Jessica

__Essay__
What do you think when you hear someone say "McDonald's"? Do you think tasty? Toys? Playground? Kids? Happy Meal? Well, I think everyone on earth would eventually think of the word unhealthy. No one wants to be unhealthy, but why do we still eat McDonald's? Well, I think the main problem is that we, kids, are being played! Ronald McDonald doesn't care about us! He cares about our parent's money! But how does he get us to THINK he cares about us? Simple; the problem is advertising. They show us a nice picture of a happy kid with his/her Happy Meal. But that's not all, he's willing to give us a free toy! Now, young kids might say "//Oh my goodness! A free toy! I want a Happy Meal! I want it now! Oh my goodness! MOM!//" Then, not wanting to disappoint her child, the mother heads to McDonald's, gets her kid a Happy Meal and starts walking out the door. But then she thinks, "//Wait, do I really want to go back home and make myself something to eat when I co//uld //get a tasty hamburger for only a dollar? I'm already here anyways!//" Nevertheless, she gets back in line, and gets herself something to eat, and then heads home with her child, the child's Happy Meal and of course, the new free toy (that will end up in the trash, eventually, anyways). And to think, all this started because Ronald McDonald promised a free toy to a child over the television. The McDonald's company is real smart, huh? So how could we stop this? Our obesity rates are going up, children like us all around the nation are becoming very unhealthy and mislead! Don't you think it's time for a change? Well, I have a pretty good solution. It's simple, nice, and easy! My solution is to stop advertising Happy Meals with a free toy.

Will changes in McDonald's advertising work? Will it make people more healthier? Well, this answer can't be found in the United States, but over in Germany, it can be! Germany has laws about advertising. One of these laws states that television advertisements cannot make minors go and do something that will risk their health. How does this relate to McDonald's food? Think about it; McDonald's is unhealthy, but a television advertisement is telling you to go buy a Happy Meal and get a free toy! So in a way, McDonald's is jeopardizing your health! But will this law make people become healthier? Well, if you take a look at the obesity rates, 30.6% of the United States population is obese. That's a lot!!! However, if you look at Germany's obesity rates, it's only 12.9%[3]. If you think about it, it's a huge difference. Why is ours so high compared to Germany? That brings me back to Germany's advertising law: TV advertisements can't make minors go do something that will risk their health[4]. The United States doesn't have that law! We need it! Don't you think if we had that law that people will be more healthy and our obesity rate can decrease?!?! It's so easy! All the facts are right in front of our face; why don't we do something useful with it?!?! It's like the United States and unhealthy advertising are having a staring contest and we're losing! The bad side is winning! If you don't advertise the Happy Meals with a free toy, no one will be tempted to buy it! This is exactly why my solution would work! So, let's top advertising Happy Meals with a free toy!



Why else would a change with advertising Happy Meals (with a free toy) work? Well, research shows that advertising, directed at children like us, works when they are shown during TV shows for kids. As I said earlier, McDonald's is an evil genius! They probably knew that fact before everyone else did! Therefore, they pay a lot of money to advertise their Happy Meals with a free toy during kid programming to make their ads work! And since kids watch a lot of TV, they see the ad and feel the fake desire for a Happy Meal, but they really feel the need for that toy included in the meal. If we stop these commercials that promise us satisfaction, happiness, and a free toy, our country will be healthier! The facts are right in our hands! We need to use logic and make inferences about our facts, like Greek philosopher Aristotle did ! Aristotle used facts to discover new facts. That's exactly what we have to do to make our country more healthy! We have to realize the problem before we start it! So if we stop putting these commercials, the kids won't see it, and they won't feel the need to get a Happy Meal and won't drag their parents to McDonald's so THEY could buy something too! This is why my solution, to stop advertising Happy Meals with a free toy, would work perfectly!



How could we stop this advertising? Not only kids like us are being effected, but adults are being effected too! I don't think they would be tempted to buy a Happy Meal, but their kids will buy one and they will get something as well since they are already at McDonald's! Well, I have a petition and a letter that might help. What I plan to do is have 250 people sign it. By signing this petition, you are "saying" that you feel that McDonald's should not be allowed so advertise Happy Meals. The letter states that we want the Happy Meal advertising completely gone! Then, I'll send it off to Nickelodeon (since they show a lot of McDonald's commercials), and wait for a response and a result. It's very simple. All I need you to do is sign. But keep in mind, if you do not agree with this you do not have to sign. It is up to you. No one is going to judge you or anything like that. I just want the best for our country and for our country to be happy and healthy! Maybe you could even tell your relatives not to fall for McDonald's advertisements. My fantastic solution is simple; just stop advertising Happy Meals with a free toy. My solution has support and will most likely make a huge difference. Remember, it only takes one person, one voice, and one signature, to make a huge difference. media type="custom" key="9682252"