated to the "junk food culture" epidemic in Western society and, if anything, encourages the way junk food should be used- as a special treat, not a dietary staple.
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Post by chrisfan on Dec 17, 2007 11:13:48 GMT -5
I agree with Luke (and in turn, Roc Doc). If advertising and marketing had such a hold on people that it forced them into bad behavior in a way that was completely out of their own control, then ad budgets alone would determine the success or failure of everything. The ad and marketing budget to introduce "New Coke" was enormous. People can exercise self control in spite of advertising. People are obese because they 1) eat too much 2) don't move around enough. They choose both of those actions on their own. The end.
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