Blaming the victim...

[Minnesota!]

Steve, according to your posts on various subjects, people should have NO PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY for anything!?!?!? Its always up to someone else; its always someone else's fault; etc.

And that's what's wrong with the world today. It's always "someone else's fault".

 

[npmommie]

Has anyone seen the documentary from Rory Kennedy called American Hollow?
it follows a family from mudlick hollow in kentucky, it really opens the eyes to how poor the people of appalachia really are.
and how they really live.

 

[wvjules]

Has anyone seen the documentary from Rory Kennedy called American Hollow?
it follows a family from mudlick hollow in kentucky, it really opens the eyes to how poor the people of appalachia really are.
and how they really live.

If they are that poor then they can't afford Mountain Dew. End of story. Period. Stop.

Not the ones you are referencing, the OP.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I was watching GMA this morning and they had a dentist on that was talking about a problem Diane saw on her new special "Children of the mountain".

Apparently they drink A LOT of Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew contains a lot more sugar and acid than other sodas. The people of Appalachia have developed "Mountain Dew Mouth" which is severely rotted teeth. They sip MD throughout the day (the children keep it on their school desk).

On GMA Diane said that Pepsi (makers of MD) said they (the people of Appalachia) need to have better dental hygiene. The dentist said that's like "blaming the victim" for their MD mouth.

I really don't think this a case of "blaming the victim".

What say you?

The only thing those people are victims of is ignorance. Ignorance came in and whomped they all with a big old club.

I fail to see how it is Pepsi's fault. My son ate starbursts on the sly while he had braces and got himself a cavity. I don't blame the Starburst company. Not going to ask them to front the money for dentistry and orthodontia. I blame him for being an idiot (he doesn't even have ignorance as an excuse - flippin knew better, did it anyway.)

Like a PP said, I wonder where these very poor folks are getting the money for pop. When I was poor, there just wasn't pop. On a very rare occasion, we'd get a 2-liter on sale or the guy at the local grocery would give me one just to be a nice guy (Christmas.)

Pop is a big deal when you're broke. It's one of those things for which you just do not spend money.

In any event, it isn't Pepsi Co.'s fault.

 

[Charade]

My family hosts children from the Chernobyl region every summer for six weeks. The dental visits are horrifying. For example, in her first year our Akulina had: 8 cavities, 2 teeth pulled and one crown. The two teeth that needed pulled had rotted all the way to the gum line. The pain she felt must have been terrible. The day they pulled the two teeth was the first time I saw her eat a real meal, the pain had been keeping her from eating. The night of the dental surgery she ate ribs, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes - two plates full!! And that's not just her, it's all of the children!

It's the same with the folks from the mountains. I see so many of you blaming the parents. Please understand that these folks have almost zero education in most cases. Brushing their teeth! Seriously, many have no indoor running water and most have no indoor toilets. THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!! It's not their fault. We get so wrapped up in starving children in Africa or Chernobyl for that matter, we forget about our own children here in the US. And the mountain people are very proud and very suspicious, it's not easy to educate them, to tell them any different. It would be unusual for an adult to have any teeth by the time they're 50, that is NORMAL for them. They love their children as much as we do, please believe that. And they're doing the best they can with what they have and what they know. They may be uneducated but please dont' judge them as if they should know better.

The video shows the kids in school. Isn't that a good place to start? I mean with all the bemoaning of what's taught in schools outside of Appalachia, I doubt anyone would object to exposing them to good oral hygiene and nutrition. They need that just as much as they need math and reading.

 

[Charade]

Play a toothpaste ad, and play a Mountain Dew ad and then ask a kid which one he would rather have. Mountain Dew (which is an addictive drug) and other junk that's bad for our kids, are marketed specifically to children. Marketing is pretty sophisticated nowadays. Very few kids can resist it.

(this comment is in general terms and no way aimed at the people of Appalachia)

What a ridiculous comment. That would also means the parents can't "resist" the "sophisticated marketing" skills of a 6 year old.

 

[SteveInBrooklyn]

(this comment is in general terms and no way aimed at the people of Appalachia)

What a ridiculous comment. That would also means the parents can't "resist" the "sophisticated marketing" skills of a 6 year old.

It means nothing of the kind.

 

[freckles and boo]

The video shows the kids in school. Isn't that a good place to start? I mean with all the bemoaning of what's taught in schools outside of Appalachia, I doubt anyone would object to exposing them to good oral hygiene and nutrition. They need that just as much as they need math and reading.

I agree with you completely. Even at my nice, middle class suburban school the kids learn about oral hygiene and nutrition. Illinois requires dental exams be on record as well - I believe for kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade (although I will have to look it up). To facilitate that there is a mobile dentist that comes around for those who don't have regular dentists. I think school is a powerful place to start, but unless there is follow-thru at home or unless the schools are trying to educate the entire community including parents, it may not be very effective.

 

[Jerseylicious]

I saw this story. COMPLETELY LUDICROUS to blame Mountain Dew. These parents LET these kids drink the stuff until Kingdom Come, then DON'T make them brush their teeth or take a trip to the dentist. Then they blame PepsiCo when their teeth are rotting out of their head?? Give me a break! These people need to be taught simple hygiene. You can get a toothbrush for the same price as two bottles of MD so give me a break about these 'poor' people. And also, a bottle of water costs the SAME as a bottle of MD so who's fault is it that they're making ridiculous choices????

Yes, so what if MD has more acid than other sodas? So then DRINK LESS and BRUSH MORE! Because these parents are hygiene-challenged and pass it onto their children, it's bringing a bad name on Pepsi. Unbelievable.

 

[TheZue]

(this comment is in general terms and no way aimed at the people of Appalachia)

What a ridiculous comment. That would also means the parents can't "resist" the "sophisticated marketing" of a 6 year old.

Also I think ALL of us need to realize that our kids will be marketed at. Anyone who hasn't realized that yet has been on another planet the last 30 years. I grew up in the 80s...our parents took us to a movie where they systematically killed off every major character in a large toy line so they could introduce new toys; yes Transformers the movie...our parents paid to bring us to a 2 hour advertisement. Then every morning we'd watch shows that were basically ads for toy lines; my favorite was Jem.

We were the first generation to get bombarded like this. The shows were ads, the toys came with ads, there were ads in comics, there were lunch boxes, there were tie ins at restaurants, toys in the cereal...so if you were a fan of a franchise you could bug your parents to watch it every morning, bug them to get the comic, bug them for the toys, bug them to go to the movie, then bug them for the new line of toys, bug them for the clothes, bug them for the lunch boxes, bug them for the playing cards, etc etc etc. It was absolutely crazy and it's still exactly the same today. My parents still stood firm and told me no often; it was a crucial invaluable lesson about resisting marketing.

Part of being a parent is dealing with this now. And really, we are the ones who expose our kids to this. We could cancel the cable, cook all our food from scratch to avoid the flashy boxed snacks, avoid all of that stuff but we choose not to. If we are going to bring this influence into our house we have to be strong enough to say no and teach our kids to say no too.

 

[bluesaturn]

The video shows the kids in school. Isn't that a good place to start? I mean with all the bemoaning of what's taught in schools outside of Appalachia, I doubt anyone would object to exposing them to good oral hygiene and nutrition. They need that just as much as they need math and reading.

I agree completely, that is a great place to start. But unfortunately I guess it isn't happening?

 

[Cool-Beans]

It means nothing of the kind.

It kind of does. Yeah, they gear it to kids. I remember telling mom we HAD to get the Trix NOW because the voting form was on it and there was a deadline to vote FOR or AGAINST the rabbit. I HAD to get that thing in!!! (Poor rabbit was always being told, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids." I didn't think that was fair. The rabbit should get some Trix, too! He'd certainly worked hard enough.) It was extremely important for me to get that vote in.

Nobody has to tell me they market to kids. I remember it well. And I know they market Mountain Dew to kids. My own always wanted it (especially DS#2) - sometimes they got it, sometimes not.

Parents aren't required to buy what they market. They say, "Oooh, kids! Mountain Dew is heaven! You gotta drink this stuff!" and the kids whine and beg and the parent says, "No."

Kid wants it. Mom says "no." Big whup.

 

[Stacerita]

Personal responsibility.

 

[bluesaturn]

So the 'we're poor and can't afford anything else to drink' doesn't fly.

I agree it's not because they are poor. It's because they are uneducated on the danger of the drink and dental care.

 

[wvjules]

I agree it's not because they are poor. It's because they are uneducated on the danger of the drink and dental care.

So does Mt. Dew need to come with a warning label now? May cause cavities, hyperactivity and addiction?

 

[SteveInBrooklyn]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wvjules
Steve, according to your posts on various subjects, people should have NO PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY for anything!?!?!? Its always up to someone else; its always someone else's fault; etc.

And that's what's wrong with the world today. It's always "someone else's fault".

I'm all about personal responsibility. I don't believe that it is "someone else's fault." It is the fault of the guilty party. The guilty part in this case is Pepsi for loading up their product with an addictive drug and then selling it to kids.

 

[wvjules]

I'm all about personal responsibility. I don't believe that it is "someone else's fault." It is the fault of the guilty party. The guilty part in this case is Pepsi for loading up their product with an addictive drug and then selling it to kids.

The guilty party in this case is the parents for buying the product loaded up with the addictive drug.

Wait, when did this become about caffeine and not dental care?

 

[TheZue]

I'm all about personal responsibility. I don't believe that it is "someone else's fault." It is the fault of the guilty party. The guilty part in this case is Pepsi for loading up their product with an addictive drug and then selling it to kids.

Soooo would you have an age limit on soda? That's insane, if my responsible kid can't go buy himself one occasionally because other people can't control their children's intake that's total BS. If I buy him one as a treat would I then get in trouble because other people can't see that every day is too much? When Pepsi sells a product that my child occasionally drinks are the a bad guy then too? Should be ban Mountain Dew? Get rid of caffeine in all Sodas? None of that is fair to those of us that aren't stupid about it, and yes I said stupid. I don't care who you are or what kind of education you have nothing about any soft drink screams healthy enough to be your only drink.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I'm all about personal responsibility. I don't believe that it is "someone else's fault." It is the fault of the guilty party. The guilty part in this case is Pepsi for loading up their product with an addictive drug and then selling it to kids.

You can't be serious.

Yeah, caffeine is addictive. Drink lots of that crap and quit cold turkey and you'll have a headache. BTDT.

But kids aren't buying it in sufficient quantities to cause caffeine withdrawl - parents are. And Appalachain kids sure as hell aren't.

This is a joke, right?

 

[joviroxx]

This is a joke, right?

I don't think it is....