I am not sure what to make of this article about a Sacramento mother who, along with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is part of a lawsuit against McDonald’s to get them stop using toys to market meals to young children.
Monet Parham said she is upset that her children request McDonald’s food after seeing the company’s ads.
My son requested an Apple iPad for Christmas, should I sue Apple for making them so darn handy? I mean, 9.7 inches of Bejeweled goodness. I am not made of wood you know.
They claim McDonald’s decision to markets its meals directly to young children violates several consumer protection laws because it exploits a child’s vulnerability.
A child’s vulnerability? To play with toys and crave French fries? How about the cereal aisle at the supermarket? The positioning of those sugary-sweet-teeth-rotters exploits a child’s vulnerability to not see anything above 4 feet, right?
From the CSPI artcle…
“I am concerned about the health of my children and feel that McDonald’s should be a very limited part of their diet and their childhood experience,†Parham said. “But as other busy, working moms and dads know, we have to say ‘no’ to our young children so many times, and McDonald’s makes that so much harder to do. I object to the fact that McDonald’s is getting into my kids’ heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat.â€
This just boils down to the point that, as parents, it is our job to not take our children to McDonald’s if we are against their marketing antics. No matter how many times we have to say no, right?
I did enjoy the positioning of the McDonald’s ad on the KCRA page though. Mmmm, double cheeseburger. What were we upset about again?
The Sac Rag 
How many bazillion times has this happened, and does anything ever come of it? Nice to at least get a local angle this time.
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Very true, roger, very true.
I just enjoyed the quotes on this one and that an “center for science” is backing it.
Always glad to hear from you, btw. Been quite lately.
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Nice article about this from sacmidtown.com.
I still like my photo of Jackie Chiles though.
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No one ever sues for money- it’s always for the principle of the thing. The money awarded is just a nice bonus.
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I don’t think these kids are walking to McDonalds alone and buying happy meals, are they? Doesn’t liberty include the option to make unhealthy meal choices for our children?
That’s it… I’m gonna open a restaurant where the only thing on the menu will be a breaded and deep-fried piece of lard in the shape of Mickey Mouse.
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These suits always crack me up. Trust me, it’s not the crappy toy that’s making your child want McDonalds french fries, it’s the french fries that make them want french fries. I submit the court should take judicial notice that dunking potatoes in hot frying oil and then smothering them with salt is intrinsically desirable as even a child can attest.
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