Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Parenting Magazine FAIL

Back when I was having my window issue (see how I'm optimistically assuming my window issue is over? this is what gets me in trouble), I ordered some window-stoppers from a catalog online. When I was finishing the check-out process, I discovered that I got a bonus magazine subscription with my order. Woohoo! There were only two options, and I chose the one that looked like it would be more relevant when I finally get a kiddo.

I got the first issue the other day, and read it through last night. The first thing I noticed was the very cute white girl on the cover. Of course, if there is going to be only one kid on the cover, that kid has to be some race, excluding all others, and if there is a group of kids on the cover, and there are four of them in a rainbow of colors, it looks intentionally diverse, which doesn't help either. I get that. But every picture, with the possible exception of an ad or two, was of a cute white kid. Every one.

But that's not actually what got to me the most.

No, what got to me was the ad for the Corn Refiners Association (or something to that effect). High fructose corn syrup didn't make you obese; going back for thirds is what made you obese.

What is a parenting magazine doing accepting advertising from a lobbying group whose product HARMS CHILDREN. No, I am not going to go and do the research to find the reports that prove this. Yes, that is lazy and intellectually dishonest. But we all know that we should at least be trying to instill good nutritional habits in our kids. And high fructose corn syrup just doesn't fit in that equation.

I'm glad I'm not paying for the magazine.


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