|
Ontario finally bans pop and chips from school vending machines (pg. 4)
|
View this Thread in Original format
| DigiNut |
I really don't agree with this ban, but it's a huge grey area when you're dealing with minors. Kids, especially small children, aren't really considered by law to have the same rights or freedom of choice that adults do, and parents really can't control what their kids do in school, so to that extent I can understand why it's important for the schools to properly supervise the kids.
Having said that, it DOES annoy me that society wastes its time on things like this when there are so many more important issues to worry about. |
|
|
| ShadoWolf |
| Quiznos is next. :stongue: |
|
|
| MarkT |
saying "I ate crap in high school and I'm fine" is...silly. That's like someone's grandfather saying "I smoked 2 packs a day for 50 years and I feel fine". that's great. you're fortunate. personally, I rather not leave things like health up to chance.
Kids...a tricky situation...they're not adults, so the "freedom to choose" argument holds less weight with me. We restrict all kinds of behaviour for kids at various ages, so restricting behaviour/choice *in and of itself* is not a problem, IMHO.
However...the end rarely (if ever) justifies the means...so just because kids are potentially "better off" because of the junk food machine ban isn't a good enough reason for this decision either.
The way I see things, it comes down to whether or not gov't and/or schools "ought" to be able to regulate this issue...and if so, at what level are those decisions made (city, province, individual school, etc). In the interest of fairness, since kids are often stuck going to their area school, I think a uniform policy across the board is better than leaving it up to individual boards or schools.
I think the gov't is within the scope of its mandate to ban pop and junk food machines in schools. Kids have a legal right to be educated...but I think it's safe to say that they don't have a right to be able to buy chips and pop at school. Most schools are not private institutions...they are publicly funded and regulated, so I don't have a problem with the gov't regulating what can and can't be sold to kids there...just as I have no problem with Coke or Nike not being allowed to put up advertising throughout schools.
Now if they start regulating what kids BRING to schools...then I have a problem. That's just ridiculous.
Of course this isn't a "solution", but I think the gov't is justified in it's decision. Those are two different issues. Most good solutions aren't short-sighted, band-aid decisions like this one. A real solution would be mandatory, intensive health education EVERY year, ALL year long...with significant study time devoted to nutrition, healthy food preparation, disease prevention, drug/alcohol/sex ed., etc.
Schools also need to get a bit more creative about raising extra money...and the gov't need to step up with funding that provides more than just the minimal basic necessities to run the school. |
|
|
| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
Of course this isn't a "solution", but I think the gov't is justified in it's decision. Those are two different issues. Most good solutions aren't short-sighted, band-aid decisions like this one. A real solution would be mandatory, intensive health education EVERY year, ALL year long...with significant study time devoted to nutrition, healthy food preparation, disease prevention, drug/alcohol/sex ed., etc. |
That brings up some of its own issues, too... since there are so many differing opinions on topics such as nutrition, I think it would be really hard to mandate a program.
Then again, the government has no problem mandating left-slanted history, sociology and economics programs, so they could just take the same approach to the nutrition issue (i.e. a half-assed one :p). |
|
|
| Nemireck |
| quote: | Originally posted by Rodrico
You know what, this is really a moot point until we have some statistics of obesity, instead of generalizing about how many people are fat in this country, and how many kids NEED to have phys. ed. 3 times a week. Atleast with the stats we can actually make up a real argument here. Right now, all of us are working on speculation. :p |
The last stats I saw (last week sometime) Put 22 or 23 percent of all kids in the obese range. |
|
|
| Rodrico |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nemireck
The last stats I saw (last week sometime) Put 22 or 23 percent of all kids in the obese range. |
ouch, that's pretty high. |
|
|
| Nemireck |
| quote: | Originally posted by Rodrico
ouch, that's pretty high. |
In the States it's more than 33% |
|
|
| Skipper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nemireck
The last stats I saw (last week sometime) Put 22 or 23 percent of all kids in the obese range. |
This scares me.
I'm glad this ban went into effect. It's not a total solution, like Mark T said, but it's something. |
|
|
| rabbitjoker |
| The old hag from Hansel and Gretel would be so upset with this... |
|
|
| Jayx1 |
It's no solution at all. It won't help either. All it is is a symbolic scheme to make it look like they are doing something about it.
Its nothing but a political ploy and you are all falling right into it. |
|
|
| Nemireck |
| I would have agreed with you... about a week ago. But then I watched Supersize Me... and my mind was changed. But then I thought to myself "Hey... he also stopped doing any physical activity... no he's gonna get fat." Just make those fatties get up and run dammit! |
|
|
| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nemireck
Just make those gets get up and run dammit! |
Exactly.
I have a solution for pudgy kids and rising electricity costs:
Instead of gym class, get the kids to run in a hamster wheel connected to a generator for 10 minutes a day.
80,000 elementary students x 10 minutes a day = 800,000 minutes of electricity generation each and every school day!!!
Not only will our power costs go down - but the kids will become little "pump you up" Arnies...
... Jesus, I should get paid to consult or something. This is way too easy. |
|
|
|
|
