Ohhh, me so hungry

Santa Clara County officials are proposing a ban of eliminating Happy Meal toys with high-calorie children’s meals. Unless fast-food restaurants can provide health alternatives, children may not be receiving toys in their food bags.

To fight the obesity epidemic in the United States, Supervisor Ken Yeager supports this proposed action. He claims that banning promotional toys will keep obesity levels down among children. The proposal states that unhealthy food includes any meal that has more than 485 calories and more than 600 mg of salt, sugar or fat.

However, it is unsure if this ban will be helpful or not because children can receive unhealthy meals at places besides fast-food restaurants. Schools and the home are a few of the many places that supposedly add to childhood obesity.

But, instead of blaming fast-food restaurants and vending machines for making children overweight, why is there no blame administered on parents? All I see on the news is blame of corporations and companies, never the person ultimately responsible for what goes into a child’s mouth.

Parents take children to fast-food restaurants. Parents give children money for soda and candy in school vending machines. They are as much responsible as these companies for the obesity epidemic.

Fast-food restaurants offer an easy, quick meal for busy people. There is no prep time or clean-up needed. You sit, order, and eat. Parents may be too busy, or lazy, to prepare a healthy meal for themselves and children after work and school, so McDonald’s is on the menu one night and Taco Bell the next.

I understand this is a problem the country is facing, but fault lies with the individual, not the whole. People do know what is right and wrong, so they can tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy food.

They are too lazy to take time out of their schedules to do anything about it, though. But after a long day at work, is it worth the effort to cook a healthy meal? Maybe yes or no, depending on the person speaking.

Another reason contributing to the obesity epidemic is lack of exercise. Adults and children can spend hours watching television or sitting at a computer playing games. Many video games are a sit-down activity, and those are highly popular among children.

Again, these games are bought by parents or children. Again, the individual can be blamed for the fatness of America. It is up to the individual to take care of his or her problems. It’s a strict mindset, and it will be a tough one to get out of.

If America really wants to get out of this fat funk, maybe more programs and education about food needs to happen rather than banning toys in Happy Meals. Ultimately, if you want someone to do something, you can’t just say “No.” There has to be reasons and examples how to fix a problem. The average American is dumb; we literally need things to be outlined for us on a plate.

Still, I’m not sure how effective this proposed ban will be if it passes in Santa Clara. Maybe it’s crazy; maybe this proposal will have some positives in the future. But, if fatty wants a burger, nothing will stand in his way of oozing calories and salty heaven.