UPSB v3
Serious Discussion / Government regulation of fast food industry advertisement
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:15:27
"Should the government regulate fast food advertisement?"
discuss
and if governments do place regulations on fast food industries... what penalties should there be if they violate regulations -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:34:06
...what do you mean?
i guess i wouldnt like alot of fat kids runnin around, so kids programming i guess
but really, the stations should regulate that
what exactly do you mean? -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:37:38
okay...well, here was my argument for my friend for why the government should NOT regulate fast food industry's advertisement
1. capitalism---private businesses should let people do whatever they want as long no laws are broken
2. people who are too afraid to get fat from eating it should be smarter and inform themselves more
3. why does the government need to regulate it? isn't it obvious that people shouldn't eat fast food--just look at it--there's pounds of grease just dripping off of it xDD
4. people who only eat fast food are lazy, and their laziness is their fault
counterargument....:
1. the tv ads are brainwashing the children to eat the food by catching their attention with toys and cartoon characters. once they're brainwashed they will end up eating it for ever since they grew up with it
2. people have become addicted to the food. they find (ie. mcdonalds) a quick and easy source to get food on, and for the busy lives people have that's all they have time to get and they trust it enough that they come back for more each time
3. it's the highest avoidable death rate... enough said
work from there? -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:41:11
I had an article in which I had to read on this. They try to attract kids to eat their food because when they are older, they will remember eating it and being happy when they were younger; Therefore, leading to them buying the food when they are older.
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:44:40
anti kid advertising, i understand, but like i said, the stations should do it themselves
if its just in general, hell no
if you're fat, DON'T BE FAT
it makes me mad when people blame the fast food companies, like they forced them to eat it or something
kids are susceptible tho -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 02:45:23
aren't there rules regulating advertising targeting kids?
that'd be a good starting point. -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:13:57
most people eat fast food because their on the go. and since every fast food place has MSG in their food it makes it adictive and of course like everyone is saying they attract kids with cartoon charactars or popular movie things. and again becuase of MSG kids eat it until they get older which leads to making them become fat which of course cuases high colesteral and increases chances of getting those dangerous diseases and what not. and even if the government stopped letting fast food chains advertise nothing would change becuase those kinda places are like every 1 mile
err i suck at spelling.... -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:20:42
thats one thing, but some people are so addicted to fast food they seek it out, which makes them fat
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:24:20
shouldn't parents be smart enough to prevent their children from eating too much fast food when they are younger? i can't blame the children for watching commercials and then craving it, but it should be the parent's duty to keep their children safe from bad food
if the parents feed their children fast food anyway...well, that's the parent's fault for being 1. too lazy to find out how bad fast food is, or 2. too lazy to cook for their kids -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:29:09
yes but then the kids grow up with yearning for fast food engraved in their head and as soon as they're out of the house they're pigging on fast food
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:30:47
then that's their fault for being stupid enough to fall into the temptations of fast food
cause by the time they're allowed to do that, they should be old enough to think for themselves--and if they still can't at that point and still have the brain of a 5 year old..well, i'd rather have them eat the food and die faster 
(okay, not really..but it's their fault for eating it at that point =\ ) -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:35:49
LOL i haven''t ate Mcdonalds since 12 months ago. But I have ate fast-food.
Anyways, they should stop making ads for kids. Kids are our future, government should not let McJackson fuck 'em up.
Or government should make every fastfood put a warning sign up. Hehe, or atleast change the god damn oil. -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:42:07QUOTE (-JC- @ Jul 8 2008, 07:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>then that's their fault for being stupid enough to fall into the temptations of fast food cause by the time they're allowed to do that, they should be old enough to think for themselves--and if they still can't at that point and still have the brain of a 5 year old..well, i'd rather have them eat the food and die faster (okay, not really..but it's their fault for eating it at that point =\ )
but when kids are exposed to something at such a young age, it becomes embedded in their subconcious to a point where they cant help it
have you ever read A Brave New World? -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:45:03
nope ^^'' never read it
but uh..once again, up to the parents to control what their kids are exposed to or not
like, when i was a child, i barely got to watch tv so i didn't get to see any of those commericals or ads
and whenever we went out, my family always took me and my brother to asian restaurants, so there wasn't too many mcdonalds or burger king advertisements there -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:52:10
but most parents wont go 'oh you cant watch ANY of these CHILDRENS shows because there are fast food ads on them
and if they do care, they simple resolve to not buy the food for them. this, however, doesnt fix the psychiological effect -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 03:58:34
that's why america is so ruined -.-'' cause the parents here are so useless
most american parents need to discipline their children a bit more and limit their tv shows even if it's children's tv shows
children can watch them..but just limit it so that the psycological effect isn't that great
like, i used to only be able to watch tv on weekends for a few hours, at most, a day (now i dont' even watch tv at all -.-''), and i remember seeing ronald mcdonald a couple times, but not enough for me to be affected by it
right now, i'm not addicted to mcdonalds or fast food or anything...i grab some fast food once every few months or so (or once every few weeks...but that's the shortest interval that i allow myself between eating fast food meals) -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 04:08:04
i think it's the television station's moral responsibility to regulate it themselves
like how we refuse condom ads on our high school newspaper
EDIT: Actually thats a bad example, i myself would argue that encouraging condoms is good -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 04:54:21
I don't think that there should be gvmnt. regulation on fast food commercials. Parents do have the right to say "No" to their own child. Mine did and I don't get cravings for McDonald's, plus it could be impending on a company's right to advertise.
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 04:56:32
added a second follow up question to the first post
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 05:13:36
well, here's the mini-essay that my friend wrote concerning the above question....
thoughts? comments?
Obesity has become one of America’s biggest problems that we don’t know who or what to blame it on. Now we are left to wonder why the government hasn’t stepped in to stop this epidemic which is quickly becoming America’s highest and avoidable cause of death. Many of us have blamed this problem on the fast food industries and the creation of a lazier generation due to less physical activity over the past twenty to thirty years. Fast food industries put out commercials that advertise to young children with their favorite cartoon characters or a new toy that makes them want to go out and buy the company’s product. Our society’s children have begun to develop life threatening conditions and diseases, overall destruction of their bodies, and serious risks in their heart from this fattening food and a lack of physical exercise. Since the fast food put out by these companies is quick, decent tasting, and easily accessible, parents with busy schedules find it easy if they just bring home a bag of greasy, fast food for dinner. The kids grow up with this type of food and go into their adult lives thinking that this food is okay to eat. Overall, the fast food industries have brainwashed these kids into buying this type of food for the rest of their lives; unless people begin to realize what this food is really doing to them nothing will change in the future generations.
In my opinion, the government should step in and help regulate the fast food industry. Parents and children don’t know as much about nutrition as they should and it’s their right to know about what they’re really putting into their bodies and what are the affects it can have on them. By doing this, everyone can know what they will be taking in when they order a quarter pound hamburger with a large fries and a sixteen ounce soda. From there they can make the decision for themselves if they’re going to stuff their faces with fast food or find a healthier choice to eat. If the fast food companies don’t want to lose their consumers, then it should be regulated that they put healthier choices on their menus and have proof that they’re healthy; McDonald’s tried doing this and yet their salads are still full of sugar. If they’re not healthy, the government should make the companies change their menus so the meals are healthier, and have the industry publicly admit to what they put in the meals. People have the right to know about what they’re putting into their bodies, but these industries have made it so the public has a dependency on their cheap and greasy fast food. Each day more and more people in our country die from the affects obesity has on them, but still the question remains who or what should we put the blame on? -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 05:58:42
Ehh dont care if they do.
Dont watch TV.
Addicted to fast food.
Fast metabolism. -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 06:03:22
word... buuut if the government stoped fast food adverts it may lower fast food sellings and they would loose some tax money and im sure the government cares more about money then some fat people
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 08:23:53QUOTE (sangara @ Jul 9 2008, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I don't think that there should be gvmnt. regulation on fast food commercials. Parents do have the right to say "No" to their own child. Mine did and I don't get cravings for McDonald's, plus it could be impending on a company's right to advertise.
Companies only have a right to advertise because the government say so. If the government say they can no longer advertise, they are not impending any right, they just took the rights away.QUOTE (ikore @ Jul 9 2008, 07:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>word... buuut if the government stoped fast food adverts it may lower fast food sellings and they would loose some tax money and im sure the government cares more about money then some fat people
I think we should note here that, especially in countries such as the UK in which healthcare is free for all, obesity is putting an ever greater strain on funding the health services (St Andrew's Study, 2000). I'm quite sure that the % of obese people is already costing the government a lot more in money they are having to invest in the health service than they are collecting in taxes from fast food companies.
I think there should be a total ban on TV and radio advertising of fast food. In fact, I would take it further and put limits on the amount of calories/fat/salt that can be in a fast food burger etc...
If a company were to breach the rules, they should face heavy fines, very heavy fines (running into the millions) and also, if a single outlet or a few outlets were responsible, they should be closed down for a period.
@JC - If you're (well you friend) going to write an essay you need evidence to back up claims.QUOTEObesity has become one of America’s biggest problems
According to what study(ies)?QUOTEcreation of a lazier generation due to less physical activity over the past twenty to thirty years
How do you know this? Where did you get this from, which book or study(ies)?
Otherwise the essay is just your opinions and there is nothing to substantiate what you are suggesting.
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Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 22:49:12QUOTE (Mats @ Jul 9 2008, 01:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>According to what study(ies)?
actually it is true Obesity is one of americas biggest problam not sure if is the same in other countries but for america it is becuase its addictive -
Date: Wed, Jul 9 2008 22:56:24QUOTE (ikore @ Jul 9 2008, 03:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>actually it is true Obesity is one of americas biggest problam not sure if is the same in other countries but for america it is becuase its addictive
Obesity isn't addictive...