Really?  Who is forcing parents to take their kids to McDonald's to fatten them up on greasy fast food just for a plastic trinket-toy?  Where is the personal responsibility?  Why does somebody have to file such a lawsuit in the first place?  I could maybe see it if McDonald's was going door to door dropping off happy meals at your doorstep for free, but c'mon now.

Again, your flawless logic overwhelms me.  I would never have thought of that.

 

/facepalm

/facepalm

/facepalm

 

 

 

 

 

 

I swear to god that pic is recycled in every fat kid article I read.

 

Woman's an idiot, lawsuit is ridiculous, pretty much sums it up for me. Your kids are fat because you stopped in the drive thru, ordered up your god damn happy meals (and probably a McRib for yourself), and shoved it down their fat little throats until they looked Rosie O'Donnell's pug.

 

But hey, personal responsibility is kind of outdated. It's not my fault, it's my kids' fault for wanting the food. But really, it's the food company's fault for MAKING THEIR PRODUCT APPEALING. Because marketing to a demographic is completely unethical.

 

/rant

While I don't agree with the lawsuit, and I think your children are your own responsibility, one can argue that McDonald's is marketing a potentially dangerous product to children. 

Now, the way this lawsuit is going about it is a little crazy, but the point can still be made. 

 

Nobody put a gun to your head and forced you/your family to go to Mc Donalds and get their food. You made a decision to take them there. You could have avoided it. It's not their (Mc Donalds) falt you/your family is fat slobs. Get over yourself.

It's all technical at this level. 

Because, when it comes down to it, as people say, it's your choice to bring your kid there or not. 

But, the technical things make it tricky. For one, it's advertised extremely heavy to appeal to children. Same thing when the government brought down the hammer on cigarette companies for using The Flintstones to advertise their new smokes. The law frowns upon using children to market a dangerous substance. 

Now, once you have that down, can one prove that the fat and sugar levels in a Happy Meal are dangerous to children? 

I don't really know.

But, like you said, it's all about the technicalities. 

Do you watch a lot of children's television? 

 

If you want to go the "dangerous product" route, you'll need to take into consideration that McD's does offer more healthy choices. You can sub apples slices for french fries, and lowfat milk for soda. I would imagine a 4nugget meal with apples and milk isn't much worse for you than the standard school lunch. Now if you are talking the Big Kids Meal with fries and a soda, yeah it's terrible for you. But it comes back to the parents.  Learn to say no to your kids.  I didn't watch the video, but would make a probably true assumption that the mother is a fat cow as well. And how often do you have to eat at McDonalds to let your kid get that fat? We eat at McD's MAYBE once a week. I let my kids eat whatever the hell they want, because between dance class, soccer, cheer class, basketball, cross country and general running around like a pack of monkeys, I know that they will easily burn off any excess calories they get from one freakin Happy Meal. Turn the tv off, sell the xbox and tell the kid to get the hell off his butt and do something. Problem is, the parents are probably sitting on the couch next to him downing a bag of Doritos and chugging on a 2 liter of Mountain Dew.

 

Agreed. parents need to learn to say no and lead by example.

To be fair, I was in band and we ran did sit-ups, push-ups, etc. Then on top of it we would march 4-5 miles, which is more than we ever did in PE.

And the irony of it is the fact that he isn't even from the US.

Also, I mean, I'm not a doctor or anything, but I'd bet that the kid is not that size from eating McDonald's alone. It looks like he could have a significant thyroid issue. 

A rehearsal with my high school marching band was more intense than anything I've seen in any PE class. The problem is that not all bands are like that. Some bands don't hold their students to high standards. I remember trying to get an instructor job at one school, and as I spoke with the guy about the show, he said "they'll be marching at 130 bpm, so they'll be movin'." http://www.metronomeonline.com/ - That tempo is a brisk walk , at best, and his programs have had only about 30 sets, meaning lots of stantstill time. I remember most of our shows reaching 160 bpm and sustaining that for quite a while, and we never had too many park and blow moments.

It pretty much means you have to get lucky wherever you go, especially regarding band. Also, they can't really discriminate by part, so the guys in the pit or the drum majors still get out of PE.

Our education system in general needs to boost its standards quite a bit. As far as PE goes, the most that was required of me was actually in middle school. They required us to run a lap around the track and they would record our times. We had to play some sort of sport during our time there. Many moons ago, they were much more strict about what had to be done. The last PE class I was in, the only requirements were to be in uniform and on our feet. The lazy among us would just walk around the basketball court in groups for an hour. People still sat around the edges of the courts or field and took the drop in credit because there was no real penalty.

McDonalds is not the criminal here. Their advertisements and the deliciousness of their food to the young person's palate are all a part of the moneymaking process. The problem is that kids become remarkably difficult to control when the craving kicks in, and even the best parents have difficulty controlling their kids in these situations. I remember once going absolutely crazy because my mom wouldn't take me. I threw a tantrum and puked, and I was not one to do such things for any other desire. I don't recall if they eventually took me, I just know that enough of that type of complaining drives parents crazy.

Parents need to be better at their jobs, but you can't really make that happen without some intense government intrusion. 

Probably didn't want to stunt his growth emotionally or developmentally.  

This.

The world needs more parents like you. Kids are soft nowadays.

Because I remember being in the latter when I was a really little kid. 

Hey!

Don't even get me started on this.

...oh wait...too late

What I wouldn't give to meet these sorry sons of bitc....I mean plaintiffs so I could give them all a good ol' fashion  Big Mac® Beat Down.

I can't really put into words what I think of these people, when I'd put my bottom dollar on the fact that damn near everyone of these obese kids' parents are full of Mc**edited** themselves...literally...and that's a lot of Mc**edited**...especially when you're having to wait in line behind 100 head of cattle so the docs can get an accurate weight measure.

It's always someone else's fault...seems that's the route everyone's taking nowadays...gone are the days of taking responsibility for one's own actions and exhibiting a bit of self-control...oh no...it's those evil corporations using there blasted mind control machines that make me do the things I do.

These are the F-ing people that are destroying this country...not just the fat***'s, but all those who refuse to take action for themselves...they are the one's that are crying for more government control here but then are the same people who are crying when someone else asks for more government control there.

We are living in the early years of the UUSSA.

Un-United Socialist States of America

It makes me truly sad knowing that my children will never know what it's really like to live in the "Land of the Free"...not that I really have myself...how unfortunate.

If people think it's bad now...just wait...these are good times compared to what's coming.

And no one else is to blame other than ourselves...and perhaps a truckload or two of corrupt politicians

If things are to change...change needs to happen now...so grab your torches and pitchforks and a gun or two or three...and lets get this done.

 this...now my BP is skyrocketing...I'm out for now...need to go get me a McFlurry to calm my nerves.

San Francisco recently passed a bill banning the toys. I know most people just say "parents should show control" but i think it honestly can't hurt to NOT have toys to go along with the meals. Maybe they should introduce healthier meals that have toys with them. Reinforce positive behavior, etc.