TV & Mixed Media Messages

Yesterday afternoon I was channel surfing and stopped on the BBC station for a few minutes. There was a show about health and dieting called "You Are What You Eat", so I thought I would watch it for a few minutes.

The "holistic" nutritionist was in the home of a family trying to help them learn to eat better. The parents and their three children were all overweight and/or obese and had volunteered for this food and lifestyle make-over.

The nutritionist had just finished going through their pantry and was now reviewing what they family of four consumed in a week. The nutritionist’s main point to the family was their diets were nothing but highly processed and refined junk food, made up mostly of white flour, white sugar, salt, fat and processed meat.

She picked up some white bread and squeezed it in her scolding them on how bad it was. She picked up a can of food out of their pantry and said it was nothing but chemicals and preservatives. Then she pointed out some processed meats and again scolded them on how bad that was to eat.

Then, came commercial time.

:)

The commercial was for Manwich Canned Sloppy Joe Sauce. Do you, remember the jingle?

"Momma don't ya make me another meatloaf,

forget the Mac 'n' Cheese.

I want some fun piled on a bun,

I want a Manwich please. "

Manwich 

A can of Manwich contains tomato sauce that you add cooked ground beef in a skillet and then served on a hamburger bun. It is marketed as a quick and easy one-pan meal for the whole family. Of course, if someone wanted to be healthy, they could substitute ground turkey for the ground beef. (sic)

I can't think of a better example of a highly processed and refined junk food, made up mostly of white flour, white sugar, salt and fat.  Is this irony or absurdity? 

It's neither. It is very sad.

In addition, the commercial was a much higher quality production (and more fun to watch) then the TV show.

And then they wonder why we are losing the battle against obesity?

"If the game is lost, then we're all the same

No one left to place or take the blame

We will leave this place an empty stone

Or that shining ball of blue we call our home

So, the kids, they dance, they shake their bones

And the politicians throwing stones

Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down

Ashes, ashes, all fall down"

In Health Jeff