[X] My Assistant

[roygbiv]

were having a debate about junkfood comercials in class i want to hear some opinions!
i think they should not be banned because its the kids choice if they want to get fat.and the parents choice weather they want to get their kids fattened up.also if they really want kids to eat healthier they should teach kids about what is really in food so they wont want to eat junkfood.

[BarkingChaos]

All companies need to advertise their product. But as a consumer, its up to you to decide if you want to buy it or not. The commercial is not forcing anyone to buy anything. Of course the commercial is made to make you want to buy things, but I mean, that goes for toys too. Why arent toy commercials attacked?

Its up to the parents to buy their kids junk food. Also, kinda unrelated, but people would stop buying junk food if healthy food was more affordable'

Also, moderation is the key.

This post has been edited by BarkAtTheMoon: Mar 1 2011, 12:09 PM

[Lord Raven]

No, people would stop buying junk food if healthy food tasted better.

But that's beside the point. I'm all for some regulation in this... I don't care if it's "their choice," that's bullshit. If someone is able to do anything about the increasing rates of childhood and therefore general obesity, something should be done. Honestly, people aren't always smart enough or even in the right mindset to determine whether or not what they do is truly the best thing for them, regardless of whether or not it's "up to them."

[BarkingChaos]

But you cant blame junk food on someone's weight completely. Yes, there are some people who are overweight because they choose to gorge themselves with fast food, but some people are overweight due to poor genetics and certain disease/medicines.

I have struggled with my weight my entire life. And the world will explode when I say that my parents were very adamant in NOT taking me to a fast food place or buying junk food. Growing up, I pretty much lived on stuff like fruit, salad, blah blah blah, and I MIGHT have had a kids meal from McDonalds like once a month. I'm starting to digress from the subject so I'll shut up now

This post has been edited by BarkAtTheMoon: Mar 4 2011, 02:22 PM

[ShrapnelStars]

Pretty much everyone knows that junk food is far from healthy, and I still think it's up to the person to decide whether they want it or not, but I think that the commercials that are blatant lies should be cut back. I know that's almost all of them, but I mean if a commercial says "Buy this pizza! It's super healthy!" when in reality, it has the worst stats ever, the commercial should be pulled. Basically, when the ad lunges into false advertising territory, something should be done. I'm looking at you, Wendy's and McDonald's.

[BarkingChaos]

but I think that the commercials that are blatant lies should be cut back. I know that's almost all of them, but I mean if a commercial says "Buy this pizza! It's super healthy!" when in reality, it has the worst stats ever, the commercial should be pulled. Basically, when the ad lunges into false advertising territory, something should be done. I'm looking at you, Wendy's and McDonald's.

Yeah, I agree with you there. Also, that SoBe life water stuff is worse for you than drinking soda, yet they make it seem like a healthy alternative

[ShrapnelStars]

but I think that the commercials that are blatant lies should be cut back. I know that's almost all of them, but I mean if a commercial says "Buy this pizza! It's super healthy!" when in reality, it has the worst stats ever, the commercial should be pulled. Basically, when the ad lunges into false advertising territory, something should be done. I'm looking at you, Wendy's and McDonald's.

Yeah, I agree with you there. Also, that SoBe life water stuff is worse for you than drinking soda, yet they make it seem like a healthy alternative

Yeah, I've seen it. It's ridiculous. Still, at least they were honest enough to put their ingredients and stats on the bottle. (Well, they have to, if I remember correctly.) Also, my dad has found a disturbing number of drinks with the active ingredient of antifreeze in them, and it said it right on the bottle. It's a good thing he read up. If you've got basic reading and thinking skills, you're beyond the influence of advertisers, which is kind of why I think any intervention beyond stopping false advertising is a moot point.

[Lord Raven]

But you cant blame junk food on someone's weight completely. Yes, there are some people who are overweight because they choose to gorge themselves with fast food, but some people are overweight due to poor genetics and certain disease/medicines.

I have struggled with my weight my entire life. And the world will explode when I say that my parents were very adamant in NOT taking me to a fast food place or buying junk food. Growing up, I pretty much lived on stuff like fruit, salad, blah blah blah, and I MIGHT have had a kids meal from McDonalds like once a month. I'm starting to digress from the subject so I'll shut up now

Awkward dieting is also bad. For me, I eat "neutral" food (not good, not bad) but I don't gain or lose weight because I only eat at two meal periods a day. supposedly you should eat once every couple hours so you don't get hungry and so you don't have your appetite explode at you at once... they should at least educate people in this every year.

Overweightness due to poor genetics/disease is really irrelevant considering the amount of people that are way overweight (being slightly overweight is not a big deal; it's in fact healthier than being on the right weight) really outshines the people with an actual disease. Just because it's happening to you means very little of what happens to other people. you can definitely blame junk food for tasting good and actually getting people more hopelessly addicted to it, because as i said people are idiots and don't nearly always know what's good for them. That's the main argument here.

Yes, it's their choice but... their choice is really screwing them heavily and something really needs to get them to stop, and personal incentive is not always very good at working.

[WaitingforthePUN...]

Honestly, I believe that junk food commercials should not be banned. All the companies are trying to do is make money. That's what they all do. Although some of the facts may be mixed up, it's the people's choice. Maybe if people made healthy food look good to eat. it will balance out. But some fast food chains are off the wall. Wendy's fries have too much salt in my opinion. McDonalds = too much deep fry. KFC is a little ok but i sometimes see a tad bit too much oil. All in all, I believe they should not be banned because people are just making money. If all those people with the jobs in advertisements lose hem just because they teamed up with a Big Mac, we're going to see even more unemployment and an even lower economy. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. It's just my opinion.

[Lord Raven]

god, some kfc commercials give me a heart attack just watching them lol

[WaitingforthePUN...]

when i was at my county science fair, this girl did her project on which fast-food fries would rot the fastest. no surprise it was Mcdonalds.

[Stratospheric Co...]

Pretty much everyone knows that junk food is far from healthy, and I still think it's up to the person to decide whether they want it or not, but I think that the commercials that are blatant lies should be cut back. I know that's almost all of them, but I mean if a commercial says "Buy this pizza! It's super healthy!" when in reality, it has the worst stats ever, the commercial should be pulled. Basically, when the ad lunges into false advertising territory, something should be done. I'm looking at you, Wendy's and McDonald's.

Yeah, I agree with you there. When it lunges into false advertising SAYING it's healthy when it's not, it needs to be pulled because people are going to think it's healthy and tastes good. So, they're going to buy it/

[Zangetsu]

I think they're good. I mean, I'm fat but I'm healthy. I don't eat that junkfood anymore but I just can't lose weight.

...Although it never even was the junk's fault..

[John Richard]

Ads are to inform and create an impression on that product inside you, but you are the master to decide whether to choose or not.

[IndigoRain]

This might be slightly off topic but related in every way (does that even make sense )
Has anyone here ever watched Supersize Me?
After watching, I now believe that McDonald's is pure evil >:(
But honestly, if someone were to treat me to a burger there, I wouldn't refuse :/

Getting back on track with the advertisements.

Despite everybody else saying that ads are perfectly fine, and that it's the person's choice to buy or not, I do believe that ads contribute to people buying their products (that's what an ad's for, duh). So you can't say that ads have no effect whatsoever on the consumer's choice. Ads with huge lies should just be made illegal.
It's the human brain saying: healthy food-taste bad. chips/soda/etc-taste good.
Which one would you prefer?
Exactly.

[Reyo]

Saying that commercials advertising junk food should be banned is like saying that violent video games should be banned. For one thing, junk food isn't NEARLY as horrible for you as it's portrayed, given that most people treat it like poison that needs to die, and another is that each person needs to be just that, they're own person. If someone is honestly THAT swayed into an action based off of a 30 second video clip, there's something more wrong with the situation then the fact that the 30 second video clip exists. I play violent video games and eat junk food. I am subjected to commercials for both. I am neither a murderous psychopath nor a fat-body.

It is perfectly possible to not get brainwashed by a freaken commercial. It just takes self control.

As for little kids being subjected to commercials, that's a matter of parents actually parenting their goddam kids.

Also this:

No, people would stop buying junk food if healthy food tasted better.

Yeah, I agree with you there. Also, that SoBe life water stuff is worse for you than drinking soda, yet they make it seem like a healthy alternative

I have a less than healthy addiction to energy drinks, perhaps due, in part, to IET and the sleep deprivation associated with it. While I don't see much in terms of advertising for Monster or Venom (aside from the "douchebags" who think it looks cool to have the monster logo on the back of their dodge truck) I feel that the whole "healthy alternative" crisis can be averted by people taking a more active roll in what goes in their bodies.

For example, while Monster Rehab, the little subsection of the classic Monster that's non-carbonated and is fortified with what plants crave, isn't the healthiest thing in the world, it's still healthier than Monster classic, speaking strictly in terms of the fact that it's non-carbonated and is fortified with what plants crave. Therefore, if I were to decide to indulge in my addiction, I can at least dissolve a little bit of dissonance by taking comfort in the fact that I'm drinking something that's not AS bad for me as the original.

What this has to do with the whole "McDonalds and Wendys" is that, while those fancy salads are, indeed, not quite as healthy as, you know, cooking your own food like an independent individual, they are a bit healthier than the traditional sandwiches and burgers normally sold at the establishments (though given the stats on those sandwiches and burgers there is quite a bit of room as to what counts as "healthier"). Those establishments aren't completely off the hook though, I have seen those commercials and all I can think is "b-b-b-b-bullshit!" when they go on and on about how their salads are a "healthy meal" at a "fast food pace and price". No, they're a healthy meal compared to the burgers you sell. I'd much rather see a commercial of someone going into Wendys with the intent of ordering a burger, but switching to a salad at the last minute. At least then it's more accurate a portrayal of what those "healthy meals" are.

This post has been edited by Reyo: Nov 15 2011, 06:34 PM

[BarkingChaos]

Saying that commercials advertising junk food should be banned is like saying that violent video games should be banned. For one thing, junk food isn't NEARLY as horrible for you as it's portrayed, given that most people treat it like poison that needs to die, and another is that each person needs to be just that, they're own person. If someone is honestly THAT swayed into an action based off of a 30 second video clip, there's something more wrong with the situation then the fact that the 30 second video clip exists. I play violent video games and eat junk food. I am subjected to commercials for both. I am neither a murderous psychopath nor a fat-body.

It is perfectly possible to not get brainwashed by a freaken commercial. It just takes self control.

As for little kids being subjected to commercials, that's a matter of parents actually parenting their goddam kids.

THANK YOU! Someone finally gets it!

P.S. Idiocracy reference made my day :p

[Digidude]

Saying that commercials advertising junk food should be banned is like saying that violent video games should be banned. For one thing, junk food isn't NEARLY as horrible for you as it's portrayed, given that most people treat it like poison that needs to die, and another is that each person needs to be just that, they're own person. If someone is honestly THAT swayed into an action based off of a 30 second video clip, there's something more wrong with the situation then the fact that the 30 second video clip exists. I play violent video games and eat junk food. I am subjected to commercials for both. I am neither a murderous psychopath nor a fat-body.

It is perfectly possible to not get brainwashed by a freaken commercial. It just takes self control.

As for little kids being subjected to commercials, that's a matter of parents actually parenting their goddam kids.

THANK YOU! Someone finally gets it!

P.S. Idiocracy reference made my day :p

I agree with both opinions made above, parents should have the right as to what they feed their children, because the children themselves don't know what's good for them it's the parents that should guide them to what they should put into their bodies not leaving it up to television.

[IndigoRain]

Saying that commercials advertising junk food should be banned is like saying that violent video games should be banned. For one thing, junk food isn't NEARLY as horrible for you as it's portrayed, given that most people treat it like poison that needs to die, and another is that each person needs to be just that, they're own person. If someone is honestly THAT swayed into an action based off of a 30 second video clip, there's something more wrong with the situation then the fact that the 30 second video clip exists. I play violent video games and eat junk food. I am subjected to commercials for both. I am neither a murderous psychopath nor a fat-body.

It is perfectly possible to not get brainwashed by a freaken commercial. It just takes self control.

As for little kids being subjected to commercials, that's a matter of parents actually parenting their goddam kids.

THANK YOU! Someone finally gets it!

P.S. Idiocracy reference made my day :p

I agree with both opinions made above, parents should have the right as to what they feed their children, because the children themselves don't know what's good for them it's the parents that should guide them to what they should put into their bodies not leaving it up to television.

yes, parents do play a role in teaching their kids what to eat and what not to eat, but remember that kids are kids; their brains are developing, and while they're developing, they take in whatever they can in the learning process. I'm pretty sure that if a five year old watches a violence/horror movie, it'll have at least some affect later on. Kids these days all watch television; in fact it would we weird if they didn't (unless they couldn't afford one, which would be a completely different matter). What kids see on commercials actually impacts them a lot. The commercial may only be 30 seconds or so, but it plays repeatedly throughout the day. Kids love TV. They watch it like no tommorow. You can't just say that it's all the parents' fault. Most kids are also naturally stubborn. How many kids under the age of ten have you seen wolfing down leafy greens because their parents said so?

[BarkingChaos]

Your logic does not compute. Its still up to a parent to say no. Kids have no power over what they do unless the parent lets them. A parent can say no to the kid if they want a happy meal or toy and keep saying no despite the fact they are screaming and carrying on. They either eat their vegetables or go to sleep hungry. Most parents just cave in because they don't want to listen to their kid screaming. I've been playing violent video games since I was 3. One of my favorite games was Wolfenstein 3D (not that I actually understood what you were killing). I turned out just fine. Its up to the parents to tell their kids that what happens in a movie is NOT real. Even when I was 3 I could tell the difference between fantasy and reality, and with good parents, most kids can. People who are seriously impressionable by tv have some deeper lying mental problem.