Stardate 20010831.1508 (On Screen): You know, considering that a lot of kids are forced to sit in class and watch (and pay attention to!) two minutes of television advertising every day, this whole business strikes me as posturing. General Mills was going to pay a handful of teachers in Minnesota to drive cars painted with the logo for a brand of breakfast cereal. Gee, whiz! After a lot of righteous indignation, General Mills cancelled the program. Listen to this quote from Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert:
"Why would an elementary school teacher want to peddle junk food to vulnerable, impressionable children?" asked Ruskin. "Teachers are public servants, and because of their positions they hold the public trust. This violates that trust." They're
already peddling cereal to those kids, not to mention jeans and tennis shoes and toys and soft drinks, but until now the teachers haven't gotten a cut in the take. I fully sympathize with the teachers on this one; considering how well (or badly) they're generally paid, if I were one of them I'd have gone after this offer like a striking snake. This was no different than
Channel One, except in as much as who got paid.
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