Another in the "I wish I Was Making This s**t Up" department. The city of San Fransisco in all it's glorious wisdom, has decided to BAN Happy Meal toys from McDonalds. This is, they say, an attempt to curve obesity amongst the youth.
It's funny, I didn't realize it was the cities job to monitor what child eat... could sworn the parents were supposed to do that. But what makes this situation even more hysterical is all the crazy s**t that San Fan (and CA in general) tends to SUPPORT in their own weird code or morals, but this, oh no, it's unacceptable!
To paraphrase a saying I've heard elsewhere, "San Fransisco: Smoke anything but cigarettes, ingest anything but Happy Meals!"
But I guess what's really confusing to me is, McDonald's has been around for what? Fifty years, maybe more? And they've been handing out toys with their meals for at least two, three decades (hell, I remember getting them when I was a kid) and now suddenly these are the main culprits in children getting heavy? Something doesn't add up here.
When I was kid, I liked McDonalds but we didn't go too often. It was an "every now and then" treat for us kids, especially since there was FIVE of us children in the household, we couldn't really AFFORD to go to McDs that often. Have the toys gotten better since then? I admit being a tad disappointed with a lot of the crap I got, especially the "Transformer" that didn't transform (or even move, it was more like a plastic statue). Maybe there's some merit to this.. for example, those Wizard of Oz dolls they had a few years back were a lot cooler than anything I remember getting.
What do the toys have to do with obesity, anyway? Last I checked, you didn't eat them.
I agree. The toys have nothing to do with obesity. But parnets should use good judgement. Not too much fast food.
Anyway... If my parnets had "good judgement" I wouldn't have the Burger King Star Wars glasses back in 1977.
Are there any sane people in San Francisco?
Just wondering.
I don't think I agree with the ban, but I think the kids eat the crappy "meals" to get the toys. Emphasis on crappy.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on November 10, 2010, 10:28:55 PM
I don't think I agree with the ban, but I think the kids eat the crappy "meals" to get the toys. Emphasis on crappy.
That's the argument that's made, but I don't think it holds water.
The kids don't eat anything the parents don't buy for them. Given the average time before failure on most of these toys is about 6 minutes or so, I doubt the parents are buying the Happy Meal to get their child a useful, fun toy.
Also, other places (I don't know about McDonald's) have Kid's Meals that are healthier...fruit or yogurt options as a side, for example. The problem is not the toy, it's the CRAP the parents are putting into their children.
My son likes Kid's Meals with the toys from the places we go...but, for whatever it's worth, we have not been to McDonald's in about 14 years.
Quote from: ulthar on November 11, 2010, 08:22:09 AM
Quote from: Allhallowsday on November 10, 2010, 10:28:55 PM
I don't think I agree with the ban, but I think the kids eat the crappy "meals" to get the toys. Emphasis on crappy.
That's the argument that's made, but I don't think it holds water.
The kids don't eat anything the parents don't buy for them.
Of course, but I can remember (and I was no brat) pressing my mother to buy certain cereals (that I often didn't eat) in order to get the toy surprise inside. Don't underestimate the appeal of a colorful trinket.
Quote from: ulthar on November 11, 2010, 08:22:09 AM
Given the average time before failure on most of these toys is about 6 minutes or so, I doubt the parents are buying the Happy Meal to get their child a useful, fun toy.
Also, other places (I don't know about McDonald's) have Kid's Meals that are healthier...fruit or yogurt options as a side, for example. The problem is not the toy, it's the CRAP the parents are putting into their children.
So... you're asserting that the motivation to buy the crappy meal is to not get the crappy toy but to feed one's child crap...?? :question:
Quote from: ulthar on November 11, 2010, 08:22:09 AM
My son likes Kid's Meals with the toys from the places we go...but, for whatever it's worth, we have not been to McDonald's in about 14 years.
Well I admire your will power... :wink:
Some great comments by all a' ya, but a few of em' really stick out:
Quote from: BTM on November 10, 2010, 04:43:28 PM
But what makes this situation even more hysterical is all the crazy s**t that San Fan (and CA in general) tends to SUPPORT in their own weird code or morals, but this, oh no, it's unacceptable!
Amen on that one. God knows what drives the moral, political and philosophical hypocrisy of the life forms known as the San Fancisco lawmakers..
Quote from: BTM on November 10, 2010, 04:43:28 PM
To paraphrase a saying I've heard elsewhere, "San Fransisco: Smoke anything but cigarettes, ingest anything but Happy Meals!"
LOL, post of the day. There again, they wind up getting the munchies when they're high and probably wind up eating stuff in volume that makes it ten times worse than a Happy Meal.
Quote from: akiratubo on November 10, 2010, 06:30:58 PMWhat do the toys have to do with obesity, anyway? Last I checked, you didn't eat them.
No, but someone, somewhere in SF would probably have no problem smoking the
toy to try to get high off of polystyrene though, so maybe it's a good idea anyhow :bouncegiggle:
I wonder how many Happy Meals would be sold if a Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid action figure came with them?
And finally, a nod to my old buddy Indianasmith:
Posted by IndianasmithQuoteAre there any sane people in San Francisco? Just wondering.
You had to ask this one despite the obvious? :bouncegiggle: