Re: HFSS - Nanny State or Responsible Society?
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Originally Posted by
Galant
Yet there might be lots of reasons influencing foods choices in children, and restricting advertisers might not be an effective way to do it.
I disagree - Even when I was younger, advertisers would have you believe that a world of unbelievable joy resided within a Marathon, or that a Mars Bar a day helped you work, rest and play.
Kids WILL believe this cack. I know, because the evidence is all around.
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Originally Posted by
Galant
The government role in advertising, I think, should be to ensure that advertisers aren't lying, and perhaps monitor appropriate content.
Yes, which in this case means banning the blatant exploitation of children to sell hideously unhealthy junk.
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Originally Posted by
Galant
That responsibility falls on the parents and should be encouraged along those lines.
Encouraged?
Enforced, I'd say...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Galant
Government, if anything, should seek to advise and inform, to help parents do their job. Even if parenting is seemingly failing in some way, the solution should be to develop and strengthen parenting.
Using that same life-controlling omnipresent medium of advertising, perhaps?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Galant
But trying to prevent advertisers from targeting kids in the hopes of influencing their choices in the media-age in which we live seems to me to be a wrong move on several levels
It's a good starting point, IMO - In the same way that, rather than trying to peddle some namby-pamby "Just say NO" slogan, it's far better to get drugs off the streets in the first place. Once you have notably reduced the primary influence, you can then look at other areas.