Down with the Clown: Why Ronald McDonald Has No Business Talking to Children

Alternet, April 12, 2010 by Raj Patel.

“Here I am kids. Hey, isn’t watching TV fun? Especially when you got delicious McDonald’s hamburgers. I know we’re going to be friends too cause I like to do everything boys and girls like to do. Especially when it comes to eating those delicious McDonald’s hamburgers.”

It’s easy both to wince at how crass this sounds, and to overlook its audacity. With entire TV channels premised on direct marketing to children, it seems impossible that there might have been a time where kids were considered anything other than shorter, louder, more pestering versions of adult consumers. But it wasn’t always thus. It took a canny cabal of admen to tap the pockets of a newly affluent generation of youngsters. They wanted to redefine the frontiers of what advertising in television age could be. And they succeeded.

Today, the McDonald’s corporation boasts that their frontman is more recognizable than Santa Claus. He’s the champion of a $32 billion brand. With a wink and a smile, Ronald has charged into neighborhoods around and inside schools, targeting children with a range of unhealthy food, plumbing every depth to keep his parent company’s arches golden and bright in the minds of impressionable young eaters.

McDonald’s and other fast food corporations shelter behind the fact that their advertising is ‘free speech,’ as protected by the First Amendment and that, in any case, the corporations clearly declare their commercial intentions. So, for instance, when children go to Ronald.com to play McD-themed games they’ll see in small white letters on a pale background at the top right the words “Hey kids.This is advertising!” This isn’t terribly helpful. Although children may know that something is advertising, they are unlikely to understand what, exactly that means.

Michele Simon, a lawyer and author of Appetite for Profit, tells it straight: “McDonald’s knows that vulnerable children are the perfect advertising audience, since they don’t even know they’re being marketed to.” She suspects that for the group brave enough, and with deep enough pockets, there’s a huge and successful lawsuit to be brought against McDonald’s (and against all advertising against children) for deceptive practices. She’s backed up by the medical profession: the American Academy of Pediatrics says that “advertising directed toward children is inherently deceptive and exploits children under eight years of age.” In other words, the very idea of advertising to children is a fraud. Children are simply unable to generate and entertain rational opinions about goods and services, which cuts away the argument that advertising is just a more entertaining version of truth-telling. When it comes to children, advertising is far closer to brainwashing.

Parents are being hoodwinked too. One of the reasons that kids are permitted by pestered parents to enter a McDonald’s is the possibility that they might choose a healthy meal when they’re there. As Wendi Gosliner, a Researcher at the Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley observes, “not one of the 24 Happy Meal combinations offered contains the foods and nutrients children need to meet the Dietary Guidelines. Now, they’re promoting processed fresh apples dipped in caramel sauce and sweetened milk as ‘healthy’ choices. Well, these meals and these choices are hurting our children’s health.”

There’s a bigger picture story here too. Ronald isn’t just a clown. He’s not just a pioneer in the marketing of food to children: he’s also an architect. Without him, the food system we have today would look very different. Here and around the world, the way food is grown, subsidized, processed and eaten has been fashioned by the needs of the McDonald’s corporation.

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More on unhealthy marketing to kids, click here.

Continuing on the topic of reversing the tide of obesity in the U.S. and protecting the health of families and children, please meet Value [the] Meal the mothership of Retire Ronald. Value [the] Meal is a Corporate Accountability International initiative holding the fast food industry accountable for a range of abuses that are making our children sick. The hardworking staff behind Value [the] Meal have assembled a compelling body of evidence demonstrating the fact that the fast food industry has prioritized short-term financial windfalls over the health of kids.

For instance, studies clearly show that the closer a fast food franchise is to schools, the higher the rates of health conditions like obesity.^1,2 Value [the] Meal launched a mapping project to demonstrate the proximity of McDonald’s and other fast food chains to schools in three major cities. You can view the map by clicking here.

The summary of their findings from the mapping project are:

National

A recent study found that neighborhoods with a high school were 30 percent more likely to have a fast food outlet within walking distance.

A recent study found increased levels of obesity at secondary schools located within 1/10 of fast food restaurants.

Chicago

In Chicago, nearly 80 percent of schools are within a ½ mile of fast food. What’s more, McDonald’s and other fast food giants have systematically located in or near schools, to make their franchises the breakfast, lunch and after-school destination for our kids.

Approximately 10 percent of Chicago secondary schools are within 1/10 of a mile of fast food, this means tens of thousands of Chicago kids are at an increased risk of obesity.

Additionally, 91 percent of all of the McDonald’s in the City of Chicago are within ½ mile of a school – well within walking distance.

These data suggest that this proximity is more than just happenstance.

Boston

The data for Boston show that – although it is a smaller city – it is right on track proportionally for the amount of fast food restaurants within walking distance to fast food restaurants.

Three of Boston high schools are within 1/10 mile of a fast food restaurant.

Additionally, over 30% of all Boston schools that we mapped are within ½ of a mile of fast food establishments. This is still easily within walking distance.

Bay Area

The data for the Bay Area, which includes Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco shows that 25 schools are within 1/10 of a mile from a fast food restaurant.

There are 53 high schools in the Bay Area that are within a ½ mile of fast food restaurants. This is a short walking distance for high schoolers and gives them easy access to fast food before, during and after school.

Over 90% of Bay Area schools are within walking distance (1 mile) from a fast food restaurant.

Obesity rates have doubled in California since 1990.  Around 30% of school children in California are overweight or obese.

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¹Currie, J., DellaVigna, S., Moretti, E., Pathania, V. (2009). The Effects of Fast Food Restaurants On Obesity and Weight Gain. National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper 14721. Retrieved 4.27.10. http://www.nber.org/papers/w14721.

²Davis, B., Carpenter, C. (2009). Proximity of Fast-Food Restaurants to Schools and Adolescent Obesity. American Journal of Public Health. 99(3):505–510.

This past weekend I held a well attended house meeting on the Retire Ronald campaign. I was moved by the show of support with a group of twenty friends, neighbors and family coming together to learn ways to stop corporate abuse of food. This is an issue near and dear to my heart. My father and my brother suffer from severe Type 2 Diabetes. A cousin passed away in 2005 after leg amputation from complications with Type 2 Diabetes. My brother is now suffering from neuropathy in his limbs which have led to lesions on his feet that won’t heal.

My brother started working at McDonalds when he was 16. He ate their food for several years until at age 20, he had a series of life threatening seizures due to the onset of Type 2 Diabetes.

I am appalled by the obesity epidemic affecting our nation…affecting our children. The earth mama in me that wants to feed everyone food, good loving healthy food, is pissed at the devastating outcome of government support of industrial agriculture and lax regulation of marketing tactics that target youth.

I have therefore decided to dedicate the next week of posts to the issue of obesity, diet related disease, needed action and how to get involved.

The Issue:

There is a national epidemic of obesity. More than one in six U.S. children is obese.[1]

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) blames obesity in children on improper nutrition, time in front of the television, and lack of physical activity. They warn that childhood obesity can continue into adulthood and possibly lead to an earlier onset of medical problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, reproductive health complications, and arthritis.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), poor nutrition affects the behavior of children, their school attendance and performance, as well as their overall development.

UCSF Researcher, Robert Lustig, observes that childhood obesity is not a matter of choice for the individual but rather that, “young children, [for] whom obesity is rampant, are not responsible for their food choices and are incapable of accepting personal responsibility.”[2]

It is not enough to ask for the individual to change their behavior (i.e. eat your vegetables and exercise). A comprehensive, coordinated strategy is needed. Policy interventions that make healthy dietary and activity choices easier are likely to achieve the greatest benefits.

Changing our food environment can improve nutrition and reduce obesity through a three-prong strategy: altering relative food prices, shifting our exposure to food, and improving the image of healthy food while making unhealthy food less attractive.[3]

I have chosen to support the Retire Ronald campaign because the campaign specifically addresses the fact that the character Ronald McDonald is one of the most recognized and effective icons in marketing to children and sets them up for a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits and ultimately chronic disease.

Consider this, no marketing icon has done more to drive demand for products that fundamentally alter and devastate our food system.

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[1] Frieden, T., W. Dietz, and J. Collins. (2010). Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Policy Change: Acting Now To Prevent Obesity. Health Affairs. 29(3), 357-363.

[2] Lustig, R. H. (2006). Childhood obesity: behavioral aberration or biochemical drive? Reinterpreting the first law of thermodynamics. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2(8), 447-458.

[3] Frieden, T., W. Dietz, and J. Collins. (2010). Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Policy Change: Acting Now To Prevent Obesity. Health Affairs. 29(3), 357-363.

Lisa the bunny had her litter. I had the 28-31 day range marked on my calender but I noticed yet again no nesting was occurring on her side. She was definitely pregnant as she was fuller and lumbering, taking frequent breaks. On day 30 I noticed some strange fluid in some of the items in her hutch. I was wondering if bunnies also break water…? Day 31 in the morning I saw the tiniest amount of blood on a leaf below her hutch. There were till no nesting materials (which led to exposure and death for the last kits), I decided to pull some cotton from an old pillow for insulation in case she did not get her act together. Then I left for work. Luckily, my very generous neighbors, Arin and son Harper, agreed to check on Lisa through out the day. Apparently by about 3PM Lisa was in her next box breathing rapidly and moving things around. By 6PM when I arrived to check on them I saw the lovely sight of a next box full of rabbit fur. She did it!

Lo and behold, the fur was moving! I reached in and found a nest full of fresh closed eyed kits. She kindled 10, 8 survived. This is fairly normal as a full healthy litter is 8, one for each teat. After that there is competition for food and its draining on the doe.

Its been a week since and the kits are growing quickly. They are filling out with fur. Their ears are becoming more pronounced and their eyes are open. They are in essence insanely cute. I check on Lisa at least twice a day now. She is very hungry and thirsty these days since she is feeding her young. She has been consuming nearly double her usual amounts. This is important to know for calculating costs of keeping larger meat bunnies. The kits are becoming more mobile but since their dominant motion is hopping, when I move aside nesting materials I am entertained by the site of what looks like big grey Mexican Jumping Beans bouncing straight up. Interestingly, the kits also make squeaky sounds.

Listening to me cooing over the cuteness of the kit, my husband attempted to admonish me for having the intent of eating these rabbits. He asked if the really cute one I’m holding would be the first one I’ll eat. I think his intention was to demonstrate a disconnect between loving an animal, caring for it, thinking it is cute and then killing it for food. This is coming from the man that has eaten meat on and off in his life for decades. The last stint prompted after a month in India at which point he declared he craved raw beef. But this is a blog about urban farming, not contradictions. So lets suffice it to say I don’t see things this way. I see raising my own animals as being intimately aware of what it does in fact mean to eat meat, that is, an animal dies. With that reality, I choose to eat meat but to do so in way that feels honest. Besides, I have no idea if this kit once grown to full size will be “the first” as they all kind of look alike and the probability I guess is 1 out of 8…so a 13% chance. It doesn’t make the little bunbun less cute…are cows not beautiful?

*Kindle means when the doe goes into labor.

A recent brief interview with Chow writer Helena Echlin led to the following article:

About That Rabbit Slaughter Last Night …

The etiquette of urban homesteading

By Helena Echlin

It’s increasingly common for people to keep chickens and bees in their backyards (not to mention rabbits, goats, and pigs). But it isn’t always appreciated by one’s neighbors. I interviewed some urban farmers and got the scoop on their three biggest etiquette challenges.

1. Should you ask neighbors’ permission to keep critters?

Absolutely not, insists Cameo Wood, owner of Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper. Misplaced fears may lead them to refuse. For instance, people often wrongly claim they are allergic to bees, says Wood, though this is true only of .01 percent of the population.

One beekeeper she knows made the mistake of consulting the neighbors first. “[They] said everyone in their family would go into anaphylactic shock if stung. They said she was basically trying to kill their family, and they were going to call the police and the fire department and throw ant bombs into her yard.”

People are also afraid that bees will infest their gardens or worse, swarm and attack. In fact, bees typically like to forage further afield than next door, says Wood. And, explains Andrew Coté, who has 35 beehives in Manhattan and Brooklyn, bees look scary when they’re swarming in a giant clump while searching for a new place to build a hive, but they’re actually at their least dangerous then. “Since they have left their old hive, they have nothing to defend.”

Bees aren’t the only species to be misunderstood. Esperanza Pallana, who keeps rabbits and chickens and other poultry in her Oakland backyard, says: ” A lot of people think birds are dirty and carry disease.” One of her ducks escaped, only to materialize inside the local 7-11. A panicked employee called the police. “People are so disconnected from animals and nature, they don’t know what may or may not harm them,” says Pallana.

The answer is to keep your urban farm on the down low while installing it. Once people realize that your chickens haven’t given them avian flu and your bees aren’t interested in mauling their toddler, they’ll be more likely to accept your activities.

2. How do you avoid upsetting the neighbors if you’re slaughtering livestock in your backyard?

Slaughtering a rabbit is like watching porn. Your neighbors may not have a problem with it on an intellectual level, but they certainly do not want to see—or hear—you doing it. K. Ruby Blume, founder and director of the Oakland Institute of Urban Homesteading, says she kills rabbits in parts of her yard that the neighbors can’t see into and puts up a tarp if necessary. Thankfully, if you do it right, slaughtering shouldn’t create a lot of noise or smell. According to Pallana, “If you hear the noise of an animal in pain, something has gone terribly wrong.”

3. What’s the best way to placate neighbors who complain?

Make concessions if you can, even if you think their complaint is unjustified. That makes them feel heard. A neighbor of Blume’s was convinced her bees were ruining his barbecues and invading his house. In fact, the troublesome insects were wasps. Nonetheless, Blume mollified him by turning her hive to face away from his yard (bees fly in the direction their door faces).

Distribute the fruits of your labor. “I give people honey and eggs,” says Pallana. “If I have meat, or preserves and pickles, I will share them.”

Or, once your farming is going nicely, invite the neighbors over and give them a tour. Thomas Kriese, creator of the blog Urban Chickens, received complaints about noise when he first got his two birds. “They sing an egg song when they lay an egg. It can be just a couple clucks or a real ‘ca-caw’ that is audible over several yards.” Eventually, people got used to the noise, but visits definitely helped improve neighborly relations, Kriese says. Letting kids pet your chickens or giving them an impromptu lesson about where eggs come from can help placate their parents.

Follow the urban farmer’s code of etiquette and eventually, your neighbors may even come to enjoy pitching in when you’re out of town, says Kriese. “It’s much easier to get a chicken sitter than a dog sitter.”

So I really did mean to write about the Oakland Food Policy Committee. Great group. Good thinkers, visionary and practical with a nice infusion of wit. However, time slipped away and by now I have attended my pig class. Luckily a nice write up was done of the OFPC, click here to read.

OK- about pigs. A good friend and convert to urban farming, Conan, introduced me to TLC Ranch where they “work to raise healthy animals using beyond organic practices, to steward natural resources upon which we [all] depend, and to nourish people with incredible tasting food. [They] work to not only sell you products, but to educate you about animal husbandry practices.”

I pulled into the driveway of one of the TLC locations (apparently there are two) a 28 acre parcel where the farmers, Jim and Rebecca, reside with their child. Stepping out of my car I was greeted by a farm dog and sent a loose flock of chickens scattering. Two large pig pens were within sight. Large sows and a boar (uncastrated male) were lumbering around followed by clusters of colorful piglets.

In the distance was what looked like a well built lean-to with metal tables, a rope and pulley, a large metal drum, and a couple of men- an idyllic staging for what I had driven all the out to Aromas for, a pig slaughter. The two men turned out to be Jim Dunlop, farmer and co-owner of TLC Ranch and Lorin, charcutier and owner of Rib King Barbeque. They were boiling water in the large drum for when we would later dip the pig to remove hair and scurf.

My original purpose in attending the class was in preparation for a boar hunt I am determined to do. Luckily, the set up Jim and Lorin had were using tools that were designed to be portable for hunting, such a the below gambrel and pulley. The set up was surprisingly simple.

The small group attending gathered for introductions. It was a surprising mix of urban and suburban attendees (though this would be a tough activity in a suburban setting. all I have to say about that is lawn furniture).

Jim explained the ages, stages and diet of the pigs. The boar that would be killed and butchered was seven months and had fed on a diet of grain, pumpkins, and other produce. The boar was waiting in a trailer he was accustomed to travel in. The pigs go between farms to be fed different produce so the trailer is a welcome sight to them.

Jim offered the boar a last meal of kiwis and used a .22 caliber rifle pointed at the imaginary X crossing from ears to eyes. Jim shot and the pig was immediately down. No noise, no struggle. I’ll say now, I am posting limited photos of the postmortem pig. It was a solemn event that is by my values to be witnessed if one eats pig, but perhaps not viewed on a public forum.

The next step was to bleed the animal so Jim made a vertical incision just under the chin about 4 inches in length. He then reached through the incision and severed the jugular and carotid veins and inverted the pig. From there we schlepped the carcass to the 50 gallon drum of water at 150F to dunk and scald the outer skin. Lorin added soap to the drum at this stage to rinse the animal.

The scalding took three to five minutes at which point we got to work with bell scrapers to remove the hair (apparently boars are hairier than castrated males) and scurf.

Tough hair and facial hair was shaven off with a straight edged razor. Remaining hair was burned off with a torch.

At this stage the carcass and table were rinsed off and “dressing” begun. I recently watched a hunting education video on field dressing a boar. They had a different method. I am not sure what the benefit is in the way we did it (seemed a bit harder).

However, in both cases, the first thing to do is remove the pizzle. Jim did this to demonstrate that you have to “tease the pizzle” to remove any urine as boars have a strong musk in their urine is persistent and unpleasant if it contaminates the meat. So he grabbed hold and milked the urine out while spraying it away lightly with a garden hose. Once done, with light slices we cut down to the testicles and open the scrotal sac. With this done, an incision was made around the anus to loosen it and the rectum from the carcass.

We next sawed the sternum to access the upper cavity of the carcass. This is an apparently delicate process as you do not want to over exert pressure and cut through abdominal wall. This cut was made to align with the initial incision made along the neck.

Once this was done, the large tendons that run just behind the hind hooves were hooked to the gambrel and the boar was hoisted.

This last step of dressing was to neatly slice open the remaining skin/muscle between the upper and lower cuts made. The method Jim used was more about demonstration than efficiency. The linked field dressing video had a great method of covering the tip of the knife with your finger. Inserting the knife into the cavity and with your finger still over the point cutting along the abdominal cavity from the inside. With this last incision, gravity and light pulling does the rest of the work.

What you have left is a clean carcass with a head. After making a cut to severe the muscle of the head, Brian stepped in to do the last deed of snapping it off.

What we had at this point resembled what you can find at a butcher’s. The last cut for this portion of the class was made in sawing the carcass in two.

The carcass was rinsed. The class washed off and took a lunch break which featured the Rib Kings pulled pork sandwiches. After lunch we started the butchering for culinary use. Since I have covered this topic in my posts on the Poetry and Science of Meat and Pig Butchery, Among Other Things. I will say that in comparing cost of class and gained experience, I found the TLC class worth while since it was hands on. What I did gain from the 18 Reasons class on pig butchery was culinary preparations of the meat cuts (and seeing Morgan Maki in action which was great). We did not have time to discuss that at TLC.

The class was very straight forward, as are both Jim and Lorin. However, if you’d like to read an amazing post on the heritage of a pig preparing ritual, read Linda Colwell’s piece, Pig Kill.