Are You Allowing Your Children to Be Brainwashed?

Most children watch too much TV. It’s often a convenient babysitter for a busy mother or father. As children are easily addicted to its messages they then demand it when they are bored, tired, hungry or need attention. So it becomes an easy solution. But, children like adults turn into zombies with television. It lowers IQ and turns the viewer into a hypnotized vegetable. The images pour in, generally unfiltered and unanalyzed, such that the child cannot distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. The hallmark of sanity is to be able to tell this difference. So one gets a distorted sense of reality and thereafter sane judgment is impossible.

Another reason to be wary of television was recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. According to the study authors, the food and beverage industry is spending $10 billion a year on advertising foods to children. Unfortunately, this is working alarmingly well. The study showed that eight out of ten children liked the flavor of foods served in McDonalds packaging over the exact same foods served in packaging without the McDonalds logo. Their brand preferences were already measurable by the time they were two years old, and by the age of six they are able to distinguish between specific brand products. Those with more TV experience had stronger preferences for brands. Brainwashed little innocents, with full permission of their parents! These companies not only catch people with these ads, but once the foods are eaten, they have their own addictive effect. Certain flavorings and additives are part of these “foods” to produce addictive like attractions to them. Ever crave some Macs French fries or a burger? Like the cigarette companies, food “science” is very advanced and part of the target is to “make” people desire these foods again and often. You may have first hand evidence that this is true. Do you ever get the same craving for an apple? Or a peach? Or some blueberries? These cravings are not normal and are chemically induced and reinforced by the advertising. These are not accidents. They are part of the overall strategy to sell people on something that is generally not good for them in volume and repeatedly.

It is not easy to avoid this. Television watching is a way of life for many Americans. The average person is spending hours and hours and hours a day in front of it. If the ads were for organic produce, and healthy non fast, non processed, non artificial foods it might be justifiable. But since its generally not, one must take great precautions to protect the sensitive minds of our youngsters and avoid like the plague the TV as an easy babysitter diversionary tactic.

The growing body needs healthy food and a healthy environment. Both are crucial.

Organic, non processed food should be their fare. And avoid the TV, get them outside playing in the sunshine, and read them books. The TV influences on children are by and large negative infusing them with false information about life, false information on how to be happy, false information on what is true, and false information how to treat others and be a friend.

Being a good parent is a lot of work and some of that work is in saying “no” to what you know are negative influences. Maintaining your discipline in this area of food and environment will pay off in a happy and healthy child who can think for him/herself and not follow the latest crazy fad or psycho TV reality images into a ruined life.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/afc.cfm