Likening Ronald to the Marlboro Man seems a bit extreme :/
Maybe because they're extremists. They're the same people that want to ruin childhood favorites at a time when kids need them the most. Ronald ISN'T the reason why kids eat that stuff, and everyone knows it. Kids have like, zero taste buds and feel they can subside on pizza and ice cream. When your an adult, you learn to taste things more complex and enjoy them. Why, there's plenty of stuff I'd never eat as a kid I eat now, and plenty of stuff I liked as a kid that I outright refuse to eat.
Their intentions are good, but completely misdirected and pointless. I'd liken them to the "athiests" that protest the word "God" on the dollar bill, but when it comes to separation of Church and state that matters, they're always absent. If they cared sooooo much about children's health, they'd push legislation for every kid to get access to good food and good health care. But no... they waste time suing Spongebob for wanting to get kids to eat cereal that wasn't fiber formulated for constipated 50 year olds with stomache ulcers.
There's a specific reason why they market junk food to kids. They're the only ones that can metabolize it. Once you hit a certain age, you cannot process food from McDonalds. It's a scientific proven fact.