As appalling as this story is, I almost find it hilarious that anyone is actually surprised. The McDonalds corporation has made Trillions sending their fat cell nuke rounds all over the world. The extent of McDonalds' influence on the perception of American Society was never more apparent then when I got an "American Pizza" in Venice. I nearly fell out of my seat laughing, when I saw that the pizza had on it Hot Dogs and French Fries. The waiter didn't understand the humor of it.
Although I am not going to even attempt to defend McDonalds as health food, (I sometimes like loosing battles, but that is rediculous) I am going to point out that some of the truely outraged should look at what is being served in some school lunch rooms. Guess what??? Grab a Big Mac and a Pepperoni Pizza from Dominos. What is worse is that this is frequently the healthy alternative food to what is being made by the school contractors.
I cannot find the episode again, but if you ever watch "The Biggest Looser," you will know exactly what I am referring to. The coaches went to school and found good that you had to blot with a napkin to get some of the grease off before attempting to eat it. Both coaches elected to skip lunch, which is one of the key principles they advocate against. When asking the lunch lady about it, she simply dismissed it as, "This is a business, and we are trying to make money. We have to sell what the kids will eat." All of this while schools are cutting PE left and right.
Perhaps we should view the whole McDonalds advertisement not as a problem, but as a symptom of a school system that is way off course. And, just maybe, the parents of these children who weigh more than me (I tip the scales at 207), should take a serious look at their own eating habits. Of course, given that I am on this site, maybe I am spouting off to the wrong group of people...
