They're Not Lovin It.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/18/activists-frown-happy-meals/?news&imw=Y

Kid's need treats. And parents need to act responsibly.

Ever once in a while I want steak or prime rib. I dont eat it every day or often.

What I dont want is a god-damned nanny controlling what I eat.

 

[starrkers]

It's not a nanny, it comes back to parental choice in how (or if) they reward their kids. My kids do well at school they get a treat. But I'd be seriously pissed if McDonald's got in first, saying the kids should get their crap food as a reward. What if they'd rather have a book (and sometimes they do), or go bowling?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm not advocating McDonalds. My guess is this organization opposes all fast-food.

I advocate responsible conduct.

Kid's love fast food. I use fast food to manage very violent children when they need to be well-behaved. I mean, I can fill their butts with a sedative, but the promise of McDonalds works equally as well.

 

[starrkers]

Yep. We used to promise of ice cream to get good behaviour from my two boys in the supermarket today. I think we're arguing the same side here (but I'm a tad drubnk tonight)

 

[emap]

I don't know, to me it looks more like they are being removed because one person said hey what is this. You made me look bad I am going to sue. Well Ok did not say she would sue but I am positive it would have gone to a suit against McDonalds because she felt like the bad guy.

I am going to kinda mimic the comments in the report and you two, if you don't want your kid to get a happy meal for getting straight A's or B's, get them something else. If you don't want to reward your kid for doing well, don't. No matter what a parent will be the bad guy for much of a kids growing years and many long after. Sooner people realize this the sooner dumb crap like this stops being news.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EMAP

The issue is the flip-side of 'Give everyone a trophy and gold stars.' Prizes for everyone!

The military does the same anymore. My son has a chest full of ribbons on his uniform, and none of them are for valor or gallantry. Theyre all for good performance at various military schools. We used to call such awards I WAS THERE medals.

 

[emap]

James you are missing something though. Look at it this way, a man who sits and does his job day after day, not making mistakes, not putting slot B into hole A who does not get a raise, does not get a promotion, does not get a thank you for being like this stops not making mistakes because he stops caring.

Why they are giving out medals, the desk jockeys felt like less of a solider so stopped being a soldier and the paperwork became a problem, so now they reward the desk jockeys and the paperwork is mostly perfect. Thus the Army, Navy Marines and Air Force work better.

No reward, productivity falters and dies. Granted the medals are kinda silly, though it is the military they don't reward you any other way.

 

[Weird Harold]

Granted the medals are kinda silly, though it is the military they don't reward you any other way.

The military does reward service members other ways that are far more tangible than service ribbons and campaign stars.

The "chest salad" is as much for other service members as it is for the person wearing it -- to someone knowledgeable, a chest full of bright ribbons is the person's service history at a glance.

Sure a lot of the "chest salad" gets earned for just being somewhere -- or even sometimes just passing through somewhere at the right time -- and some of it is earned for just being dumb enough to hang around for the required time, but how long you've been in uniform and where you passed through at the right time says a lot to someone else who has been in uniform for a while and passed through a few places at the right time.

Those "dumb bright ribbons" recently meant a lot to my son-in-law; he learned a lot about his father after the funeral by sorting through his awards and decorations -- stuff his father didn't talk about and stuff I should be talking to my daughters about but find difficult to remember.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EMAP

I get it. And I dont agree with it. It makes military service comparable to McDonalds or WAL-MART.

 

[starrkers]

So you give out medals because someone can file the paperwork. What are you going to give when someone risks their life? It's devaluing the medals for valour to hand them out for everything.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

STARRKERS

That's the American mindset now. Everyone gets a gold star and a trophy regardless of their performance or contribution.

 

[starrkers]

Same thing's happening here.

 

[emap]

Tell you the truth I thought they just gave you another of those little bar thingys on the dress uniform chest. Actually handing out an honest to goodness medal seems kinda redundant.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EMAP

The medals kinda hint what the award was for

 

[gauchecritic]

Back to MacDonald's.

Parental approval is not a free burger.

Parents choosing to take their kids and pay for the meal is.

This is a matter of the lowest common denominator being suitable for most but not everyone.

I would question why kids need tangible reward for doing their job.

The answer to that question is consumerism.

(naturally this leads us to the politically fraught arena of class struggle and so I'll just stop here)

 

[Weird Harold]

Tell you the truth I thought they just gave you another of those little bar thingys on the dress uniform chest. Actually handing out an honest to goodness medal seems kinda redundant.

The "little bar thingies" are called ribbons and not all of them are associated with Medals, many are just that, ribbons.

So you give out medals because someone can file the paperwork. What are you going to give when someone risks their life? It's devaluing the medals for valour to hand them out for everything.

Medals for valour are seldom awarded for doing paperwork -- not even doing paperwork "under fire."

NObody who wears this at the top of the "fruit salad" on their uniform is ever going to be mistaken for a paper-pusher:
http://www.paulnoll.com/Korea/awards-medal-of-honor-ribbon.jpg