These two texts written by Margo G. Wootan and Robert Liodice were fun to read. The reason they were so entertaining was that they completely stood on opposite sides of the topic. Wootan called for strict regulations that companies involved in food should follow when advertising to children. In contrast, Liodice believes that companies have the right to use their freedom of speech in any manner they like. He suggested it is not the company's fault for all the obesity in this country but the fault lies in parents, teachers, and other authority figures that do not suggest healthy eating. These arguments placed me in an awkward mind set because I seemed to agree with both. However, I do think Liodice had a slightly better argument because if we restrict one type of advertisement then soon we will have to restrict other types as well. This I believe will hinder the thought of freedom of speech since a lot of things will be band from saying or doing. I think that Liodice feels the same way because he believes that the freedom of speech is an essential part of living, breathing, and growing up in AMERICA.
Heisenberg
Hello Heisenberg!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that this article brought up the issues of agreeing with both Wootan and Liodice. It is important to me, as it seems like it is important to you as well, that children should be brought up in a way that they are taken care of and encouraged to live healthy. It would be ideal for all children to be happy, healthy, and get the nutritional balance that they need, however we are not in an idealistic world. Yes, marketing strategies make junk food look delicious and appealing however, it is not the marketer’s fault if a family uses junk as a primary source of food. I think that personal responsibility should be taken, rather then strict regulations set in place by the government.