Originally posted by AppleOnYa:
The good thing is that it will not be accessible in school.
I think my school district had the right idea - turn off the machines during the day, but allow them after dismissal.
As far as being accessible goes, even if you can't drink the pop, why aren't they going after the snack vendors as well, which are just as bad (if not worse) than pop? Just wondering.
Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
The reason that schools don't want to limit it is that these vending machines are huge money-makers for the schools. Believe it or not, the number one opponents to any such legislation are the school districts, as they reap in thousands of dollars of income each year. Additionally, the companies lik Pepsico threaten to not pay the schools their commissions on the vending machines if they turn them off during certain hours.
I know that our district didn't own the machines
per se, but they were run by certain clubs or teams within the school (I know I was President of the broadcast club, and we had a Pepsi machine and a snack machine that we were responsible for maintaining, re-supplying, etc.) I'm sure that the districts get a nice piece, though.
Originally posted by Enzo Scifo:
Is it really so difficult to just drink water, fruit juice, milk, ... and limit soda, to not eat junk food every week but limit it very badly, to not eat candy bars all the time but eat more lunch/dinner/breakfast; to eat an Apple or another peace of fruit sometimes, to not take the car but the bycicle sometimes, to not sit at the PC/TV all the time, but doing something outside where you have to move instead; to ...
If someone would do all that, unless they have the 'talent' to become fat, that person would not end up getting really fat I think.
But isn't that against the very essence of a free society? I mean, and I'm playing the Devil's advocate here, who has the right to regulate what we do with our time and money?
I'm not disagreeing with you, I'd just like to know why it would be okay to restrict these particular things, and not others.
Originally posted by Daigo Mick Friend:
Society is being brain washed at a young age by fast food and soft drink companies and we will feel the results for generations.
Children are lazy, unhealthy , and want to be rewarded for just showing up.
I am not pointing fingers but we are all part of the problem
Umm...the laziness, unhealthy habits, etc. all have to originate from somewhere, and while society is an influence, I think that the parents should share the blunt of the blame when Johnny is a spoiled brat, no?
Originally posted by Daigo Mick Friend:
The toy does not make the child lazy but along with non competitive sport leagues it takes away the desire to work hard for a goal.
We've gone from Happy Meals to non-competitive sports leagues?
Wow.
Okay, first, I agree wholeheartedly with Don Vercetti regarding the Great Satan, a.k.a. Ronald McDonald and his merry band of brainwashers who bring toys to children (I suppose we should ban Christmas and Santa Claus?)
As far as the non-competitive sports go, I agree to an extent, this whole self-esteem, new-age type deal is essentially setting kids up for a fall when they get out of school and into the real world.
But at the same time, I don't necessarily seeing the harm in kids participating in a non-competitive game in gym class or something, especially at younger ages. I don't necessarily think that it diminishes the "goal-oriented" ideals if the children are put into a setting where collectively, they have to accomplish something, but there is no real winner or loser, necessarily (sounds like Communism? :p ).
Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
It's not the reward, it's the marketing concept that is questionable. I mean, did you never bug your mother to buy you some stupid cereal that you swore you would eat, just to get the prize? It's the same concept. Kids will bug their parents to go to McDonald's because they have the latest tie-in to some movie as the Happy Meal toy.
But its not like this is some new, evil Capitalist concept that has been created starting with Generation X. The toy-in-the-box has been around for ages, and the Happy Meal since the late 70's.
Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
As a mother, of course I've let my kids have McDonald's on occasion. Unfortunately, I find that I'm the exception. My daughter was in her high school play, and rehearsals were from 5:30 to 7:30 four nights a week, and Saturdays from 9-1. I was shocked at how many of her friends' parents would just take the kids to the McDonald's that's near the school before EVERY rehearsal and for breakfast on Saturdays. It was gross. And I can't tell you how many friends she has that are obese. And I don't mean a little chubby, I mean over 200 pounds. And they're only teenagers. It's unbelievable.
And that's irresponsible parenting. I know when I was younger, McDonalds was a "treat" that you had every once in awhile. But I think that children learn from their parents - ergo, I see people around here who can't get through a day without stopping at Tim Hortons/Starbucks for some sort of coffee related drink, even showing up late if the lines are particularly long (and the do stretch around the block at nearly every location). What kind of example does this set for the next generation? Are the companies to blame for putting out the product, or are we to blame for growing mindlessly addicted?
Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
I think that as a nation, we eat too much, we eat in our cars, and we eat as we run from one thing to another. We've instilled these unhealthy habits in our children, and the rising percentage of childhood obesity is to show for it.
True, and I think that has to do with the disintegration of the traditional family structure - sitting down together at meals and such. However, I suspect that this trend of impulse-eating coincides with the rise in 2-income families, longer working hours, etc.
Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
As I said before, I think it is a parent's responsibility, but I think that too many take it way too lightly.
Agreed.