Render Fat*
Attn:
David Mackay: CEO of Kellogg’s
Bob Iger: CEO of Disney
Mark Addicks: Chief Marketing Officer of General Mills
Let’s talk. You and I. Let’s sit down together and exchange some words. A conversation. Let’s drink tea and compliment each other’s impeccable taste in neck ties and then let’s render fat.
Render Fat, you say? What in the world does that mean. Well to make it simple. I’m not sure whether to quote the Bible or Fight Club. Either one will suffice.
Let’s put an end to the epidemic sweeping this country, and sadly beginning to metastasize across the globe. I’m talking about obesity. Not just any obesity, no I’m talking about childhood obesity specifically and the fact that 16.3% of children are obese in this country.
So why is it that our children are becoming obese at younger ages and then growing up to make an extremely obese adult population? Advertising.
When I was a kid I loved watching cartoons. I woke up and I waited for the newest episode of batman. I wore my superman pajamas and I dug into a bowl of Krispex while gluing my eyes to the tv set in front of me. The ads I remember were simple and silly. Polly pocket jingles would flood my head, or commercials for the Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker Oven, which to this day I am still bitter about never actually owning… But I digress.
My point is this. And you should listen, starting now. Children today are exposed to more commercials than ever before and 40% of these commercials are for junk food. Schools cite that children are choosing less and less nutritious lunches at schools and when junk food is what they’re exposed to all the time it’s no doubt. Can we really trust a 9 year old to choose a healthy lunch over a rice krispie treat and chocolate milk? I’m not even sure I’d trust myself with that.
So although you claim (im talking to you Kellogg’s and General Mills) to provide healthy alternatives, couldn’t it be argued that the viral marketing campaigns targeting children and promoting your unhealthy foods are putting out an entirely different message? I mean I’m no genius but it seems to me there’s something a little strange going on here.
So why am I writing? Why are you graced with the wittiness of the wordsmith that is me? A good question. The answer is better. I want you, cue Bob Iger, to put an end to this. Listen to Mrs. Reagan and just say no. Read my lips when I say I’m so sick of seeing junk food advertised to children. Mark Scott, ABC managing director down under in Aussieland, said no. He refused to show junk-food ads on programs targeting children and I think its time we do the same in the good ole’ US of A.
I feel like children today are exposed to enough trials and tribulations, polluting their minds with advertisement is the last thing we need. Kids should have the childhood that we had. Growing up, playing sports or cooking with their easy bake oven, singing the theme song to PepperAnn instead of the jingle for Cocoa Krispies. At least that’s the kind of world I’d like to live in. But you, you might like eating junk food. And to that I say, claudus. Which roughly translated from the Latin means Lame.
Sincerely,
Ty Durden
To Make Soap, First We Render Fat 
I agree, childhood obesity is on the rise and there needs to be a change. Advertising is a great angle at which to attack the problem. Children see commercials and nag their parents till they get what they want. With the absence of the advertising the children would not want what they don’t see.
coppertop said this on September 25, 2008 at 6:50 pm
i totally agree. however, i’m a little hesitant to have more government regulation on this.
“children see commercials and nag their parents till they get what they want. with the absence of the advertising the children would not want what they don’t see.”
fair enough. but also – parents could toughen up. i mean really, what ever happened to good old fashioned parenting. maybe mom and dad need to see some commercials about “just say no.” relenting once or twice isn’t a big deal, but if your kid is getting unhealthy because you can’t stand up to him/her, isn’t that a bigger problem? and is it the government’s job to intervene?
i’d be interested in understanding more of what sorts of regulations the author of this blog proposes. like if the tv stations would regulate, i’m okay with that — private regulation is cool. but the government? is it really the government’s job to raise our kids? hey, why not — it’s doing so well at everything else we let it regulate.
anothernicole said this on September 26, 2008 at 1:33 pm
anothernicole,
Thanks for commenting. I couldn’t agree more. The author has no intention of bringing large governmental regulation into this at all rather I seek to have private regulation. In Australia, the head of ABC simply said no to advertising junk food to children, I think Bob Iger, CEO of Disney should do the same in the US. I totally agree with you about parents though, we can’t just hope someone else does something, parents should be able to prevent their children from doing what’s not best for them.
Thanks for reading.
renderfat said this on September 26, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Thank you for constantly updated, always a pleasure to read.
Risperdal said this on October 2, 2008 at 11:05 pm