This story from the CATO institute has some interesting quotes - regarding the "conservative" folks and their want for FCC to censor TV.
"The latest Nielsen television ratings are out and they reveal that in addition to being the most popular show among adults, ABC's smash-hit Desperate Housewives is also the most popular broadcast-network television show with kids aged 9-12."
"No doubt, the relentless censorship advocates at the Parents Television Council (PTC) are already firing up the engines at their automated complaint factory to bombard Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulators with letters. Recent Freedom of Information Act requests to the FCC have revealed that the PTC has been responsible for over 98 percent of all indecency complaints to the FCC over the past two years. PTC is quickly coming to have a "heckler's veto" over programming in America as many of the shows they complain about receive significant fines or are even driven off the air."
"While the PTC claims to be non-partisan, the watchdog group's public policy advocacy adopts a distinctly social conservative and moralistic tone ... PTC's motto is: "Because Our Children Are Watching," ... Why are your children watching? Why are they watching Desperate Housewives or any other show you find objectionable? I know my kids aren't watching."
"I've always been particularly troubled by the fact that so many conservatives, who rightly preach the gospel of personal and parental responsibility about most economic issues, seemingly give up on this notion when it comes to cultural issues"
Done. Last quote I put sums it all up. If you take the jump, there is some really interesting stats provided ...
1.05.2005
Fast food - not so good for you
I just finished watching Super Size Me - a pseudo-documentary work by Morgan Spurlock. If you haven't heard of it, he basically eats nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days, and tracks his weight, blood work, and overall well being. While his methods may not be the mosy scientific, the outcome is plain to see, eating nothing but fast food is not so good for you. On the DVD there is an interview with Eric Schlosser author of Fast Food Nation - he makes a compelling argument against most fast food restaurants. I tend to agree with his arguments that because these places are driven by corporate greed, they do whatever it takes to addict people, and serve the food that will make the most profits.
Being that I have a 2 year & 10 months old, and a new baby on the way, the discussions in this movie regarding the addiction of children to fast food really hit home. I think that for any "brand" name you could claim that the corporation is attempting to create an addiction that will subliminally force you to choose their product above others.
In this addiction vein, Heidi and I have become incredibly sensitive to TV advertising, to the point that we try not to watch network TV, and I cringe when watching sports on TV with Chloe in the room when the ads come on (which by the way, is with increasing frequency if you are keeping track - another discussion).
My concern is how to make sure that our kids don't become tools of these corporate beasts. How do I teach my kids to make informed decisions when they are constantly being told that brand or company XYZ is the best. We're trying to start with limiting TV, but what else can we do. We very rarely eat fast food ... only really the occasional breakfast Egg McMuffin. Interestingly though, Chloe has already made the connection between the Egg McMuffin and the "fun play place" that McDonald's has ... scary. I teasingly call her the "brand name baby" because she already knows the following by their "icons": Target, Starbucks, Pei Wei, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, IKEA, Home Depot, Joe's Real BBQ, and Costco. I'm sure there are more, but if you look at that list, it's pretty much a list of the places that we frequent ... and she's already built that association with food and shopping at all those places. Are we on the road to ruin with our kids since we eat out too much and they know the names of all the places we shop? Hmm .... only time will tell.
Being that I have a 2 year & 10 months old, and a new baby on the way, the discussions in this movie regarding the addiction of children to fast food really hit home. I think that for any "brand" name you could claim that the corporation is attempting to create an addiction that will subliminally force you to choose their product above others.
In this addiction vein, Heidi and I have become incredibly sensitive to TV advertising, to the point that we try not to watch network TV, and I cringe when watching sports on TV with Chloe in the room when the ads come on (which by the way, is with increasing frequency if you are keeping track - another discussion).
My concern is how to make sure that our kids don't become tools of these corporate beasts. How do I teach my kids to make informed decisions when they are constantly being told that brand or company XYZ is the best. We're trying to start with limiting TV, but what else can we do. We very rarely eat fast food ... only really the occasional breakfast Egg McMuffin. Interestingly though, Chloe has already made the connection between the Egg McMuffin and the "fun play place" that McDonald's has ... scary. I teasingly call her the "brand name baby" because she already knows the following by their "icons": Target, Starbucks, Pei Wei, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, IKEA, Home Depot, Joe's Real BBQ, and Costco. I'm sure there are more, but if you look at that list, it's pretty much a list of the places that we frequent ... and she's already built that association with food and shopping at all those places. Are we on the road to ruin with our kids since we eat out too much and they know the names of all the places we shop? Hmm .... only time will tell.
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