Hamburgers are just like heroin

**MannyIsGod** · 10-04-2010

Yeah but apparently heroin gets legalized! Win!

**Spurminator** · 10-04-2010

But you miss the point that is your kid has a healthy diet but doesn't exercise he still doesn't become obese.

Lack of exercise isn't the leading cause of obesity. Diet is. Thats the point. Its not that not exercising is good for a kid.

Also, I think your last statement is false. If kids have a bad diet they won't automatically burn it off because they're kids who aren't couch potatoes.

I have a hard time believing an inactive child with a healthy diet is any better off than an active kid who eats more than a normal amount of fast food but I'll take your word for it.

My main point is that the message as communicated in this ad leaves no room for moderation. Maybe a more effective analogy would have been a mother hooking her son up to a cheeseburger grease IV.

There are serious lifestyle issues driving the rise in obesity and an over-reliance on fast food menus (whether it's the biggest factor or not) is symptomatic of that. "Cheeseburgers = Bad" is not only a gross oversimplification of the problem, it's a standard that most families will be unwilling to even try to follow.

At least the ad does put the onus on the parent for once, though.

**MannyIsGod** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by Spurminator

I have a hard time believing an inactive child with a healthy diet is any better off than an active kid who eats more than a normal amount of fast food but I'll take your word for it.

My main point is that the message as communicated in this ad leaves no room for moderation. Maybe a more effective analogy would have been a mother hooking her son up to a cheeseburger grease IV.

There are serious lifestyle issues driving the rise in obesity and an over-reliance on fast food menus (whether it's the biggest factor or not) is symptomatic of that. "Cheeseburgers = Bad" is not only a gross oversimplification of the problem, it's a standard that most families will be unwilling to even try to follow.

At least the ad does put the onus on the parent for once, though.

You have several good points but to be fair this ad wasn't going to change the way most people did anyway. Its going to take a much larger effort and while the money lies with huge corporations like McDonalds then I don't see that happening.

The onus is definitely on the parents and it should be. I don't believe we should stop fast food from being sold I just think we should be smarter and more educated as a society on the choices that we make.

I DO however, feel there needs to be 204982048240284092840984 times more transparency in the food industry as a whole. This has much more to do with grocery food than fast food.

Fast food gets the bad wrap, but really the junk food in stores is much worse to me.

**Spurminator** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by MannyIsGod

Yeah but apparently heroin gets legalized! Win!

lol same people

**Stringer_Bell** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by DarrinS

The same people that want to legalize drugs want to make hamburgers illegal. Amazing.

Put the guns and bibles down, no one is going to outlaw cheeseburgers are taxing Coke products, Mr. Hannity.

But yea, stupid commercial, especially the part where she cooks the heroin. The tone is SOOOOO dark, I doubt any parent takes what it says seriously or gives a . I hate this while "War on Obesity" waste of time/money...it's not fast-food or TV's fault kids are fat s. I'd blame it more on early computer and hand-held game system use in combination w/ a bad diet.

**baseline bum** · 10-04-2010

They're really going about this the wrong way. There's nothing wrong with hamburgers. What parents really need to limit are the fries and the cokes. Does McDonalds offer different combinations for their Happy Meals? I know Burger King will let you subs ute sliced apples for fries in their kids meals.

**MannyIsGod** · 10-04-2010

Soda is the worst by far. High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!

**Winehole23** · 10-04-2010

Anti-hamburger and pro-hard drugs.

**Findog** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by TeyshaBlue

I didn't see anywhere in the PSA where hamburgers should be illegal.
.

You mean a conservative either is too dumb to grasp the point being made, or deliberately twisted it so he could knock down a strawman and avoid rebutting the argument being made on substantive terms? I'm shocked!

**rjv** · 10-04-2010

**TeyshaBlue** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by MannyIsGod

Soda is the worst by far. High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!

I'm completely in love with Dublin Dr. Pepper. I <3 sugar!

The Pepsi throwback was pretty good too.

I'm also quite possibly the worst behaved diabetic ever too.

**LnGrrrR** · 10-04-2010

Mountain Dew throwback is pretty good.

Also, you think those commercials are bad? You should see the Hawaii "Don't do meth" commercials. They make every meth addict looks like an extra from a Saw movie.

**elbamba** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by MannyIsGod

I agree with boutons. The biggest factor is diet. Its not just fast food though. Ever see how much of the food you buy has ing high fructose corn syrup in it? I hate subsidizing corn farmers because this is what it gets you. Corn in ing everything.

And its expensive as to eat healthy. If it weren't for the farmers markets here I know I couldn't go to whole foods and pay their prices to get healthier food as much. Its just ridiculous.

Its not as expensive as you think. Almost every store sells some type of a product without High Fructose Corn Syrup or MSG. It takes a little longer the first couple of times you specifically look for it but eventually you know all the brands and its no problem at all.

We started paying attention about three years ago and we feed a family of five without ever buying HFCS or MSG.

We also get our produce without any major expense to the budget. If you can give up giving empty calories through packages cookies, crackers and candy and just give celery and carrots you will not spend that much more on produce.

We also bake our treats so when my kids get cake, cookies, etc, it is all natural. No margerine or fake crap for the kids, everything, from the cake itself to th frosting can be made with all natural ingredients.

It takes time at first, but becomes very easy after awhile. I work a 60+ hour a week job, but together with my wife have great meals for the kiddos and for us. Fast food happens maybe once every 2-3 months. Eating out, even at nice places isn't as attractive as it used to be because our food tastes so good.

**elbamba** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by DarrinS

Time for another inappropriate left-wing PSA.

The same people that want to legalize drugs want to make hamburgers illegal. Amazing.

One of the major problems our country faces and we all pay higher health care as a result is the obesity problem. Its only getting worse as there are more and more fat kids whose parents just don't give a damn.

I would much rather we take the time and even the pressure to force people into eating healthy so that I don't have to pay for their health care when they have diabetes at 40 and can no longer work.

**DarrinS** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by baseline bum

They're really going about this the wrong way. There's nothing wrong with hamburgers. What parents really need to limit are the fries and the cokes. Does McDonalds offer different combinations for their Happy Meals? I know Burger King will let you subs ute sliced apples for fries in their kids meals.

Bingo!

But, the bottom line is, we don't need a nanny state telling us what we can/can't eat. Geez, just put the information out there and let people make their own informed choices. No need make parents think they're giving their kids heroin.

**4>0rings** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by LnGrrrR

They make every meth addict looks like an extra from a Saw movie.

Have you seen meth users? They usually look like that.

**DarrinS** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by elbamba

One of the major problems our country faces and we all pay higher health care as a result is the obesity problem. Its only getting worse as there are more and more fat kids whose parents just don't give a damn.

I would much rather we take the time and even the pressure to force people into eating healthy so that I don't have to pay for their health care when they have diabetes at 40 and can no longer work.

the ?

**4>0rings** · 10-04-2010

**CuckingFunt** · 10-04-2010

I think it's good to put the onus on parents more than it has been, but I don't know that I support demonizing parents (all parents, across the board) to the extent of comparing a trip through the drive-thru to giving your toddler IV drugs.

Are there parents who allow too much fast food out of sheer laziness? Sure. But there are also plenty of parents out there -- and I'm thinking single parents, here, or double income households, for whom time and money are legitimate considerations -- who probably just aren't either aware enough of just how harmful a fast food diet is or who aren't aware/prepared with quick and cheap healthy meal options (speaking from experience there, because while I don't have kids, I know the ONLY time I go for fast food or something as bad is when I'm really broke and/or really in a hurry and don't have anything at the ready at home). Eating healthier costs more and takes longer, unless you specifically set time aside in your schedule for cooking nightly or in advance, and I think it's both unfair and ineffective to paint so negative a picture of parents who may be well intentioned but unaware of their options.

Ultimately, though, I think that energy and outrage would be put to better use by going after the producers of horrible food themselves. Fast food isn't inherently evil. There are plenty of fast food restaurants -- various small/local chains I'm sure we all know -- that focus on fresh, quality ingredients. The outrage should be less about mom's feeding their kids a hamburger and more about McDonald's feeding all of us fake food.

**LnGrrrR** · 10-04-2010

Originally Posted by 4>0rings

Have you seen meth users? They usually look like that.

To be honest, can't say I've met too many. The commercials sure are good at shock value, that's for sure.

Check some of these out:

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...anti+meth&aq=f