Gypsynan

One of the things thatone learns after living in the West, is that society there is pretty conformist! And being members of a consumer society is what marks them as completely diferent from those in the third world. This is not what you normally think of the Lands of Freedom and Individuality. But strangely enough, getting along socially is a huge thing for People of European Origin in general. PEO parents would allow thir kids to do things that they may not approve of, (watch TV shows or playing video games or chatting online excessively), simply because they would not want their kids to be social outcasts or horrors, uncool. A non PEO parent would not stand for behavior they do not approve of and never feel conflicted about doing what they think is right for their kids (never mind if what they think is right is also wrong.

I was reminded of this from the following news report, in the NYT: based on recent research that says that additives lead to hyperactivity in kids. So a peditrician and head of some doctors association had this to say:

Even if it shows some increase in hyperactivity, is it clinically significant and does it impact the child’s life?” said Dr. Thomas Spencer, a specialist in Pediatric Psychopharmacology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Is it powerful enough that you want to ostracize your kid? It is very socially impacting if children can’t eat the things that their friends do.”

The above is an example of the kind of very powerful and truly evil forces that operate beneath the shiny externals of western society. As a marketing expert, I know that this is the most powerful argument against healthy foods possible in that society. Especially since I was also employed with a Pharma related industry lately, and know how aggressively the industry is pushing produts like Ritalin for ADD. In fact there have also been news reports of teachers insisting on Ritalin for undiagnosed but disruptive young students. And Dr. Spencer is either already associated with various special interest groups, or he is lobbying to be a lobbyist. Look at me saying what you want me to say on the NYT for free. Imagine how useful I could be if I was "rewarded" indirectly (their rules about paying doctors). Of course, I don't know the tragic truth is that he might truly believe that taking a risk for your child's health is worth the potential social payoff!

Of course, there is a whole movement towards organic foods etc. and there are educated parents who would make sure their kids eat healthy, but these are an elite minority. Schools aggressively court soda companies to "sponsor" them. Billions ae spent on selling to children, and then there are editorials against groups lobbying for healthy foods in schools - talking about how in democratic societies people have the right to make free choices. Except when billions are spent to communicate the sellers point of view, the choice is never free! And in a rich and free society the parents do not get to decide something as basic as what goes into their kids bodies.

Basically you don't need to be a bin ladin to understand how pervasively and insidiously corporates influence society out there.