McHatin' It: #Momsnotlovinit
I will confess: In my lifetime, I have been to McDonald’s hundreds of times. I have fond memories of going to McDonald’s with my grandfather whenever he was in town. In fact, I loved those times with him so much that poems I’ve written about my grandfather include references to the burgers we used to get together.
And don’t get me started on Big Macs. I swear those things must be laced with something addicting — writers, bloggers, and the rest of the general public have suggested this for years. But, I do love a Big Mac, and that is the one sandwich I got whenever I went from the time I was able to drive myself until I stopped going to McDonald’s all together.
I stopped going a little over a year ago when the “pink slime” pictures started making their way around Facebook. I know that there is a lot of argument over whether or not those pictures are an accurate representation of what happens in the production of chicken for McDonald’s meals. It doesn’t matter. I was completely grossed out and haven’t patronized McDonald’s since.
This weekend, Jessica Gottlieb and other bloggers are asking McDonald’s to stop pushing advertising towards children. Why do you think my grandfather took us all the time? Because we loved going and wanted to get the toys in the Happy Meal, sit on the fancy seats, and play on the playground. I was never really fond of Ronald McDonald, but the commercials for McDonald’s always made it “the place to be.”
Over the years, McDonald’s has pointed their advertising in multiple ways — to older adults, to the “health” nut, to the younger crowd. Fine. Adults can make the conscious decision to go or not go to the restaurant. But, McDonald’s continues to aim their advertising attempts at children who don’t understand what they may end up eating and who will constantly “bug” mom and dad (or granddaddy) to take them.
My daughter even sits for at least one morning a year listening to Ronald McDonald. Why does he have to come to the elementary school to teach my daughter about the importance of reading? Smart move. Way to make my daughter and other kids associate your place with literacy, intelligence, and fun, Micky D’s. Good thing my daughter thinks that clown is a “kinda creepy and weird.”
Join me and other bloggers in asking McDonald’s to STOP focusing on children. You can share this post, share Jessica’s post, or even Tweet the information you find on the #MomsNotLovinIt Stop Corporate Abuse page. Here’s the Tweet they provide:
Tired of #RonaldMcDonald derailing your dinner plans? Tell @McDonalds that #MomsNotLovinIt (via @StopCorpAbuse) http://momsnotlovinit.org/
