Blaming the victim...

[MerMom60_94]

I heard about this.

No one forces you to drink MD, and no one forces you to brush your teeth. You make choices in life. It's called personal responsibility.

Thank you. My sentiments exactly.

 

[Chicago526]

Ummm, yeah, cut down on the pop and increase the brushing. If the parents can afford pop, they can afford toothpaste and brushes (and floss and floride etc.) for themselves and their kids.

eta: even if they can't afford dental care and densitsts won't take medicaide/care, just brushing at home and eating healthier foods/drinks can go a long way to help.

 

[Buckalew11]

I don't think kids should be drinking MD at all, probably, but definitely not a school. We weren't even aloowed to have water at our desks yet alone soda. MD and young children? Oh yeah, and they all have ADHD also!!!

 

[SteveInBrooklyn]

If a product is marketed to kids, and it hurts them when they buy it, yes, they are victims. Marketing is a powerful thing and kids don't always know what's good for them.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

If a product is marketed to kids, and it hurts them when they buy it, yes, they are victims. Marketing is a powerful thing and kids don't always know what's good for them.

Where exactly do these kids get the money from to buy MD?

Who goes to the grocery store and puts it out on the table at dinner?

Do baby's that drink it pour it in a bottle themselves?

 

[cheermom1]

If a product is marketed to kids, and it hurts them when they buy it, yes, they are victims. Marketing is a powerful thing and kids don't always know what's good for them.

um don't their parents buy their stuff? the kids don't have money the parents do and if the parents are buying it for them then it is their fault and the school should NOT be allowing them to have it period. the adults in these childrens lives are the ones to blame not pepsi!!!! sorry i'm with the majority. the way children are taught how to act and what to eat and how to eat then that is the how they will live their lives. so if they are taught to eat healthy then most of the time they will if they are taught to eat junk and drink junk then they will. where are the parents the adults in their lives to TEACH them the right way?

 

[freckles and boo]

It will take a cultural shift. Poverty is a complicated thing. I grew up never going to the dentist unless there was a problem and I had terrible baby teeth. Fortunately my permanent teeth have been fine, but my parents were young and just getting by. Going to the dentist wasn't a priority. We didn't have soda, but I drank plenty of milk which can be just as bad if the teeth don't get cleaned afterwards.

 

[OctMtnWoods]

I'm with you, Charade

Are they being FORCED to drink Mountain Dew? Is there no water available? Do they not have toothpaste and toothbrushes there?

That's ridiculous. On this one I agree with Pepsi. Or not even that, DRINK WATER INSTEAD, Hello?!?!??!

Sheesh.

 

[asta]

It is not as simple as blaming this on drinking Mountain Dew. I grew up in a small East Tennessee town, close to but not considered Appalachia. While drinking Mountain Dew or Coke is not a wise choice, you also need to examine their water supply. Many of them get their water from wells or community sources that is not flouridated. This is a huge factor in preventing cavities. I would bet that most of you grew up with this benefit. This alone makes your teeth much stronger and able to fight off decay. A dentist can provide flouride to brush on your teeth but you have to have a dentist first. (I know. I had to do this growing up.) Our water supply was furnished by a community well system that not only wasn't treated with flouride, it also looked muddy out of the tap. Not as bad as a mud puddle but it usually looked like weak tea. Faced with that, it was easier to just grab a coke in those days. Bottled water wasn't that popular or easy to find when I was younger. I now take bottled water with me when I visit home but maybe these old habits are hard for these people to break.

 

[Kim&Chris]

Why the hell do kids have MD or any soda sitting on their desks?

So I eat a big mac with extra large fries every lunch and dinner and I am now obese. Whose fault is that? Mine of course. Just becaue McDonald's makes big macs does not mean I must consume one every time I pass a McDonld's by.

We need to take responsibility for what we can control and stop looking for others to blame.

I agree 100000%. I haven't seen the 20/20 episode, but I wonder why Diane Sawyer would even think to contact Pepsi about this. Like it's their fault .

 

[richmond282]

I wonder if these children are also overweight. Usually people who drink heavy amounts of soda (such as Mountain Dew) also eat poorly. I agree, though, that to "just blame Pepsi" is not the right decision. It sounds like these people including the parents need some education on dental hygeine and nutrition.

 

[DebbieB]

People don't realize that Mountain Dew has alot of caffeine, in addition to sugar. You think because it's a light color it doesn't have it, caffeine is usually associated with the darker colas. I think part of the problem is a caffeine addiction, that's why they are constantly drinking it. I don't think they should allow it (or any soft drinks) in school during class.

 

[Todd&Copper]

If a product is marketed to kids, and it hurts them when they buy it, yes, they are victims. Marketing is a powerful thing and kids don't always know what's good for them.

I don't think Mountain Dew is marketed specifically to kids the way breakfast cereals and fruit snaxs are, though. All of the MD commercials I have seen seem to target older teens or 20-somethings, and skew male. I do not see Dora the Explorer or Miley Cyrus MD display ads.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

I agree 100000%. I haven't seen the 20/20 episode, but I wonder why Diane Sawyer would even think to contact Pepsi about this. Like it's their fault .

ITA! I wonder now if they plan on a class action lawsuit against Pepsi.


I think they are totally addicted to the caffeine. And coming off of caffeine is no picnic. I had massive headaches when I became preg and went off of coffee.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

Oh, ITA- but having worked in a dental office I can tell you that when people have little or no insurance, or they can't find a dentist who will take their insurance, they most likely will not seek dental care. That's just the way it is. Is it wrong, yes! Is it their fault, yes! But I tend to place 'some blame' on the dentists who do not want to accept Medicaid as well. That's just me, though. It is a contributing factor.

When I worked at a nonprofit, we were able to get some dentists several times to help patients who didn't have insurance and were on Medicaid. You know what happen? One or two patients the entire day showed up. We even offered them rides and they still didn't show up. So the dentist stopped donating their time.

 

[Darsa]

Sugary or not... why the HECK aren't they brushing their teeth????? Perhaps we should blame the dentists in that area for this, since they obviously aren't going to these kids' houses and brushing their teeth for them?

 

[chisnpeke]

I think it's sad that Pepsi even needed to comment. People choose to drink their products and not brush their teeth. Why on earth would they even think that is Pepsi's fault?

 

[Castlebound]

Sorry but the excuse about well water is just that an excuse. We have well water that is not treated with fluoride and our kids' teeth are just fine. They brush twice a day and use mouthwash. Both of which have fluoride. When we lived in town with the treated water I had to boil and filter the water at least once a month. We had some of the oldest waterlines in town and they worked on them all the time. Everytime they did work on them it would stir up the sediment and we would have dirty looking water. If I didn't want to boil and filter the water I would just buy water at the store. Water by the way is cheaper than soda.

 

[themarquis]

I'm sure it's not seriously being argued that Pepsi is solely to blame for the problem and needs to stop manufacturing MD or selling it in Appalachia.

Maybe Diane Sawyer thought that she could convince Pepsi to donate some resources? Like for dental exams for kids or dental hygiene workshops or a public education campaign, etc. Wouldn't that be nice?

Surely we could all agree that wherever the problem is originating, we are talking about a population of people with one of the lowest standards of living in the US and the lowest education rates who have little access to medical or dental care. It's not outlandish to think that the MD problem could be alleviated via resources and attention being directed toward it.

 

[chisnpeke]

I agree 100000%. I haven't seen the 20/20 episode, but I wonder why Diane Sawyer would even think to contact Pepsi about this. Like it's their fault .

I was wondering this as well. I really like Diana Sawyer but I think it was ridiculous of her to contact Pepsi.