I have been a fan of McDonald’s for as long as I can remember. I can still recall when they first brought out the chicken mcnuggets, and they sold them in a package of six instead of a package of 10. I fondly remember the old happy meals, the styrofoam containers for the sandwiches, the McDLT, even the old McPizzas they used to make.
But the thing I remember best about McDonalds are the McDonald’s characters I grew up with. Grimace, the Fry Guys, the Hamburgler, Birdie, the McNugget buddies, and of course, the man in charge, Ronald McDonald.
And so I coooome to yoooou...with ooooopen aaaarms...
I remember Ronald best from the many commercials that featured him interacting with children, as well as his friends from McDonaldland. There were some classic commercials, perhaps the most classic would be the commercial that would air in the winter, in which a Ronald McDonald comes to the aid of a small child who has trouble ice skating. Ronald McDonald swoops in, scoops him up in his red and white striped arms, and not only teaches this child to skate, he almost teaches him to fly. The joy on the child’s face is unmistakeable, and almost seemed magical to me when I was a child.
Unfortunately, a group of busybodies called Corporate Accountability International wants McDonald’s to retire Ronald McDonald as part of their advertising campaign.
“For nearly 50 years McDonald’s and its iconic clown Ronald have hooked kids on unhealthy food, spurring a deadly epidemic,” they say. How ridiculous. Yes, we have an obesity problem in this country, but it isn’t an epidemic. For one, ‘epidemic’ is a medical term used for the outbreak of a disease. What is the pathogen exactly in the obesity ‘epidemic’? Trans-fats? Also, the obesity problem in this country is not all Ronald’s fault. Ronald isn’t driving these kids to the restaurant and shoving the food in their mouth.
Should kids be eating McDonald’s food every day? Of course not. But kids aren’t eating there because of the commercials. They are eating there because parents are taking them there, and because the food is cheap and tasty.
McDonald’s has responded and said that Ronald McDonald is a “beloved brand ambassador” for the fast-food chain. “He is the heart and soul of Ronald McDonald House Charities, which lends a helping hand to families in their time of need, particularly when families need to be near their critically-ill children in hospitals. In fact, 4 million children are helped every year around the world through the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Ronald also helps deliver messages to families on many important subjects such as safety, literacy, and the importance of physical activity and making balanced food choices.”
The CAI should stop clowning around and focus their efforts on stopping the obesity “epidemic” the only way that is going to work: stressing the importance of personal accountability.
