Help, I'm being racially oppressed! By fatty foods!

[vaskidmark]

This is racial oppression?

http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/12/11/advertisers-target-blacks-with-fatty-food-messages/?icid=200100397x1215142538x1201000370

Advertisers Target Blacks With Fatty Food Messages
Posted Dec 11th 2008 12:00PM by Carmen Dixon
Filed under: BlackSpin, Health News, News

If you eat a lot of fat and chemical filled junk food, you step into a vicious cycle. And it appears, if you are black, food advertisers see you as an easy mark for just such a proposition. From the Los Angeles Times:

In a review of 22 studies published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers found that advertisers specifically target blacks with unhealthy food messages. In television and print, high-fat, high-calorie foods are more heavily promoted to blacks.

Television shows that are popular among black audiences run a greater number of food commercials than do general-audience shows. And food ads in black-oriented magazines are dominated by low-cost, energy-dense, low-nutrition foods - think doughnuts, potato chips and Twinkies.

There is nothing magical about losing weight. If you take in fewer calories than you burn off, you will lose weight. And the more fat and less nutrients you take in, the worse you'll feel and the less likely you are to feel motivated to exercise properly and take care of yourself. ...

Talk about environmental factors! Sure, you may say in response to this article, "just push back from the table. Nobody's making anybody buy anything from Mickey D's." True. But advertising works.

There is a reason you couldn't advertise hard liquor on television for so long.

And food ads in black-oriented magazines were dominated by low-cost, energy-dense, low-nutrition foods -- think doughnuts, potato chips and Twinkies.

"The results suggest that the marketing environments of African American consumers are less likely to support the development and maintenance of healthful eating and, moreover, that these environments may predispose African Americans to excess caloric consumption," the study concludes. Los Angeles Times
I was gonna end with a quip about TV making us fat and sad. But if I can't even read my Essence without being bombarded by caloric temptation, what's a girl going to do??

I guess the point is they cannot resist advertising, 'cause advertising is "The Man" telling them what to do.  And we all know "The Man" is out to put them down any way possible. [/ puking sarcasm]

I just give up.  If I meet anyone who agrees with this, let alone believes the premise behind it, I cannot be held responsible for what happens.

stay safe.

skidmark

[makattak]

GAH!

Our reporters are just stupid. I know, I know, what a shocker.

Talk about environmental factors! Sure, you may say in response to this article, "just push back from the table. Nobody's making anybody buy anything from Mickey D's." True. But advertising works.

There is a reason you couldn't advertise hard liquor on television for so long.

What an idoit. Advertising does not make you get anything you weren't going to get in any case. It can only serve two functions: make you aware of products your were not previously aware (who doesn't know there are TWINKIES in this country?) or shift your preference from an existing product to another, similar product.

Advertisers spend so much money to make you buy their product INSTEAD of some other one.

[ronnyreagan]

This is racial oppression?

The article doesn't say anything about racial oppression.

It's a pretty stupid article and terribly written, but it doesn't seem worthy of much outrage.
Are you a regular reader of "Black Voices", or do you just go there looking for bad articles to get worked up about?

[El Tejon]

You White Devils!

Come January 21, 2009 it will be all fruits and veggies now that the Messiah has come!

No more mortgages, no more gasoline bills, no more grease and starch.  You White Devils will be put in ypur place for forcing your diet on us.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Talk about environmental factors! Sure, you may say in response to this article, "just push back from the table. Nobody's making anybody buy anything from Mickey D's." True. But advertising works.

By this logic I should be able to get all the liberals to vote the way I want with the right advertisements. Or does this technique work only on racial minorities?

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

The evil Big Twinkie lobby pays for those magazines to be printed, the TV shows to air, etc.

[Standing Wolf]

You White Devils!
Come January 21, 2009 it will be all fruits and veggies now that the Messiah has come!
No more mortgages, no more gasoline bills, no more grease and starch.  You White Devils will be put in ypur place for forcing your diet on us.

Speaking strictly as an old white devil: when I get to my re-education camp, I'll do my best to resist admitting I always got one heck of a kick out of watching those people eat ribs and watermelon, but the re-educators will probably beat it out of me. So humiliating!

[vaskidmark]

The article doesn't say anything about racial oppression.

It's a pretty stupid article and terribly written, but it doesn't seem worthy of much outrage.
Are you a regular reader of "Black Voices", or do you just go there looking for bad articles to get worked up about?

Of course the article does not say anything about racial oppression.  If it did, the whole premise of the article would collapse.  "The Man" is oppressing blacks through advertising - or blacks are allowing themselves to be oppressed.  Don't care which way it really works out.

Calling the article "pretty stupid" and "terribly written" raises it to levels it does not deserve.  However, the article deserves more outrage that even I could muster.  I'm not sure who should be the more outraged - me or blacks.

I have never before read, or even known of the existence of. "Black Voices."  From the contents of this one exposure you can be assured that it will be placed high on my list of places to check for further signs of excuse-mongering by those in need of a reason to blame someone else.

stay safe - and get a life.

skidmark