Whatever happened to "No?"

Whatever happened to "No?"

How many of you are familiar with the name Alexander Woollcott? Mr. Woollcott was a loved and hated drama critic for The New Yorker magazine. He died in 1943, and my only purpose in referencing him is so I can pilfer one of his famous quotes -- "All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral or fattening."

Let’s fast forward to the 1980s and First Lady Nancy Reagan's attempt to fight the war on drugs. Out of that failed campaign came the famous advertising slogan, "Just Say No," which was eventually hijacked to bring awareness to the dangers of violence, premarital sex and other immoral, illegal and....no wait, fattening wasn't an issue in the '80s. It is today!

According to innumerable surveys and studies and our own bathroom mirrors, America is a nation of obese couch potatoes. I don't know how much money was spent on this research, but whatever the amount, it was too much. Even the casual observer cannot help but notice the lines that wind around fast food restaurants almost 24 hours a day. 

Not only are men bulging at the waistline of their Sansabelt slacks and women popping the seams of their Apple Bottom jeans, kids now resemble the Cosby character Fat Albert with alarming regularity. Why? As a nation we have adopted Woollcott's hedonistic philosophy and ignored Mrs. Reagan's sensible guidance. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has a different opinion.

According to the CSPI, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., it isn't a diet of unhealthy, fat laden food that makes kids fat. The Center believes that the toys in a McDonald's Happy Meal are the culprit. In 2010 the CSPI threatened to file a lawsuit against McDonald's, claiming that the company "unfairly and deceptively" promotes its food by luring children with cheap plastic movie-themed promotional items. This year CSPI targeted both DreamWorks and Nestle USA. DreamWorks came under attack for partnering with Snyder’s by displaying characters from the animated feature Madagascar 3 on their packaging. Nestle is offering Crunch candy bars sporting the Girl Scouts logo.

To say that advertising aimed at children is unfair is like saying that water is wet, but to claim that McDonald's or any other company’s ad campaigns are deceptive is ridiculous. McDonald’s makes no bones about the fact that they want to sell lots of burgers and fries. Their advertising is "in your face" blatant. Would you expect anything different from a corporation that runs a worldwide management training center called Hamburger University? As for DreamWorks and Nestle… they are not the guardians of good health. Their sole purpose is to Sell! Sell! Sell!

The CSPI website encourages parents to write to DreamWorks and Nestle and even offers sample letters with which to express their outrage. The DreamWorks letter begins this way: “I'm disappointed by the use of Madagascar 3 characters to market nutrition-poor products…” The Nestle letter is similar in wording: “I'm disappointed by Nestlé's decision to market candy bars using the Girl Scouts’ name and logo.”

Truthfully, I’m disappointed that parents have abdicated their responsibilities to an organization like CSPI.

In 2010, CSPI's Stephen Gardner advised McDonald's executives that their "......marketing causes them (children) to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald's."  No, really?

Most parents will tell you with complete assurance that nagging is what kids do best. Moms and dads are expected to put a stop to the begging and pleading by giving voice to Mrs. Reagan’s wise words and "Just Say No!"