{"id":6457,"date":"2010-03-31T09:13:08","date_gmt":"2010-03-31T13:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=6457"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:45:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:45:37","slug":"ronald-mcdonald-needs-a-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=6457","title":{"rendered":"Ronald McDonald Needs a Makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A consumer advocacy group, Corporate Accountability International<\/a>, wants Ronald McDonald to retire.\u00a0 According to a CNN report, Corporate Accountability International plans to host a retirement party for Ronald McDonald as it releases a report Wednesday that calls for McDonald\u2019s to stop using the clown.\u00a0 \u201cFor nearly 50 years, Ronald McDonald has hooked kids on unhealthy foods spurring a deadly epidemic of diet-related diseases,\u201d said Deborah Lapidus, the senior organizer at Corporate Accountability International. \u201cUltimately the report makes the case that it\u2019s time that McDonald\u2019s stop directing fast food to kids. \u00a0Really, Ronald deserves a break and so do we.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Let me say straight-out: I do not like McDonald\u2019s.\u00a0 I don\u2019t eat McDonald\u2019s food and neither do my children.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like Ronald either.\u00a0 As a child, I never found him appealing, and as a parent I find him down right creepy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> He also bears a disturbing resemblance to a rubber chicken.\u00a0 But nonetheless, I now rise to his defense.<\/p>\n

Corporate Accountability International\u2019s finger-pointing at a clown doesn\u2019t help the obesity crisis any more than New York City Mayor Bloomberg\u2019s proposed soda tax <\/a>helps the obesity epidemic.\u00a0 We could argue that there needs to be government regulation on all advertising directed towards children, especially when it comes to food products (cereals, fast food, candy, etc).\u00a0 I would support this, and I think that it would be a worthy endeavor. \u00a0But targeting Ronald is not the path to better health for all.\u00a0 McDonald\u2019s isn\u2019t going anywhere \u2013 I know it, you know it, they know it.\u00a0 Rather than spending time and money trying to eliminate poor Ronald, why not use him to raise awareness about a healthy diet?\u00a0\u00a0 If he’s as influential as Corporate Accountability International claims, let’s tweak him, reform him, and help him be a better clown.\u00a0 How about Ronald McDonald chomping on a carrot, or a commercial where Ronald goes to the farmer\u2019s market?\u00a0 Or Ronald eats an apple instead of an apple pie.<\/p>\n

What Ronald McDonald needs is a makeover – less rubber chicken, more fresh leafy green salad.<\/p>\n

And speaking of influential, the Corporate Accountability\u2019s website says, \u201cThe average child sees about 20,000 fast food commercials every year. With marketing that overwhelming, it’s hard for even the most health-conscious parent to maintain influence over their child\u2019s food preferences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who are these health-conscious parents that allow their children to spend enough hours in front of the TV to see 20,000 fast food commercials?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0You can\u2019t complain about the commercials your child sees if you let him watch TV for hours each day, and you can\u2019t complain about McDonald\u2019s if you take him there to eat.\u00a0 A six-year-old child does not end up in McDonald\u2019s with a tray full of food by himself.\u00a0 Someone takes him there, and someone pays for that food.<\/p>\n

There are enormous problems with the American diet.\u00a0 We are surrounded by terrible food and skillful marketing.\u00a0 And our diet does lead to illnesses like type 2 diabetes.\u00a0 As responsible adults and parents, however, we need to teach our children not to eat this food.\u00a0 My youngest son, Adam, is almost a year old.\u00a0 His favorite activity is putting things into his mouth.\u00a0 He crawls around our apartment \u2013 which houses his two older brothers, two cats, and a giant dog \u2013 and examines everything, from toys, to cat hair, to shoelaces.\u00a0 I follow behind Adam on his excursions, let him touch and explore, and as his little hand grasps something and brings it towards his face, I say, \u201cnot in your mouth.\u201d\u00a0 I use a stern voice, and he listens.\u00a0 Those are the four words a parent needs.\u00a0 We can\u2019t blame Ronald McDonald for what goes into our children\u2019s mouths.\u00a0 We can only blame ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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