Stupid, stupid, stupid! TV commercials and obesity.

So according to a new study, commercials are the reason for the TV / childhood obesity link.

Horseshit!

Here it is again: the overweight as victims. As if they have absolutely no control over themselves.  As if what we need is more flaccid and useless government involvement to save us from ourselves.

ALSO, the whole thing just misses the bloody point:

"television commercials for sweetened cereals, junk food and fast food chains probably had an insidious influence over a child’s food preferences. The more television commercials a child is exposed to, the more likely he or she will be to try those foods and want to continue eating them, which then increases risk for weight gain."

Can you say Epic Parenting FAIL?

None of these children is breaking open his piggy bank and sneaking down to the Piggly Wiggly to buy a box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs behind mum's back.  The children's PARENTS are buying this crap for them.

The bottom line is this: if you are so slack-twisted as to cave in to your kid's whingey demands for the latest sugary cereal or fast food meal to the detriment of his health, then you aught to be ashamed of yourself.  Period.

Dear US Government: stop throwing money at this problem everywhere but where it counts. The only way to combat childhood obesity is to cut the legs out from under the huge money-making scams of Industrial Agriculture and Big Pharma and target the root of the problem: MOTHERS.

From the moment she concieves, mom has the ultimate influence on her child. She pours HFCS into his veins inutero, she makes only a feeble attempt at breastfeeding and instead shoves a bottle of fake chemical crap into his wee mouth, she lets him stay up too late, watch too much telly, eat what he wants, rather than toeing the line and laying down the rules for his own good.

We need, all of us; bloggers, writers, pediatricians, hospital staff, DHEC, etc, to EDUCATE mothers on their influence and make them see how their decisions can be good ones.  Right now no one knows. Breastfeeding, for example, should be encouraged and flaunted, a joyous triumph of bonding and health rather than a "Oh, I guess I might try it ..." sort of thing.

We all need to aggressively talk about REAL good nutrition on blogs and Twitter, on bulletin boards and Facebook.  Mothers unite!  We could bring about real change.