RIP Personal Responsibility

“This thread has been made feugo for the protection of the sensitive Tters as feugo seems to stick to me like a bad elevator fart.

Kellogg and Viacom to Face Suit Over Ads for Children
From New York Times, January 19, 2006
By Melanie Warner

SpongeBob is not your friend.

That is the message of a lawsuit announced yesterday, asserting that characters like SpongeBob SquarePants — despite his ever-present grin — are harming children’s health by hawking what the plaintiffs’ consider to be junk food.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Boston-based group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and two parents served notice that they intended to sue Viacom, the maker of the popular children’s TV show “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and the Kellogg Company, a big marketer of food to children, which features the lovable SpongeBob on packages of cereal, Pop Tarts and cookies.

At a news conference in Washington yesterday, the groups argued that using cartoon characters to sell to children is deceptive and unfair.
“It’s unfair because kids under 5 don’t even know it’s a commercial,” said Stephen Gardner, director of litigation for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “They think it’s a very short SpongeBob program. And it’s unfair because at a very important time in their physical and psychological development, kids are being encouraged to eat food that is just not good for them.”
But my favorite quote from the story is this one…

Sherri Carlson, a 41-year old mother of three and one of the suit’s plaintiffs, said she found it hard to assert parental authority in the face of persistent marketing. “If my youngest sees her favorite TV character on the box, she will push me to buy it, even if she has never had the product before,” said Ms. Carlson, of Wakefield, Mass. “Whenever I shop with my kids, I end up compromising and finding some ‘best of the worst’ junk food to keep them happy.”

Jumping Judas on a pogo stick!! Be the damn parent! Tell your child NO. Better yet turn the damn TV off and teach your child about proper nutrition. [wrapping my head in duct tape] These are the same types that have 6 year olds with wide screen tvs, dvd players, vcrs, computers, playstations and about 200 toys in their rooms…YEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!! [head explodes; rip Nigal]”

“It's always someone else's fault.


A sad sign of the times.”

“When did admitting a mistake or taking responsibility become a fault rather than a virtue?”

“did i miss something?...did the laws change to allow 5 and 6 year olds to get jobs, make money and buy their own groceries?...that's crazy, there are much more deceitful advertising tactics than this...sponge bob is also hawking burger king...i'd rather my (currently non-existing)kids eat poptarts and cereal than burger king”

“Junk food is not a big deal as long as the child still gets the proper nutrition first and exercise to burn it all off.

Still, I blame Nigal for all my problems.
Bastard.”

“I know thrifty, the whole time I was reading that I kept envisioning a big Kroger full of 6 year olds pushing those kiddy carts and piling all this junk food in their little carts.”

“The'y gots to be some FREE MONEY FOR THIS.....here is the solution she gets 1 MIL for the damages....then we take the kids, sterilze her entire Genetic line, and fine her 1 million plus 30% for being an idiot.”

“"head explodes," LMAO!

I remember the 3 of us kids pestering my mom for junk food the entire time, every time we went grocery shopping. Poor her! When/if I have kids, I'm leaving them tied up in the closet while I shop.”

“"Still, I blame Nigal for all my problems.
Bastard.”

Well that goes without saying. I mean, I did vote for Bush twice. I'm sure when the dems take back Washington I'll be forced to wear a gold star and a scarlet B on my chest and be forced to walk in the gutter when passing liberals on the sidewalk. LOL!”

“Don't forget riding in the back of the bus.”

“The thing I hate the most is that even if these companies are found not liable they will still need to spend millions in donations to healthy kid programs to fix their images. And of course this cost will be passed right along to us, the consumer.”

““Don't forget riding in the back of the bus.”

Hey! You think I might get my own bathroom and water fountains? I hate lines anyhow.”

“I've had Bryers Spongebob ice cream. It was pretty tasty. But, I haven't met an ice cream I don't like (so far).”

“You'd think if those parents cared that much about not buying junk food, they wouldn't shop at large chain supermarkets. Even where I live in bumfuk nowhereville, there are at least 4 good organic/"healthfood"-type stores within reasonable distance to shop at. They don't carry Kellogg's cereal.”

“On a more serious note.

Nevermind what they are selling, that is irrelevent. It's what you are buying that matters.

Is it that damn hard to not buy into something you disagree with or lessen the influence of those factors?

In a parent child relationship one of them must be an adult.
last edited: 2/23/06 9:35:23 AM”

“LOL!! Me neither, Sass. Actually Edy's is pretty sucky I think, but I'd still down a quart of it, in a pinch.
;-D”

“Sometimes I'm in the mood to indulge my kids and allow them to choose one junk food item. When they pester me for more marketed crap, I tell them they can have it. But every time they put a new item in the cart, another thing (that they absolutely positively cannot live without) comes out. Very quickly they figure out what is important to them. And then after we get home and they try it and it turns out to be not as good as the ad led them to believe it would be, we have a talk about advertising and marketing. They are becoming pretty cynical.”

“LOSER PAYS! if they cannot pay, the attorney has E & O insurance that can cover the costs....Imagine when Legal Insurance goes to the rates of DOctor's Ins....lots of less lawsuits.”

“You think I might get my own bathroom and water fountains?

Why, you're soaking in it!
~remember that gutter you had to walk through?~”

“Sass- There is a pub in Ann Arbor that has Guinness ice cream. I haven't gotten to go there yet but my aunt said it was great. I found a recipe but I don't do homemade.”

“Walked in a gutter for my freshmen year...whats the big deal”

“That's the way I was raised Ruby. When I would go with my mom to the store for the weekly shopping I was allowed one single thing. I know parents that are so whipped by their kids if their kid gets his hands on something it's bought because they will throw a holy shlt fit if you take it from them. Mom and dad give in and the child is conditioned now to know how to win.

Back in my day getting your ass beat in the middle of the cereal isle was not uncommon. LOL!”

““You'd think if those parents cared that much about not buying junk food, they wouldn't shop at large chain supermarkets. Even where I live in bumfuk nowhereville, there are at least 4 good organic/"healthfood"-type stores within reasonable distance to shop at. They don't carry Kellogg's cereal.”
lyra
9:33:31 AM
2/23/06

Uh, Princess Sprinkles......you are living in La-La Land now, remember??”

“YOU GOT TO GO TO THE STORE AS A KID AND GET YOUR ASS WHIPPED>...YOU WUSS. OH my what I would have given to be taken to the STORE to have my ass whipped. At best we could ride by in the trailer behind the station wagon and watch as we went by the store.”

“Sheesh.....where is my son gonna find the money to buy special cereal? He's already spending all his hard earned dollars on the food that McDonalds makes him buy and the cigs that Joe Camel makes him buy. Looks like he's gonna have to get a third job.”

“Nigal, That pub has the best fish and chips ever, an awesome selection of beer on tap and great ambiance. next time you're up we can go there. Never tried their guiness ice cream. Birch has had a guiness float though.”

“I've always lived in La-La Land! hahaha.

Well even when I didn't live up here in granola central, there were plenty of those kinds of places in DC. And these people filing the lawsuit live in MA, near Boston no less! I do not buy it for a single second that they don't have "healthfood" groceries. Being surprised there's junkfood at a big chain grocery is like taking your kids to a strip club and then being shocked there's nudity. LOL!! That's what they sell, junk.”

“Kelloggs should come out with a cereal made of sponges.

( The taste isn't that great, but it sure soaks up the milk... )”

“I think this is an appropriate area for government intervention. Children are not self-determinant and are unable to make reasonable decisions for themselves. Like government protecting the rights of unborn babies, government should also protect children from the pitfalls of a capitalistic society. A junk-food ban is a good start.”

“Hey Nig, pass along that Guiness Ice Cream recipe... I do homemade ice cream. Last batch was Bailey's. Mmmmm mmmm good.”

“Those people would probably argue that they can't afford the organic health nut cereal. There's not much less expensive than a canister of oatmeal though. There are plenty of healthy alternatives at the chain grocery store.”

“If they have the time and money to file a lawsuit, I wouldn't guess they're destitute. At most healthfood groceries I've been to, and the ones I shop at now, there are giant bulk bags of organic corn or bran flakes for the same price as a "regular" box of cereal. Lots of people didn't grow up shopping at those kinds of places, though, or don't know to seek them out. If I hadn't met Tarpy's mom, I wouldn't know much about organics at all.”

“Sad very sad to see crap like this. Makes me not to want kids. As the first time I try to punish my kid for being a brat I'll get hauled off to jail for some sort of abuse.”

“ooo those are good Pop Tarts.”

“lol @ parential advice from some one with no experience.”

“le Subtil, I'd hardly be trying to chime in as Parent of the Year here. [snicker]

You don't have to have kids to know what is proper and what a parent's responsibility is.

And you're welcome for the dickslap in advanced.
last edited: 2/23/06 11:40:58 AM”

“noncomformist hit the closest to my thought on this. If one were to target all the advertisers that use children as their demographic, you would have a sizable percentage of American business in court. Are you aware of the huge numbers of ads out there that target children?”

“Makes 1 quart
Here ya go Tara:

Guinness Ice Cream

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Guinness stout
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. In a medium saucepan, scrape in the vanilla bean seeds. Add the pod, milk, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the stout and molasses. Bring to a boil and turn off heat.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk in a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture, then slowly whisk in another 1/4 cup of the cream. Add the remaining cream in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the beer mixture into the cream mixture. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.

5. Strain the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.”

“I'll tell you about a real crime:

my dogs are fat.

I'm an owner of three dogs and i find it hard to assert my parental authority in the face of their constant begging. When my puppies see me eating junk food, they will push me to give them some, even if they've never had the food before. Whenever i eat around my dogs, I end up compromising and giving them some just to keep them happy.

I wonder if i can find a lawyer to take my case.”

“They're bull dogs though. They're supposed to be fat. :)”

“I didn't read most of this but saw the ice cream at the bottom. Bailey's over ice cream RAWKS.

Nigal, - did you get my email with attachment yesterday?”

“"How many times has your kid been arrested now le Subtil? [snicker]

Nigal"

My oldest got arrested once, about 5 years ago. What's your point?

You actually contribute to your own counterpoint. No matter how strict you think you are, no matter how many rules you enforce, you can't shield your kids from outside influences. Law requires them to go to school. Thw law places many requirements and restrictions on what you, as a parent, can and cannot do. If you think you're going to have absolute total control, you're being extremely naive. That's MY point.”

“"If you think you're going to have absolute total control, you're being extremely naive. That's MY point.”

So my dismay at the lack of responsibility of parents to monitor what their sub-10 year old eats is the same as total control (or the lack thereof) of a teenager? You don’t have to be a parent to know how best to teach a child the most basic fundamentals of life. Do I need to actually have a child to know about nutrition? No. That’s MY point.

Now, get your house in order before offering lessons to others.”

“"Nigal, - did you get my email with attachment yesterday?"

Oh, yes I did! Very funny! My e mail is getting squirrelly on me and I wasn't able to return the mail. Half the time I can't even open attachments.”

“crate training can be a valuable tool in properly raising children”

““*scratches nigal off list of potential character witnesses*”

LOL!

"Yes Senator McCarthy I can without a doubt state that sacco is a communist and he should be sent away to the gulag."”

“sacco, talk about truth being stranger than fiction. Here's a nice heartwarming story from my Ohio.”

“Ahem...as a parent of a teenager I can tell you the two styles of discipline in my house are DRAMATICALLY different. One parent wants to be their bestest buddy, the other stands their ground NO means NO. It comes with confrontation but after a few good confrontations....I win.
Years ago when I was an instructor for students going into Ranger School, I noticed how TOUGH the other instructors were. I tried to be the candidate's friends. The truth is you need to MAKE the rules and follow them.
When they start to whine, I found that the "i can give you something to cry about." works.....OH GOD I AM BECOMING MY MOTHER> (since my dad wasn't around that much)”