Tisk Tisk

[margarets]

Chris Britt, The State Journal 10/01/08


One of the biggest problems children face today is lack of a healthy diet. Faced with unhealthy choices filled with ingredients such as high fructose corn syrups and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) children are at risk of getting diabetes. The obesity statistics of 2002 say that 22% of US preschoolers were overweight. If as a child you develop bad eating habits, it’s only a matter of time before you develop health issues. This cartoon shows two young children glued to the front of a television surrounded by empty packages of junk food such as ice cream, pizza boxes, and soda cans. The quote from the television states “Children are exposed to 21 junk food ads each day on TV” after hearing that the young boy says “That reminds me, I need another frozen pizza with fudge topping.”

This cartoon is attacking the main source of childhood obesity, the advertisement of junk food. It’s not hard to believe that most the commercials seen today are for fatty junk foods. When you sit back and try to think about the last time you saw a commercial advertising healthy food, you find it hard to actually think of one. The two ghastly children appear to have about four chins, enormous stomachs, and arms that seem to stay in one place. Its nauseating to think that this is the feature that many children face today. America may not be able to take away places such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Dominos, but it’s definitely possible to lessen the amount of ads viewed for many of those unhealthy choices. If you give children better options for eating healthy and advertise them, it’s more likely that a child may try those better choices.

[gretchenm]

The statistics presented in your second paragraph and opinion on fast food advertising was interesting and connected well with the cartoon. You related well the image of the double chins with what feeling it inspired in yourself, "nauseation". The argument that fast food advertisements is a major cause of obesity was reasonable, and the solution you gave with healthy foods being advertised would likely help children eat better, or at least be pursuaded to like healthier foods. From studies and my own experiences, I know that obesity is not only caused, and might not even be directly caused by advertisements. Yes, initially when a person sees an image of "junk food"or another person eating "junk food" they usually have an immidiate desire to eat it, and might say or think "Yum". However it is common knowledge that one needs physical exercise, ample sleep, and balanced diet to be healthy in general. Similarly a children's eating habbits would largely depend on their parents, and after the parents would be other people that feed them and teach them about those habbits. I know a mother who makes her own bread, extremely limits the amount of tv her kids watch, reads to them every day, and only occasionally buys them McDonalds. It is likely that those kids and others in similar situations would not be obese when they were older based on the premise that they would continue to depend on their learned habbits of quality and balance. It is even possible for one to learn in teenage years to endear healthy foods. It is unfortunate to have so much fast food advertized. Advertizing healthier foods, and even better- providing healthier choices, would be positive stimulation for children. Mainly though, the cause of obesity might lie inside people; the will power to forego the convenient food in favor of healthier food, to exercise, and to sleep according to what is needful.

[Mr. Wells]

Nice inclusion of statistics; reply to classmate had pet peeve error (its vs. it's): I will overlook this due to your superb work here.

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