On Tuesday (6/5/12), ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer introduced a news segment:
Michelle Obama appeared today with the CEO of our parent company, Disney, because Disney decided to do something historic to help fight childhood obesity and called in the big guns to do it, including a very, very famous mouse.
The “historic” move: Food ads during ABC‘s children’s programming will now have to meet what correspondent Reena Ninan called “strict nutritional standards.” Ninan also touted Disney‘s earlier decision to phase out trans fats from its theme parks and offer “healthier options.” (“They say they saw real results. The new initiative could have a much wider impact.”) She gets a quote from Disney chair and CEO Bob Iger: “I think more and more companies…will step up and join the effort.” The piece concludes by noting that a concerned mom thinks initiatives like Disney‘s “would make her life a lot easier.”
Restrictions on marketing junk food to children are certainly a long-overdue idea, and ABC does disclose that it’s talking about its owner. But there was no mention that the new guidelines will be self-enforced, and don’t fully phase in until 2015. And don’t expect to find any hint of critical questioning on ABC of Disney‘s strategy—like its (also unmentioned) plan to label what it considers healthy foods with a Mickey Mouse icon, “equating its brand,” as Christian Science Monitor‘s Stephanie Hanes writes, “with ‘good for you.'”
Neat trick.
Do an ad during the program, and you have that much more time for the paid commercials.
From a profit standpoint, nothing Mickey Mouse about that, is there?
How magnanimous! Disney will refrain from poisoning our children.
How far can the end of the poisoning of the minds of children–and of their parents–be from here?
The intentional mislabeling of a self promoting political message as concern for children means the second project is a non starter.
This is Disney Corporation. Without the mouse they would be as faceless as the others. Well what do you know? They might actually make the food slightly healthy. But will it cut into their profits? And you know these days if they aren’t getting at least 90% profits they consider it a loss. (Why else do their workers get such low pay and no medical for all the long hot hours they work and the “magic kingdom?”)
Expect up dates on this story like what they say will be offered and then see what it really is as healthy or not.
If Disney’s PR and Marketing people don’t get a magic mountain of bonuses out this I’ll eat my … mouse.
In Ross Perlin absolutely essential “Intern Nation,” the opening chapter is a devastating story about how Disney Corporation has run a long scam defrauding college students across the globe who sign up to be interns for the behemoth, and end up doing stupid, essential, menial tasks, yet the greater scandal is that America’s colleges and universities collude in this neo-slavery, offering college credit, under the absurd banner of providing “instruction” for this example of the rampant devaluation of work.
Now, of course we here in the FAIR comments hinterlands know Disney, like all corporations, is as loathsome as Diane Sawyer’s plastic surgery staples, but then there is the next level: does FAIR, in its left-liberal status, use unpaid interns to do its dirty work? No person exists to be unmercifully exploited – we should all know the difference between working hard on the lower rungs, and being sold a bill of goods with some hemmed-in teenager’s name on it.
Disney doesn’t seem to mind poisoning chldren’s minds with the drivel it spews on the Disney Channel. I babysat my grandaughter and had to endure hours of this horror, watching program after program which showed teens mouting off at their parents (humor supposedly) and enriched with every material good most of us can’t afford. This pitiful little piece of advertising is just ludicrous. And even though I voted for Obama I find the Michele’s plastic “war on obesity” which is not supplemented by any attempt to help families financially to eat more expensive food (a la veggies & fruit) equally stupid. Talk is cheap and talk is all we are getting these days from all the powers that be.
Maureen – To be fair to Michelle Obama, the focus of her ‘war on obesity’ is encouraging people to grow their own gardens. In recognizing that times are tough for most folks right now, she argues that families CAN afford to eat healthy by growing their own fruits and veges.
Personal gardens also have the added benefit of not containing toxic GMOs. It’s a win-win.
If a private company wants to do this….. fine and dandy.But honestly if they want to be the biggest pushers of Coke,Cotton candy,and lard laden burgers…. fine, and dandy as well.As long as the government stays the hell out of our personal lives.Once in a while I still hit the golden arches.And yes i take children with me.I know the food is not the best for us.My choice.This idea that people have proven themselves to stupid to be given free reign – is the nanny state personified.So Disney wants to get this clean eating stamp of approval ,and garner some PR.Good for them.Think I will turn on a Disney movie and eat a Johnny B Good .Thats a burger with hot pastrami ,burger and a hot dog ,dripping with melted cheese.And a cherry coke to go!
Michael, E, old friend, you are resolute!
The libertarian mania you espouse is impressive – whatever I want to do, I am going to do! Of course, that is a mantra shared by toddling three year-olds and raging lunatics, but that’s just the American way, eh?
I am sorry you think yourself justified in seeing your impending demise from gluttony as somehow triumphant for the species, rather than as sad. I see you as representing the American ego, wrapping yourself in every corporate horror and power, which is at least honest. FAIR, on the other hand, refuses to see its own complicity in the supersystem, or at least talk about what it is connected to – don’t any staffers read these comment sections? Are we to be treated as squirrels?
The libertarian mania you espouse is impressive – whatever I want to do, I am going to do!
Impressively mind boggling in the sheer stupidity. Perhaps if he actually said something intelligent, instead of being a “Budgie of Despair” for Limburger and simply re-peeping the same trash over and over, just like the little birdie in the cage, it might be more impressive.
Too bad it’s people like him who suck off the Corporate Heads and fall down is obsequious adoration while the same Corporate Dirt Bags are pissing on everyone (Remember the Trickle down theory, will I am getting sick and f’ing tried of being trickled on).
Honestly if we need a moron budgie of despair peeping the same mouth garbage over and over, we only need to turn on the radio or TV. You can’t escape Limburger, Beck(erhead), Insannity, Coltsass, or any of the other brain dead traitors to the human race or their insane, inane crap they spew. Like the old joke goes, they have only two moving parts, their mouth and their asshole, and they are totally interchangeable.
That is a good news indeed. Michelle Obama has chosen the right path to fight childhood obesity. If this works fine, we would have a healthy generation.
Sharon, do you think that anyone who writes or reads these posts could put stock in your totally vacuous statement.
And I couldn’t help but notice that your name links to a commercial site promoting subscription “deals” for Time Warner Cable, with links to all of the other major cable providers in the US, all of whom happen to carry… you guessed it, Disney. The irony being that this is the same sort of shameless self promotion/conflict of interest, maquerading as relevant social commentary/news that this story is about. And if you think FAIR’s audience isn’t intelligent enough to know the difference, it’s probably because you don’t even know what FAIR is, and are just posting promotional and lauditory comments on any article about this that pops up in a Google search.
Padremellren and Martin……You two sound very different.But both seem to be saying …in effect….that the American people have proven through their own “gluttony” and ever exbanding waist sizes to be terrible stewards of their own bodies.To stupid to graze as they see fit.Dumb ass cows with a need to be led.Answer……Government steps in to be the adult in the room and order everyone to put down that last spoon full.What next …government stepping in on pregnant woman to inform then that as they were sloppy stewards of their bodies…… the gov will step in there too?How about veagans and vegetarians?There are certain problems even with this over all healthy lifestyle.Time for government to tweak that.How about we outlaw Italian food in favor of….French food!Or Indian food?Outlaw smoking(yes pot too)….drinking…. Ah hell only food from clean farming techniques.We can can outlaw lightbulbs(wait we already did that)And everybody must exercise 1 hour per day.Everybody can wear bracelets that transmit the fact.Subject to high taxation for failure to comply.Listening to music too loud causes tinnitus.No more loud music above 100dbs.Fines for that too.Sun bathing is out.I want that job.I will be the sun tan zsar.Walk the beach fining hot babes.I will carry a big bottle of cover-up.If they let me apply it we can negotiate down the fines….
Look if Michelle my belle wants to help us eat well and exercise,I fully appreciate her Jack Lalain style- and thank her for the effort.If she wants to TELL ME what my marching orders will be.Well there is a short pier with her name on it.
Internships aren’t paid positions but they do pay in experience. Now if they don’t pay with experience in very useful things then they just are slave positions masqurading as interns. That is what is happening. Experience wearing a giant hot Disney character suit does not qualify. As does working in concessions or some other job that can do little on a resumé. That distinction might be too specific for some but that is what is happening. A nice quick turn over work force of fresh faces who end up working for free with nothing literally to show for it. Nuance needs to be taught I think.
gone underdiscussed here is how government food subsidy policies leads to greater obesity
Night Gaunt, internships do not “pay in experience.” That is a joke, as the top-shelf book written by Perlin explains. They almost never pay off in actual work, and even less provide real work instruction other than shit-cleaning and crap-loading. One of the best section in Perlin’s book references NGO’s and non-profits like FAIR, who espouse some version of secular humanist principle but wring unpaid, and even tuiton-paying drudgeowork out of their lowly, never-to-be-hired interns, who should be paid at least a minimum wage – as I would hope Naureckas and Peter Hart would agree. This malificent exploitation is what I call a “traveshamery” – an American speciality of “travestesty, shame, and mockery” for those counting.
Michael E- the Id that keeps on giving. There are fines for loud music, the melanoma will take care of the sunbathing, and there are always going to be rules, jsut not enough of them to stop you from your Coke addiction – sorry.
Martin I do love Coke damn my soul.Look as I drive about the city i often see construction workers using cement cutting saws.Jackhammers,and so on.No ear plugs.Is the Dem Gov gonna go after unions fining them left right and center for what they do that hurts their own bodies?It angers the hell out if me that they do it.Sometimes i stop and try to talk them into taking better care of them selves.I just dont see Obama fining them.After all…..they vote!
People. I really enjoy reading you guys’ postings (even Michael’s). It makes me realize that I’m not alone. No person of conscience living in today’s world and especially in the US could avoid being indignant. Let’s not displace that anger on each other. We are each other’s allies here. That includes Michael who is a closet liberal yearning to come out. Let’s stop the name-calling before it escalates.
Freespirit….I am very liberal if you must use that term in a great many things.And I did work for Clinton.But i have always been a common sense person.To me that is conservatism by leaps and bounds over liberalism.As far as you saying we are all indignant….I certainly am.Congress yesterday debated putting caps on the amount of Popcorn you can buy at a movie.Outlawing certain candy.Sizing down whole milk gallon containers..Some wise ass just did a breakdown of everything served at the Obamas State dinners.Calorie counters it was not.Guess what is good for the goose……Look last week an R senator told the house to “keep their fucking mouths shut”in regards to security leaks.Let me lead the way this week by saying to our government and their attempts to regulate what it is I shove in my pie hole….Stay the fuck out of my life!!!Educate as much as you want.Regulate…. and I will work my ass off to help America go on a diet the CUTS YOU OUT!Arrogant mother humpers.Everyone has to live AS YOU see fit.
By the way(lets get real nanny state silly here)…….Not to get too graphic but-,any physician can discuss with you what kind of sex is…. let us say” healthier” to engage in with your wife lets say,,than “other” types..There are certain sexual actions that lets face it…can pass on a hell of a lot of germs and bacteria.Hell any sex without a rubber cover- all body suit is likely to become an autobahn germ high way.I think any education on the matter is a good thing.
Aids was Rampant in the gay community.And education helped people understand how they could safeguard their lives.But let the government step in to tell two consenting adults about who ,where ,or how they can” kiss”another consenting adult…. and believe me the fur would fly.My guess would be there would be those radicals both right and left that would LOVE gov to regulate some of that.But telling us what we can eat….Letting gov decide what is good for us…that all of a sudden is their job?I have been doing a lot of reading on clean farming techniques.And food processing.And the dangers of e coli etc.Believe me after reading the test results I may never touch a salad in any restaurant again.But outlaw it?I could see me stroking into every health food/vegan restaurant in California telling them to close up.No you can’t pick and choose.Stay the hell out of my life….and I will stay the hell out of yours