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Is It Wrong For MacDonalds To Advertise Happy Meals

The Neo Nerd

Well-Known Member
Here's another thought.

TURN OFF THE ***** TV

Seriously TV is bad for your. You have no idea how you are being manipulated when watching it.

I don't even own a TV and you know what i don't miss it.

When ever i'm at someone elses place and they are watching it, i'm constantly amazed by how ridiculous advertising has become, i'm constantly amazed by how ridiculous reality TV has become.

It's evil turn the ***** thing off.

-Q
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
McDonalds has had Happy Meals with "cool" toys in them for decades, including when I was raising my four kids.

Not once - not ONCE - did ANY of my kids pitch a fit for a McDonalds toy. I also have six grandchildren and I have never once heard ANY of them ask anyone to stop at McDonalds so they could get a Happy Meal toy.

All these children watch some TV but none of them are saturated with it. Nor do their parents frequent fast food places.

Nor do any of the parents tolerate "fit pitching." Not for a minute.

Here's what I would do when my kids pitched a fit in public. Say we were in a check out line and they started whining for candy. If they were with me at a store, there was usually already SOMETHING for them in the cart, because especially at the grocery store, I usually let them pick out something "special." If they started whining for something, I would just leave the cart, and the store, applying the Spock hold to the offender all the way out to the car.

Then on top of that, they had to put up with the frustration from their siblings about not getting ANYTHING in the cart. In other words, peer pressure.

If this sounds extreme, keep in mind that I generally only had to do that once per kid. It always left a strong impression.

One time my girls were in the back seat arguing about a little baggie of cookies that I had passed back to them on a trip. I looked in the rear view mirror and said calmly, "Hey, give me those cookies for a second." One of them handed the bag to me.

I calmly rolled down the window, held the bag out the window, shook it, and they got to watch the cookies tumble out onto the highway. Then I calmly rolled the window back up and just drove on.

Not a word was spoken. Complete and golden silence emanated from the back seat.

Never had that problem again.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I calmly rolled down the window, held the bag out the window, shook it, and they got to watch the cookies tumble out onto the highway. Then I calmly rolled the window back up and just drove on.
Having a strong sense of theater is a good thing.
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Yes, it really does help to be dramatic sometimes when disciplining children.

One time my oldest daughter (who was the most prone to "fit pitching") was sent to her room for some "time out", and in a little three year old show of temper, she started beating up her little kitchen set (stove, fridge, etc), which REALLY ticked me off because it wasn't cheap, and besides that, she was being loud and downright rebellious. I went into the room and told her that if she continued to try to tear up her toys and treat them like trash, I would also treat them like trash and throw them away.

She continued to jump up and down on the kitchen set and try to tear it up.

I went and got a trash bag, disassembled the toy, and put it in the trash bag and took it out of the room. That quieted her down a bit.

The trash truck always came early,early in the morning. The next morning I WOKE HER UP and from her upstairs window, we watched the trash men throw her kitchen set away.

Let me tell you something, I NEVER had that problem from her again. I mean NEVER. She knew, if I said something, I was going to do it.

The thing with that tactic is - you MUST follow through. You cannot make empty threats. Be careful about what you say, because then you have to do it. Otherwise, it simply doesn't work past the first time, and then you just get to look stupid.

And always keep in mind this basic law of child rearing - You can never let them win a showdown. Never. Never.
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Yes, it IS a very hard thing to do. Sometimes when my kids were little and I was intently making sure that I didn't let them win a showdown, I would say to myself, "God promises that He won't give us more than we can handle, and I believe He matched me up with these four children, so He will give me the strength to follow through." That usually worked for me.

That being said, as a parent, you have to pick your battles. You can't have a showdown about everything or you lose credibility and you wear yourself out. I wasn't a perfect parent by any means, but I did give my kids a lot of room for self expression. I told them that they could say ANYTHING to me, express ANY feeling or opinion, as long as they did so respectfully. They were free to disagree with me, be mad at me, argue, etc. as long as they did it in a responsible, respectful manner. Open door policy.

So if they wanted a Happy Meal (or whatever), they could say so. They could make their argument. And sometimes they would have a point. OR - their reward for being logical, calm, and respectful might BE a Happy Meal. If that was the case, I would say something along the lines of, "OK, here's the deal. I think Happy Meals are crap. But you know what - you've impressed me with your approach. Let's go get that Happy Meal. This doesn't mean you'll get it next time - in fact, you probably won't get these very often, because we just aren't going to make fast food a habit in this house because of cost and general unhealthiness. But once in awhile, it won't hurt us. Let's go! And THANK YOU, by the way, for being such a great kid and for expressing yourself so responsibly."

This really worked with my kids. To this day, we have a very open line of communication. Without exception, my kids feel very free to express their opinions, ideas, etc which are sometimes in direct opposition of my personal beliefs or choices. And I greatly respect them for their independence and integrity, even when their choices aren't the ones I would make.
 

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
People like this annoy the crap out of me - wasting tax payer's dollars on crap lawsuits. Why should business be compromised because people are inacapable of making sound decisions for themselves? It's absolutely ridiculous.

As a parent I control what my children watch and I make the decisions as to what's served for dinner. End of story. If my kids don't like it...tough. It's not rocket science and no one is forced to purchase what's being sold out there. Sheesh.


I really don't understand this view. If we all actually believed it kids would be able to buy paint, decongestants, acohol, cigarettes, and etc. The companies all would like to sell to children and be able to advertise to children they could make a whole lot more money. Yet we don't allow it.

Simpler stuff that will not kill children like music and videos we rate and will only allow children to purchase what we deem age appropiate.

Yet trying to take a stupid toy out of a happy meal not trying to stop happy meals all together which in my mind is a much better plan, inspires such hatred. Allows intelligent people to bellitle an individual. This one is making me rethink all my beliefs.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Considering that they are selling poison as food, they shouldn't be allowed to advertize.

By comparison, tobacco companies are greatly restricted in their ability to advertize, and these companies actually have to pay for ad campaigns that encourage people not to smoke.

It will be a great day for our country when fast food moguls have to pay for commercials that expose their excessively destructive influence on public health and the food industry.
 

Primordial Annihilator

Well-Known Member
Is it wrong?

California mom sues McDonald's over Happy Meals - Yahoo!7



Personally i don't think so. They do have a point about the cognitive stage of children, but ultimately it is the parents who feed the kids Maccas.

Mind you i don't have kids so i'm not too sure.

But from my own personal experience when i was growing up we had maccas maybe once or twice a year and there was plenty of advertising.

And you know what, i don't remember ever being that upset that i couldn't have it.

What do you guys think?

-Q

Kids don't normally get to choose which place they are to eat in...not in my experience.
Thus the reponsibility is entirely the parent's...I dont like MacDonalds in the slightest...revolting food....but why should the children of parents who responsibly take their kids to these places only rarely miss out on free toys...and some of presumably the fun of being a kid in one of these places?
Just because some poor excuses for parents (like the one you mention) cannot either stop stuffing their kids with disgusting crap (burgers and fries) or havent the willpower to tell their kids there is no Burger King today...we should all suffer for their irresponsible idiocy?

This kind of ill thought out reactionary litigation offends my liberal sensitivities...:sad4:
 
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Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
One time my girls were in the back seat arguing about a little baggie of cookies that I had passed back to them on a trip. I looked in the rear view mirror and said calmly, "Hey, give me those cookies for a second." One of them handed the bag to me.

I calmly rolled down the window, held the bag out the window, shook it, and they got to watch the cookies tumble out onto the highway. Then I calmly rolled the window back up and just drove on.
I owe you some frubals for being such a caring parent. Most parents today it seems wouldn't have interfered, and just would have let their kids figure it out with the very limited knowledge cognitive development that kids have.
 

Dirty Penguin

Master Of Ceremony
Is it wrong?

California mom sues McDonald's over Happy Meals - Yahoo!7



Personally i don't think so. They do have a point about the cognitive stage of children, but ultimately it is the parents who feed the kids Maccas.

Mind you i don't have kids so i'm not too sure.

But from my own personal experience when i was growing up we had maccas maybe once or twice a year and there was plenty of advertising.

And you know what, i don't remember ever being that upset that i couldn't have it.

What do you guys think?

-Q

Look, this sounds like a no brainer to me.....Don't like McDonald's then don't buy their food.

I think Wendy's and Burger King offer kid's meals with a toy as well.
What is wrong with that? The toy is usually crappy anyway. MCD issues, to me, is not with marketing to the youth but rather the quality of the food they serve....but again, it's always the responsibility of the parent or the person buying the food for their family or themselves.
 

gnomon

Well-Known Member
Here are some interesting notes about the case:

1) The mother involved, Monet Parham, is actually Monet Parham-Lee who works for the State of California's Department of Public Health and was an activist for Champions of Change. When CSPI approached her she wasn't just a simple entry level employee either. She is the Regional Program Manager.

2) CSPI admits to knowledge that McDonalds is not the only fast food chain that offers toys. They have stated that they talked to Burger King and others and that they will not include the other restaurants in the lawsuit. Not because the other fast food chains are making any sort of concession but only because McDonald's is deemed the largest. Which leads to:

3) A supposed class action lawsuit, with Monet Parham-Lee claiming to represent all mothers in the United States whose child annoys the hell out of them, against only one fast food chain because apparently Happy Meal Toys are so enticing.

And never mind the fact you can buy a Happy Meal toy with the Happy Meal.

Ta - da!

No case.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Has anyone seen the commercial where McDonalds promotes driving buckled up, both hands behind the wheel, and that their [disgusting] taste is "worth the wait."
And why don't we go after Pepto Bismal? They have a commercial that basically says it's ok to over eat because their medicine will take care of any problems. And alkaseltzer also had a product for easing the pain of over eating. At least McDonald's offers healthy alternatives and smaller portions than competitors. Personally I would rather eat dog vomit that has already been puked up, eaten, and puked up again, but ultimately in the end the parents get to choose if their children get a toy with a greasy hamburger or low-fat sub, or none at all. McDonalds shouldn't be under attack. Every parent who has complained and still fed the grease slabs to their children are the only ones to blame.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Personally I would rather eat dog vomit that has already been puked up, eaten, and puked up again.....
At 2am on the Ohio Turnpike, McDonalds beats the alternatives (Starbucks & vending machines).
Their Angus burger is pretty good if you skip the sauce...much more appetizing than twice-puked kibbles & bits.
 

dawny0826

Mother Heathen
I really don't understand this view. If we all actually believed it kids would be able to buy paint, decongestants, acohol, cigarettes, and etc. The companies all would like to sell to children and be able to advertise to children they could make a whole lot more money. Yet we don't allow it.

Simpler stuff that will not kill children like music and videos we rate and will only allow children to purchase what we deem age appropiate.

Yet trying to take a stupid toy out of a happy meal not trying to stop happy meals all together which in my mind is a much better plan, inspires such hatred. Allows intelligent people to bellitle an individual. This one is making me rethink all my beliefs.

As a consumer, I have free will. As a twelve year old, my parents called the shots and they had free will. I wasn't allowed to purchase that which they deemed to be crap. End of story. McDonald's could advertise all that they wanted to. The catchy theme songs and Barbie toys didn't make a difference. If the answer was no, that was the end of it.

I don't understand why adults can't act like adults and take responsibility for their own actions and the actions of their children.

McDonald's should have the stinkin' right to make happy meals, in my opinion and you can exercise your right to keep your kids away from McDonald's.

Why is that such a horrible concept?
 
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bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
Why is that such a horrible concept?

Never said it was a horrible concept. My problem is people making fun of a woman trying to change things.

You have the right to disagree and even challenge her. Once you start making fun of her parenting skills or insulting her on a personal level you are wrong and have lost all credibility.
 

bhaktajan

Active Member
Perfectly apropo to confess that their gholish goulash of myraids of ground cadavers is mycotoxins free due to before and after anti-biotic treatments and International established standards of High-Heat-decontamination proceedures.

Grandpa Munster would be envious of such recipes.
 

dawny0826

Mother Heathen
Never said it was a horrible concept. My problem is people making fun of a woman trying to change things.

You have the right to disagree and even challenge her. Once you start making fun of her parenting skills or insulting her on a personal level you are wrong and have lost all credibility.

Hey, that's okay with me. Slap whatever label you want on me. I'm not a dishonest person. I take full ownership of the fact that I don't have a kind opinion of this lady.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Once you start making fun of her parenting skills or insulting her on a personal level you are wrong and have lost all credibility.
I am going to riducule her "parenting" skills because parenting means telling your child "no" when it comes to such issues, especially those that pertain to health. We don't need laws telling us what to feed our children, we need parents to be parents in order to fix the childhood obesity epidemic.
 
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