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JaysonandKristin
member
Personal Accountability (NSAHMR) McDs related
JaysonandKristin
member
mcdonalds-pressure-fire-ronald-wsj: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
I hate seeing things like these... At what point do we stop blaming the companies and start looking at ourselves? As parents WE supply our children with money, WE allow them to consume this kind of food, so why are we so quick to point the finger at marketing propaganda?
McDonalds is absolutely part of American history, and the golden arches are rumored to be more identifiable than the Christian cross (worldwide). Speaking from experience, the Ronald McDonald Houses are a God send!! Are you convinced that Ronald McDonald is causing obesity in children? Do you see any validity in the request that Ronald be "fired?" I've read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, and it's full of interesting facts that really make you second-guess the average American lifestyle.
Of interest to me was that the McDonalds representative actually had the nerve to say that they serve, "high quality foods..." Laughable.
Anybody else want to weigh in on the subject?
Prudence
Otis
Hank
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Personal Accountability (NSAHMR) McDs related
I agree with you. Parents have completely made themselves think that it's not THEM causing the obesity, and feel it's right to blame everybody else for their problems. They think that "Ok, I had the kids, now the world has to mold them to proper adults. My work is done." It's a sad thing that some think like this.
I hope they don't get rid of Ronald.
I didn't read the article - but to respond to your questions - I think it is a lot more than just McDonald's that causes childhood (and adulthood) obesity. Its a variety of things, and it 100% a parent's responsibility, not a corporations, to do what they can to avoid it. McDonald's has been around forever, childhood obesity is much newer than McDonald's is, so obviously Ronald McDonald is not the answer.
For what its worth, there is a LOT of restaurant food that is worse than what is at McDonald's. I wouldn't call McDonald's high quality, but there are healthyish options on the menu. Chain and family run restaurants of all quality levels cook with insane amounts of salt and use trans fats on a regular basis. Eating that stuff sometimes is fine, but most cooking should be done at home and made from real ingrediants.
This stuff makes me SO mad. Our country is obese because we are just plain lazy and some of us are making poor choices. If you or your kids are overweight, don't eat McDonalds and then blame Ronald Mcdonald! WTF!
I think nowadays everyone just does everything in excess. Unless you are obese, you should be able to have a cheeseburger now and then and be just fine. If you are eating fast food several times a week/month, then don't be surprised when you gain weight! It's no secret that fast food is unhealthy!
And McDonalds does offer some good choices. I know their salads aren't the healthiest but at least they have apples and milk available for the happy meals.
And for the record, the kids and I had McDonalds last week and they both had cheeseburger and fries! It's a treat to them and that's fine with me as long as it's occasional.
I totally saw that it was health professionals on behalf of the American public. That's what peeves me!! I don't need health advocates. I do my homework and know what I'm consuming. The overregulation is indeed a slippery slope...
I'm sorry if it looks like I'm yelling at you, in fact, I whole-heartedly agree with you.
There are a ton of people out there in the world that truly believe EVERYTHING is someone else's fault. Personal accountability has been thrown out the window! It's 100% YOUR fault if you eat lots of McD's and are obese.
To be perfectly honest, we eat McD's probably once a week. We are also very active and eat plenty of healthy foods at other times. It's unlikely anyone in our family will ever even be overweight let alone obese.
Cam 6.6.10 - Autism, Global Developmental Delay, Mixed Receptive/Expressive Communication Disorder
I agree with you, we need to take responsibility for our eating habits and the eating habits of our children. McDonalds is a business and businesses market to their customers based on demand... if parents allow their children to demand (or themselves choose) the less healthy choices offered for a happy meal McDonalds is going to continue to market those choices. If they took the less healthy stuff off their menu people would likely choose to go to a different restaurant that still offers the "junk". Frankly, we make ourselves unhealthy and help our little ones along to being unhealthy, too. I know I should exercise and stop scooping out a dish of ice cream each night (I'm trying to be both pear shaped and apple shaped) but I don't.
As I've mentioned in a few past posts, I work in the food industry; a lot of the quality/safety talks can get muddled due to semantics... in regard to the quality statement, McDonalds does serve high quality foods, they aren't often low fat and they may be processed but the raw materials are of good quality based on food industry and government definitions and market options.
I too hate see that kind of stuff...it's letting people off the hook for their own personal choices. If you think McDonalds will make you fat, STAY AWAY from McDonalds. It's that simple.
Same thing goes for bars being sued when something drinks themselves to death. It's one thing to go after a bartender who knowingly kept serving an obviously drunk patron. But I've been a frequent bar goer before and didn't always buy my own drinks, a friend or my bf would get it ("Hey, since you're getting one, want to grab one for me?") I get wasted, pass out and die. How is that the bar's fault?
DD#1~8/17/96------DS~10/24/05
I have a hard time getting mad at McDonalds. They have a lot of unhealthy food. Sure. But they publish their nutrition facts. It is easy to find that information online and in the restaurants. I think it's common knowledge that McDonald's french fries and hamburgers are not healthy.
Where I live, McDonald's is the only place that has an indoor playground. I've taken DD a lot over the winter for her to get exercise. We usually go between meals and do not buy their food. I usually buy a coffee because I feel bad not buying anything. There have been plenty of times I didn't buy anything and they did not kick us out.
I really don't think Ronald McDonald even makes a difference in kids wanting to eat there. I think they are more there for the food and the toys instead of because a clown represents them.
I would like to see McDonald's have some more healthier options for Happy Meals, but I don't think we should get the government involved. If they had more healthier options, I would probably spend more money there. Until then, I won't be spending much money there and that's how businesses are supposed to work.
I don't eat McDonald's (or Burger King, or Taco Bell, etc...) nor do I buy it for my kids because I think their food is gross. If others choose to buy it for themselves/their kids, that's certainly their choice.
I think the ultimate responsibility rests on the parent. When they're little, if you don't buy it, they can't eat it. Teach your children good eating habits and feed them well and that will stay with them as they get older. I'm not saying that they won't try the occasional Big Mac or eat a hot dog at a baseball game, but as a parent, I think it's your job to lay the foundation for healthy eating and that 'treats' are ok, in moderation.
I agree that parents are the main ones responsible for what their children consume and the habits that are created. I can say that I do not feed my family McDonalds or any fast food for that matter, but then again, we are a well to do family who eats organic food...
I guess my point is that many families who buy McDonalds on a daily or weekly basis might not be able to afford anything pricier than that. I saw a documentary about a family of 6 who found that purchasing groceries was way more expensive for them than to just order everyday off the value meal at McDonalds and they did just that. They were a low income Hispanic family and they were complaining about the high prices of healthier options.
Now I don't coupon, but I know couponing takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. This specific family had two parents who worked two jobs each and they were struggling. They were all overweight...
Is a company like McDonalds responsible for their choices? Absolutely not. But it's sheer existence did not make it an even playing field....obviously the time and money crunched family is going to choose the easiest cheapest thing...which happens to be McDonalds... again, is it the company's fault? Nope! But that's the reality of the situation.
If healthy food were more affordable than families like these might choose the healthy options more readily. I think that is why there is so much pressure on fast food companies to better their menus and selections. If all that is available for $1 is the fatty hamburger than guess what the money strapped mom is going to buy? I'm not saying that it is McDonald's responsibility, but unfortunately it has become the go-to for many low income families and has thus become a problem. Healthy food needs to be just as accessible and affordable!
America is a law suit happy country of entitled idiots who can do nothing for themselves.
I like McDondald's has good choices, if you choose them. I happen to like their yogurt fruit cup for breakfast sometimes. I also don't think french fries are bad, as part of a varied diet. I like that it is consistent and clean. We don't eat there often, but McDonald's is no worse than Cheesecake factory or some of the other "better" chains for serving crap.
I like Ronald.
I totally agree that the responsibility should be on the parents.
However, if I were a health professional and I had the option to sign it, I would, on behalf of all the kids whose parents are too stupid and lazy to read the nutritional information or make better choices for their children. Kids shouldn't suffer poor nutrition and obesity at the hands of their parents.
A McDonald's food habit is as deadly or more so, than cigarettes, and so why wouldn't we find a way to put limits on consumption? We got rid of Joe Camel, why not Ronald?