Is it just me, or are parents getting lazier and lazier these days? After all, it seems the government has to step in to do things parents should have no problems handling themselves. In Santa Clara County, California, a new ordinance was voted on by county officials that would ban the sale of Happy Meals and similar meals at restaurants that didn’t meet nutritional guidelines. The reasoning behind this is to stop child obesity by fining restaurants that “prey” on kids’ love of toys to sell them unhealthy food. But to be honest, this is just freaking ridiculous. Seriously, isn’t this something that parents should take care of on their own? I mean, I’m no parent so maybe there’s something I don’t understand here. But, isn’t it the parents responsibility to monitor what their kids eat and all that?

The law itself is rather ridiculous. While the Happy Meal toy is meant to attract kids, as it has been doing for several decades, fast food restaurants are not forcing this food down kids’ throats. If this is something parents are worried about, then they shouldn’t cave in and take kids to eat wherever they want if they so much as throw a hissy fit. Such incidents cause a growing concern because it shows just how lazy the parents of today are. And if you want to complain about it and say I don’t know what I’m talking about, go ahead. It doesn’t change the fact that the responsibility should lie with the parents who, by the way, are the ones BUYING Happy Meals and the like for their kids.

In a sort of “compromise,” though I use the term loosely given that fast-food chains are being unfairly punished, as usual, county officials are giving a 90-day grace period to allow fast food chains to introduce a healthier alternative. Regardless of that fact, however, parents should stop being lazy and actually monitor their kids, rather than shifting the blame somewhere else.

[via Los Angeles Times]

Everyday, I’ll try to post a summary of three non-geek articles I read today. This is my vain attempt at trying to spread awareness of these types of issues.

WHO
A mother who drags her daughter to a lie detector test

WHAT
Daughter is forced to reveal that she was raped at 12 years old, humiliating her

WHEN
Today

WHERE
Australia, 2Day FM’s Kyle and Jackie O show

WHY
Unclear

FTA
Watch video, confession around 2:24

More: http://media.smh.com.au/shock-jock-rape-disaster-654506.html

Read On

How do you promote a series of deadly plagues on society? By creating a toy that promotes childhood obesity, low self standards, and apparently foreign child labor (come on, a Chinese girl making McDonald’s?), that’s how. Enter the McDonald’s Drive Through Food Cart- a fast-food conglomerate’s approach to trapping your children early into recognizing fast food restaurants as not only a means of cheap and unhealthy food, but also a place of fun, fantasy, and fattened childhood memories.

Like food dealing Drug Lords, they’ve created a toy that not only enforces McDonald’s propaganda onto your children at an early age, but has effective created a vicious circle of obesity and destruction that is basically one step away from a”V for Vendetta-esque” future where only a guy-Fawkes mask wearing hero can save us.

I’m not sure what happened to the days where toys like Legos, tea party sets, and basketballs were the standard for Christmas gifts, but apparently the days of diabetes, labored breathing, and liposuction are here to stay. I think its fair to say the dangerous implications of this toy are on par with a red rider Bebe gun from the movie “A Christmas Story”, but you’re more likely to cut your foot off because of diabetes with this demon on four legs. They might as well make a “High School Musical r*pe kit complete with underwear already turned inside out.”

It’s pretty sad to see how vibrant the comments are from parents- ” they love it. Looooooooove it!” and “the kids actually believe they are apart of the McDonald’s crew!” Sigh. If you, reader, are unable to see the complete destruction of society through this toy, then allow me to reiterate. Children find themselves doing only what they see as fun and interesting, and thus sub-consciously find a connection to it with their daily lives. I, for example, love puzzles and games. Therefore, I’ve turned out into a smart-mouth and smart-ass nerd who is majoring in Information Systems and contributes to a nerdy website. If today’s youth find comfort and fun in the mass production and distribution of fattening and stomach churning burgers and fries (albeit those yogurt parfaits are god d*mned ridiculously delicious), then what will happen to the future? Ten years down the line, we won’t have transitions from play doctors to real doctors or YMCA basketball all-stars to NBA all-stars, we’ll have an army of unmotivated drive-through employees and cashier-workers who end every sentence with “would you like fries with that?” What comes to mind after seeing this toy is the movie “Idiocracy”- if you haven’t seen it, then please do (“welcome to Costco, I love you” :P) . And if you can’t make the connection from dumb people to a dumb future after watching this movie, then may Jeebus help us, because its already begun. Epic Fail McDonald’s, GG.

[Source]