Letter to Nickolodeon

Not sure how many of you have seen these PSA-type advertisements on Nickolodeon regarding food choice, portion control, etc. Apparently Former Prez Bill Clinton co-created this campaign with Nickolodeon due to the "national childhood obesity crisis", which to me is a fine example of one notable adult taking his lifelong hatred of his body / love of french fries to the next level after enduring a triple-bypass.

Personally I think we adults put way too much of our crap on children in general. They're not miniature adults, but proponents of consumerism (ie. Nickolodeon with it's two aisles full of toys and large selection of clothes/shoes/accessories with Nick characters on them in my local Target) would just love to make them that way, wouldn't they? And why not add to a rampant conditioning against fatties in the meantime!

So here's the letter I just wrote to Viacom International, Nick's parent company, which will likely never see it's way to Nick executives but hell... I had to get it off my chest.

ps. Yes, I watch Nick for Spongebob Squarepants thanks to Honey Bunny.

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To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in response to a Public Service Announcement seen on Nickolodeon, regarding portion control as it relates to pie. The PSA compares fat calories in pie against those in milk shakes and various other foods, and tells the viewer that it's okay to indulge in pie every once in awhile but not okay on a regular basis. Additionally, the last scene in this PSA states, "Don't let P-I-E turn you into a
P-I-G."

I find this particular PSA offensive, and the campaign overall to be bizarre. First of all, studies on childhood brain development show that children are not at all capable of making choices in the same fashion that adults are. You're asking a very young audience to absorb statistical information and formulate a decision to eat less sweets based on it which seems, frankly, ridiculous and misguided to this 33
year old viewer.

More importantly, I find the use of "P-I-G" to be extremely offensive towards fat populations. It's obvious that the young fat population is being targeted (and therefore marketed to) right now, with a large national campaign against childhood obesity. Being a fat child in America is hard enough as it is with teasing by peers and pressure to lose weight from all sorts of adult and authority figures. The last
thing fat children need is for young Nickolodeon viewers to become even more conditioned by a popular mass media outlet to call fat people "pig" or to make a blanket generalization that over-eating equals fat. There are plenty of children who over-eat but who aren't fat, due to genetics and other factors.

An example of PSA that works more effectively in targeting part of the PROBLEM of obesity rather than the POPULATION itself came later in this particualar Nickolodeon viewing session. Nickolodeon apparently donated bicycles to a small school in order to enrich their physical education program. The PSA showed scenes of children of all sizes enjoying a bike ride in their town, which is a strengths-based empowerment perspective. The use of the word "pig" is the polar opposite.

Sincerely,
[Zaftig Chick]
San Francisco, CA
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