Another 'Happy Meal' Ban

[Drtooth]

You know... good way around this? In the areas that cannot sell the toys as part of the kid's meal, just sell them separately, and have the price for single toy written on the menu. Ten to one, all you gotta do is ask, but just make it known you can ALWAYS buy them separately.

In fact, I think the earliest Wendy's toy prizes were like 99 cents with any food purchase. That seems like a good enough alternative.

Plus, when it comes to those healthy options... well, massive billion dollar corporation, smaller mom and pop place... no contest.

I've always said there is a real problem, though... it's just incredibly big. Bigger than all of us, and that REALLY needs to be cut down to size. Then all the good stuff will follow.

 

[Nick22]

If you want to help kids, destroy standardized tests.

standardized/state tests are POINTLESS! and getting rid of them probly won't do anything. you dont have to study for state tests. they pretty much tell us not to.

our teacher told us that new york was thinking of getting rid of them and we were all excited. my dad said that it turned out that it won't happen.

i can go on and on about how much i hate the way things are done at MY school and the way things are done is ALL schools in general, but i won't. i'll be here forever.

 

[Gelfling Girl]

standardized/state tests are POINTLESS! and getting rid of them probly won't do anything. you dont have to study for state tests. they pretty much tell us not to.

Ugh, don't even mention those horrid things. On one of the subjects (science I think), out of everything we learned in class, it only helped us on one question. And on the English "What does [word] mean?" type questions, they didn't even provide context clues in the phrases/sentences, so it was pretty much you know the word or you don't. (The essay topic last year was pretty fun, but I still hate writing in the format in which we have to do a specific number of a specific type of sentences starting with specific words in specific paragraphs. It makes it hard to think outside the box like when I'm freewriting. )

Anyway, back on the original topic, it seems they're trying to destroy our childhood for the sake of "It's a bad influence on kids". If they really are so against this, they should just move to that place I saw on that Travel Channel "extreme cities"-type show where they ban all foods that aren't, like, "all-natural" foods or whatever it was.

 

[Drtooth]

Ugh, don't even mention those horrid things. On one of the subjects (science I think), out of everything we learned in class, it only helped us on one question. And on the English "What does [word] mean?" type questions, they didn't even provide context clues in the phrases/sentences, so it was pretty much you know the word or you don't. (The essay topic last year was pretty fun, but I still hate writing in the format in which we have to do a specific number of a specific type of sentences starting with specific words in specific paragraphs. It makes it hard to think outside the box like when I'm freewriting. )

I find standardized testing, especially when they make it a requirement for graduation (like in my wonderful state, thankfully I got out before that had to be written into law). But I always felt there's something fishy about them. Like the only reason they have them is some government sweetheart deal between certain politicians and the test manufacturing and testing companies, who help to steal their unfair share of the school budgets. All we're doing is teaching kids to take tests... not even what the tests are supposed to be about. Seriously, our educational system is screwed up.

Anyway, back on the original topic, it seems they're trying to destroy our childhood for the sake of "It's a bad influence on kids". If they really are so against this, they should just move to that place I saw on that Travel Channel "extreme cities"-type show where they ban all foods that aren't, like, "all-natural" foods or whatever it was.

All parental groups are like that, be it the "I watched five minutes of Super Size Me on television, so I'm in the know" fast food hating Carie Nation wannabes, to "Kids shouldn't sit through violence. I mean, half the world wants to blow us up, there's gang leaders all over the streets pushing drugs. Cartoon laser zaps and punches could corrupt kids" to the extreme "religious" fanatics on the far far far far right that say "Everything on TV is making our kids gay! That's what our leader who wants to control the government says" gang. They ALL wanted to kill childhood since the 1960's when Action for Irate Grownups was formed, saying they came out of the horrible assassinations of 2 beloved politicians and one social rights advocate, but really because they were prudes about all the super hero cartoons that came out around then. They're the reason why Super Friends had to keep trapping Lex Luthor and Solomon Grundy with laser beams instead of socking them in the mush!

You know... sometimes the whole "Childhood obesity epidemic" thing in the news reminds me of the "Guess what household items your kids are sniffing to get high" reports. They cause such a frenzy leading parents to worry worse than Wade Duck and Boober (but slightly less than the chicken hearted Wall street set... that's another rant for another day... and You'll get an earfull of that), and make them panic and act stupid and make snap decisions instead of looking at the overall problem and finding a sensible solution. As far as calories go, yeah... I think this stuff is excessive... but the REAL monsters of the kids meal world are the chain restaurants like Chilis and Outback. Those things are like 5 happy meals combined.

There ARE things I agree with. Trying to ween the public of the chemicals that make the things taste chemically... the complete and utter removal of high fructose corn syrup, I half agree with the getting things out of lunchroom vending machines (but they're still more nutritious than school lunches). The Trans fat ban, I don't fully agree with banning, but getting rid of them was a boon. Now, I DON'T agree with getting cartoons off kid's snack packages and happy meal prizes (it makes things harder to market), limiting or banning junk food commercials for certain items (sodas, I totally accept not marketing... and any food at a fast food place that's not on the kid's meal), and taxes ONLY because they'd be mismanaged, and they'd keep driving it up the same way they do with smokes. Again, Taxes if they remain reasonable, and stay a low fixed rate and go directly to health programs... but they won't. They won't.

But I really think kid's candy commercials SHOULD stand next to GOOD PSA's about health. No Disney movie clips, no cheap CGIs that look like they're from the 80's with vague messages... REAL Time for Timer type stuff. But what I NEVER said here that I feel should be said... these groups don't want to get rid of JUST junk food commercials.. toy commercials are next on the chopping block. Kids TV needs to get funding somehow, and banning certain commercials makes new program acquisition and development unprofitable and not worth it.