Lies, Damn Lies

I'm loving it

Aww. "So awesome it hurts" doesn't put me at the number on hit! Inexcusible, frankly, but what are you gonna do? Other than some kind of mass internet buying campaign, I suppose.

Anyways, on my way home from a delicious lunch (paid for by the SU. Excellent....), I heard a little kid sing the new mcdonalds tune "i'm loving it."

Ergh. I know I did that too. "It doesn't take long, to sing a song, theres nothing quite like a mcdonalds" (and what WAS that about?). Its sad really. I think advertising to kids should be banned. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of globalisation in all its forms, but I understand that ffor the most part it is beneficial. But.... advertising to children? When you are young you are incredibly open to ideas and very easy to manipulate. If you have ever seen the film, "The Corporation", you will probably remember one of the most disturbing moments in the film where a woman from advertising explains how her company tells people how to aim at children more effectively.

OK, yes, all adverts are designed to manipulate us, but there is nothing like a childs nagging to convert a weary parent. I suppose one could argue thats the parent's fault for exposing their kid to too much tv, or teaching them when to say no, but at the end of the day, when you are tired, of course you are gonna sit a kid in front of the tv while you take at least a short break. And yeah, sometimes you will give in and take the kid to a mcdonalds....

I guess one could argue its not so horrible, and I don't know in general if I could point at something specific that puts me off, but the idea of almost brainwashing kids to do something, makes me just makes me shudder.

Hmm, for a specific example of the unpleasentness of this formula, watch Super Size Me. The conclusions that eating mcdonalds every day for a month is bad for you is contested by mcdonalds (surely ridiculously. Surely everyone knows that can't be doing your body any good...), but I think one point that film makes that perhaps is lost is that mcdonalds targets children. Watch its adverts, with clowns, its happy meals with toys, even having playgounds at some outlets, this is a place that WANTS children to come. This is not a good thing. Getting people hooked, or at least used to going to mcdonalds as a treat (and thats important too, going to mcdonalds is a TREAT. Thats some heavy positive association), while they are young is NOT a good thing. Fast food is DEFINITELY not something we want to encourage people to eat... well at all, but certainly not children.

I suppose again the blame could fall on the parents for taking them there, but with so much pressure, eventually they are gonna cave and take them to mcdonalds every now and then. Thus- its a treat.

But hey, my ideas are NEVER going to be implemented. So meh.

posted by Mr K @ 7:50 pm