Would You Like Words With That?

I've of two minds on this.

On one hand, I love the idea of books being made available to kids, especially as part of something as inexpensive (and popular) as a McDonald's Kids Meal.

On the other hand, I wish that the fat-laden hamburgers and McNuggets they're putting in those meals came with something a little less sedentary. Like a jump rope.

Oh my god!!! My daughter will LOVE this.


Edit to add: we go to McD's once a week or so for a treat, and she's a massive book fan. best of both worlds.

Great idea. Anything that encourages kids to read is a Good Thing.

Yo, Mickie D! I'm willing to do some great product placements for you in my next book....

ChaosTitan said:

I've of two minds on this.

On one hand, I love the idea of books being made available to kids, especially as part of something as inexpensive (and popular) as a McDonald's Kids Meal.

On the other hand, I wish that the fat-laden hamburgers and McNuggets they're putting in those meals came with something a little less sedentary. Like a jump rope.

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Bold mine.

This is what I was thinking.

But, if they're going to sit around anyway, books are a zillion times better than video games, IMO.

Love this idea.

But gotta say I agree with ChaosTitan that a jump rope would be an excellent idea.

Consider this equation: negligent parents + normal klutzy kids + jump rope = stubbed toes, broken ankles, or possibly strangled kids. Which equals, in the long run, a few lawsuits. I agree with the principle of getting kids active again, but I can see where today's lazy and litigious society would certainly abuse it.

Kudos on the books, though.

Filigree said:

Consider this equation: negligent parents + normal klutzy kids + jump rope = stubbed toes, broken ankles, or possibly strangled kids.

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I think that's a great idea! A bit of brain nourishment on the side is better than no nourishment at all (the latter part already being taken up by the Happy meal itself).

I think it's up to the parents and not the food industry to provide physical activity for their kids. And to make decisions on what they eat.

There is no mystery in the type of products McDonalds sells. If they are going to include give-a-ways in their happy meals, books are a wonderful idea. Even if the they go unread, they will decompose long before the plastic crap toys that head straight for the landfills of the world.

It's all a marketing ploy. When I was hired at McDonalds they were very indoctrinating of the concept of making "life-long customers," meaning kids. The actual wording in the hire documents were quite upsetting to me, as the implications were vastly damaging to American youth.

I would boycott this idea. You can get books for close to nothing at library book sales, and can borrow them for free from the very same library. I'd rather my kid eat the food that will make their brains able to process prose. I'll fork out a few bucks and buy them the damn books.

Disgusting.

Filigree said:

Consider this equation: negligent parents + normal klutzy kids + jump rope = stubbed toes, broken ankles, or possibly strangled kids. Which equals, in the long run, a few lawsuits. I agree with the principle of getting kids active again, but I can see where today's lazy and litigious society would certainly abuse it.

Kudos on the books, though.

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I think at one point they handed out step-counters (or maybe calorie counters) for running or jogging? Man, the numbers you'd have to put on that thing to make up for the meal...

I wish they did an adult version of a happy meal.

The Lonely One said:

It's all a marketing ploy. When I was hired at McDonalds they were very indoctrinating of the concept of making "life-long customers," meaning kids. The actual wording in the hire documents were quite upsetting to me, as the implications were vastly damaging to American youth.

I would boycott this idea. You can get books for close to nothing at library book sales, and can borrow them for free from the very same library. I'd rather my kid eat the food that will make their brains able to process prose. I'll fork out a few bucks and buy them the damn books.

Disgusting.

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Who cares? Parents aren't going to take kids to McDonald's just to get free books with a Happy Meal. Parents take kids to McDonald's because that where the kids want to eat, and the parents think it's fine. Really, is any parent going to say, "You know, Happy Meals are terribly unhealthy, and I've never let my kids eat them, but now they come with books! Wow, unhealthy or not, we're going to McDonald's."

Parents who don't want their kids eating at McDonald's just have to say no. Then this won't affect them at all. Parents who think it's fine for their kids to eat at McDonald's are going to take them anyway, books or no books. At least this way they get books.

My kids grew up eating at McDonald's, and they process prose just fine. All three were reading at high college level before they entered high school, and not one of the three is overweight.

It isn't McDonald's food that makes kids overweight, it's lack of exercise, largely because too many parents let their kids sit playing games all day, rather than getting out and doing things. How many calories you eat isn't the problem. How many calories you burn is. Without proper exercise, there is no such thing as a healthy diet.

The message is, "No way will I let you eat a Happy Meal. Now shut up about it, and go play another video game."

What McDonald's serves isn't really food. You can exercise all day and night and you'll still be sick and fat. Pass out nutrition books to these kids

Jamesaritchie said:

It isn't McDonald's food that makes kids overweight, it's lack of exercise, largely because too many parents let their kids sit playing games all day, rather than getting out and doing things. How many calories you eat isn't the problem. How many calories you burn is. Without proper exercise, there is no such thing as a healthy diet.

The message is, "No way will I let you eat a Happy Meal. Now shut up about it, and go play another video game."

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Actually, it's the difference between how many calories you consume and how many you burn up. Eating less or exercising more will both have a positive impact on your weight - within limits, obviously. Eating nothing and lazing around is never going to be healthy. It's about balancing the two factors.
Also, books are every bit as lazy as video games.

Everything in moderation.

I don't see the problem with having something like McD's occassionally, any more than I see a problem with having the odd glass of wine, or a bar of chocolate.

Obviously if a person was eating nothing BUT McD's that would be an issue, but as a treat or an occassional thing it's fine.

Jamesaritchie said:

Who cares? Parents aren't going to take kids to McDonald's just to get free books with a Happy Meal. Parents take kids to McDonald's because that where the kids want to eat, and the parents think it's fine. Really, is any parent going to say, "You know, Happy Meals are terribly unhealthy, and I've never let my kids eat them, but now they come with books! Wow, unhealthy or not, we're going to McDonald's."

Parents who don't want their kids eating at McDonald's just have to say no. Then this won't affect them at all. Parents who think it's fine for their kids to eat at McDonald's are going to take them anyway, books or no books. At least this way they get books.

My kids grew up eating at McDonald's, and they process prose just fine. All three were reading at high college level before they entered high school, and not one of the three is overweight.

It isn't McDonald's food that makes kids overweight, it's lack of exercise, largely because too many parents let their kids sit playing games all day, rather than getting out and doing things. How many calories you eat isn't the problem. How many calories you burn is. Without proper exercise, there is no such thing as a healthy diet.

The message is, "No way will I let you eat a Happy Meal. Now shut up about it, and go play another video game."

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I ate McDonalds as well. But I assume you also fed your kids vegetables. There are far too many parents taking their kids there constantly in replacement of actual meals, because it's easier and because they get accustomed to the ease with which McDonalds and like companies are set up to attract customers.

I guess if you get a bottle of cyanide and a book, the book still has value. But maybe the publisher should choose their business ventures with more forethought. It's just odd to me because the two are vastly contrasting cultural symbols. Fast food as the negative effects of unchecked industrial growth and obesity in the U.S., the lack of regulation over food processing, and lopsided wealth distribution. The other of gaining the exact kind of knowledge that would steer one against those very cultural effects.

It just makes me laugh. How can the two things be coupled together? It's very capitalistic and not the kinds of reasons I write, personally.

Also, if your entire diet is McDonalds exercise seems pretty dangerous to me. A heart attack seems entirely plausible.

shaldna said:

Everything in moderation.

I don't see the problem with having something like McD's occassionally, any more than I see a problem with having the odd glass of wine, or a bar of chocolate.

Obviously if a person was eating nothing BUT McD's that would be an issue, but as a treat or an occassional thing it's fine.

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Yes, I agree. And that is why I appreciate that alcohol advertisements often encourage consumers to drink responsibly. McDonald's, however, portrays itself as a regular restaurant you can eat at every day, when in fact, it isn't. It's a treat.

Jamesaritchie said:

Parents who think it's fine for their kids to eat at McDonald's are going to take them anyway, books or no books. At least this way they get books.

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This. I don't think McD's offering books will cause more people who didn't already eat at McD's to eat there. So if they offer books instead of plastic toys or stickers, great.

Celia Cyanide said:

Yes, I agree. And that is why I appreciate that alcohol advertisements often encourage consumers to drink responsibly. McDonald's, however, portrays itself as a regular restaurant you can eat at every day, when in fact, it isn't. It's a treat.

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I think you have to have that moderation warning on alcohol ads now - here anyway you have to have teh 'drink aware' notice on them - just like the warning you have to have on cigarettes.

I've noticed now that McD's are listing calories etc on all their products - even on the order board beside the names, so you can see exactly what you're getting. I think this is a good thing because a lot of people have no idea how many calories are in a Big Mac, or even a milkshake.

Wayne K said:

What McDonald's serves isn't really food. You can exercise all day and night and you'll still be sick and fat. Pass out nutrition books to these kids

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There was a photographer who took a picture of a happy meal every day for six months to chronicle what would happen to it. Basically nothing. The fries dried out, but other than that the meal remained pretty much the same as it had been fresh.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...t-Sally-Davies-shows-sign-mould-6-months.html

We never go near McDonald's or places like it, but at the kids' school they have Treasure Box. The kids turn in the "treasure" they get (and don't want) and when they're good, they get to pick something they do want. Often there're little books in there--I think Chick Fil A (sp?) did them for a while. My kids love those.

It seems like an attempt to gain the interests of people who aren't part of McDonalds' demographic (by which I mean constant patrons) i.e. intelligent, while at the same time getting books out to a wider audience by any means possible. No actual good intentions except how they are directly correlated to $.

Can I start one of these? Pledge not to eat a happy meal for a month and I'll send a free book (once I publish one).

Buy a pack of carrots and I'll throw in a bunny rabbit to share them with.

Also, re:kids, I don't know that they actually have a choice where they eat at a young age. Like I said, McDonalds tries very hard to get kids addicted to their food at a young age. The free book is just another attempt at that. It's confusing to parents because it correlates something good with something that honestly just isn't. Not every parent wants their kid to get a toy every time they go out, thus they might not go for a happy meal at McDonalds. But when the kid asks for it, and there's a book involved?

See where I'm going with this? I think people should at least consider the politics McDee's doesn't even bother to hide anymore. Yes, our food will kill you. But your kids will love it, and you want it because it's easy and cheap. You can get healthy food from us, but the price will deter you to the dollar menu burger.

I think I might go buy a happy meal and then hand the food back to the woman at the window. "No, I just wanted the book."

If there was a health food shop that did drive-thru I would be all over that. Alas, there is not, so the kids stay securely belted in and McDonalds gets my business when we have to eat on the run.

I used to live near a drive thru Subway that was right next to a drive thru Seattle's Best. Neither place gave me a free book.