Blaming the victim...

[SteveInBrooklyn]

Mountain Dew is a drug. It contains caffeine which is highly addictive, if I'm not mistaken. This is not the sort of thing that should be marketed to kids.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I'm with the majority on this one. If some thing is rotting your teeth, time to make the break to good old fashion water.

Well, there are problems with the pollution in the water in much of the eastern mountains.
The Pepsi approach is reminesent of the tobacco company approach to the victims of those products.

 

[freckles and boo]

What a wonderful thing your family does.

As far as the people in these mountains, if the childen are school, they are being educated. Do state laws regarding education not apply to this area? I have a hard time believing that teachers here don't know any better than to let students suck down soda all day.

I am only speculating here, but I would guess that the teachers have to pick their battles. If a bottle of Mountain Dew on the child's desk is going to help that child pay attention in class then the teacher isn't going to fight it. Like lots of poor kids, most of them probably had little or no early childhood education or preschool, may be cold or hungry at home, may not have help with homework, etc. I would hope the teachers would discourage it, if not ban it outright, but it might be something they just aren't willing to take on.

 

[luvmy3]

I am only speculating here, but I would guess that the teachers have to pick their battles. If a bottle of Mountain Dew on the child's desk is going to help that child pay attention in class then the teacher isn't going to fight it. Like lots of poor kids, most of them probably had little or no early childhood education or preschool, may be cold or hungry at home, may not have help with homework, etc. I would hope the teachers would discourage it, if not ban it outright, but it might be something they just aren't willing to take on.

They don't need to ban it in the classroom, although I think that would help tremendously. I just don't see why the teachers can't use their position to educate these kids, especially if there's no chance that the parents are.

 

[Lady_Gracey999]

Something interesting to me as far as having the drink in classrooms...when I was in high school they banned all sodas and soda machines from all public schools. You couldn't even bring it into school except for things like concession stands at ball games. I could have sworn that this was a nation-wide ban, but I could be wrong.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/countryboys/readings/duncan.html

These are just a few paragraphs from a discussion with Cynthia M. Duncan discussing poverty in the region. I highly recommend watching the documentary this is attatched to. It will really open your eyes to the reality that some in our country are dealing with.

In the case of Appalachia, the coal operators wanted to keep workers from unionizing and demanding higher wages in the early days of coal mining because the industry was so competitive. Historians have shown that the large Northeastern utilities and Midwestern utilities were pitting one small company against another. In the face of this bitter competition, coal operators tried to control everything about workers' lives to keep their labor costs down. And part of controlling everything was to not educate people, to be in control of the ministers, the doctors, the stores … and to discourage workers' participation in community life, making the workers dependent on the coal operators for everything about their livelihood and their community.



Well, as you say, "Country Boys" shows the importance of education. But there's education, and there's education. One of the things about poor rural areas is that the quality of schooling and the expectations aren't as high as they are for middle-class kids. Even within Appalachia, as I learned in the work that we did for the study, the independent schools that are a part of the county seat were much higher quality -- almost more like suburban schools or even private schools -- than the larger, rougher disorganized county schools where the country kids went, the kids from the hollers [hollows] and the kids who were portrayed in "Country Boys."

 

[big kahuna1]

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.

Are you serious? It is their fault and only their fault. Apparently they are not doing the best they can with what they have because they are buying Mountain Dew instead of tooth brushes. If they can afford to buy a stinkin' Mountain Dew than they can afford to buy a tooth brush. Rotten teeth are only normal to them because people like you refuse to tell them otherwise. You just think it's normal and let it go. THEY DO KNOW BETTER AND YES, IT IS THEIR FAULT!

 

[Disney Doll]

Well, there's a combination of problems at work here.

Parents who are uneducated about the effects of soda on kids' teeeth.

Kids who have no control over getting themselves to the dentist or what is purchsed as food intheir households.

Lack of dental care in general..it is Appalachia and we all know not the most enlightened area of the country...probably a little backward even.

It is a multifactorial issue but I do agree with the soda manufacturer that blaming them is ridiculous. But I also agree that blaming cigarette manufacturers when smokers die of cancer is ridiculous too.

 

[bluesaturn]

Are you serious? It is their fault and only their fault. Apparently they are not doing the best they can with what they have because they are buying Mountain Dew instead of tooth brushes. If they can afford to buy a stinkin' Mountain Dew than they can afford to buy a tooth brush. Rotten teeth are only normal to them because people like you refuse to tell them otherwise. You just think it's normal and let it go. THEY DO KNOW BETTER AND YES, IT IS THEIR FAULT!

Wait. First you say they are the way they are, because people refuse to tell them better. Then you say, they do know better so it's their fault. What are you talking about?

 

[Kim&Chris]

Mountain Dew is a drug. It contains caffeine which is highly addictive, if I'm not mistaken. This is not the sort of thing that should be marketed to kids.

But is it marketed to kids? I don't think so. Toys are marketed to kids on Saturday morning TV. Kids cereals are marketed to kids. Some foods like Pop-Tarts might be marketed towards children, along with those fruit roll-up thingies, etc.

But I think sodas like Mountain Dew are marketed to the general public. I've never, ever seen a commercial where a kid reaches into the fridge and pulls out a MD.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

But is it marketed to kids? I don't think so. Toys are marketed to kids on Saturday morning TV. Kids cereals are marketed to kids. Some foods like Pop-Tarts might be marketed towards children, if not directly.

I think sodas like Mountain Dew are marketed to the general public. I've never, ever seen a commercial where a kid reaches into the fridge and pulls out a MD.

When those soda machines are in schools in the lunch room, they are marketing to kids.

 

[TeresaBelle]

I say, why are children being allowed to drink soft drinks all day? What kind of school allows a child to have a can of soda on their desk? That is crazy!

No kidding! At my daughter's elementary school no soda is allowed. Not at lunchtime or even for parties. Why do they need something to drink at all times anyway?? You get a drink at lunch, you get a drink at recess and bathroom breaks. Why would you need a can of anything on your desk all day??

I live in rural VA..in the Blue Ridge Mtns.

 

[joviroxx]

Mountain Dew is a drug. It contains caffeine which is highly addictive, if I'm not mistaken. This is not the sort of thing that should be marketed to kids.

If Im going to follow your statement, I will assume then, that these kids have access to television where these ads are televised. Well, if they have access to TV and commercials, they certainly are exposed to Dentists/toothpaste/toothbrush ads and good hygiene ads as well, right? Cause they exist, I've seen them, often.

 

[Cindyluwho]

This is what I'm getting from this thread:
They're a bunch of hicks who should know better, in fact they DO know better but choose to live the way they do. It's their own fault that they're in the situation they're in. They should buy water and toothbrushes instead of soda.

Has anyone realized that the can of soda on their desk might be the ONLY meal they get all day. And yes, I know that soda is not a meal and that the $$ spent on that soda could go for something else. But they don't know any different. I'm in tears as I'm writing this, I'm stepping out of this thread. But just remember, that might be the only thing that makes their stomach feel full, doesn't hurt their teeth to eat, etc. It's not like it is for you and me. Doesn't anyone have room in their hearts to at least feel bad for the kids and yes, the parents. They are the poorest of the poor in this country, many don't have TV's, running water, etc - how exactly do they know any different? You can't know, no matter how much your read or how many shows you see on TV, you just can't know what it's like to live that way.

 

[Kim&Chris]

When those soda machines are in schools in the lunch room, they are marketing to kids.

But how are the machines ending up in schools? It's not like the Pepsi truck pulls up and deposits a machine there. The school either buys or leases the machines, buys the soda to fill the machines up, and offers it to the kids.

 

[SteveInBrooklyn]

If Im going to follow your statement, I will assume then, that these kids have access to television where these ads are televised. Well, if they have access to TV and commercials, they certainly are exposed to Dentists/toothpaste/toothbrush ads and good hygiene ads as well, right? Cause they exist, I've seen them, often.

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.

 

[big kahuna1]

Are you saying it's a good thing that Appalachian children suffer, live in chronic pain, and have reduced life-spans because it will help improve the gene pool?

No they are not and you know exactly what they were saying.

 

[luvmy3]

This is what I'm getting from this thread:
They're a bunch of hicks who should know better, in fact they DO know better but choose to live the way they do. It's their own fault that they're in the situation they're in. They should buy water and toothbrushes instead of soda.

Has anyone realized that the can of soda on their desk might be the ONLY meal they get all day. And yes, I know that soda is not a meal and that the $$ spent on that soda could go for something else. But they don't know any different. I'm in tears as I'm writing this, I'm stepping out of this thread. But just remember, that might be the only thing that makes their stomach feel full, doesn't hurt their teeth to eat, etc. It's not like it is for you and me. Doesn't anyone have room in their hearts to at least feel bad for the kids and yes, the parents. They are the poorest of the poor in this country, many don't have TV's, running water, etc - how exactly do they know any different? You can't know, no matter how much your read or how many shows you see on TV, you just can't know what it's like to live that way.

I know that they are drinking Mountain Dew. I know that mountain dew cost money. I know that they can use their MD money to buy something else to fill their bellies. I'm sorry this sounds cold, I do not have sympathy for those who don't help themselves.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

This is what I'm getting from this thread:
They're a bunch of hicks who should know better, in fact they DO know better but choose to live the way they do. It's their own fault that they're in the situation they're in. They should buy water and toothbrushes instead of soda.

Has anyone realized that the can of soda on their desk might be the ONLY meal they get all day. And yes, I know that soda is not a meal and that the $$ spent on that soda could go for something else. But they don't know any different. I'm in tears as I'm writing this, I'm stepping out of this thread. But just remember, that might be the only thing that makes their stomach feel full, doesn't hurt their teeth to eat, etc. It's not like it is for you and me. Doesn't anyone have room in their hearts to at least feel bad for the kids and yes, the parents. They are the poorest of the poor in this country, many don't have TV's, running water, etc - how exactly do they know any different? You can't know, no matter how much your read or how many shows you see on TV, you just can't know what it's like to live that way.

Please don't take it so personally. Of course we feel bad for the kids.

But I find it hard to believe that stores only carry MD and no food. People there have choices, even if the choices are limited. If a can of MD cost 75 cents, I'm sure they can buy something like a roll as well for 75 cents. That would certainly fill their belly a lot better than a can of MD.

If they can buy MD, they most certainly can buy other things like a tooth brush, or other food.



How did MD become so popular there anyhow? It's kind of bizarre, in a way.

ETA-I just read again and see that it is a kind of anti-depressant for them. Ugh. I do feel bad for them.

 

[Jockaroo]

It seems that so many are buying into the stereotypical image of the backwards, uneducated Appalachian hillbilly. Stop and think for a few minutes. Would Diane Sawyer stir up any controversy with a documentary interviewing the college-educated, straight-toothed mountain family? She is looking for the very worst examples in order to propagate the hillbilly mystique. Asta gets it.

Like Asta, I grew up in a small East Tennessee town at the base of the Appalachian mountains. Non-fluoridated water plays a part of poor dental health as she mentioned. I knew many people who would not go to a dentist for preventative care, only when something hurt. Regardless where you live, I know that you know people who don't get annual physicals and only go to the doctor when they are sick. Admit it, you know people like that. It is the same with the dentists. Also, I knew a few people who put their children to sleep at night with a baby bottle of milk. This rots teeth. Yes, it was MILK not soda. Many of these parents also let children carry bottles and cups of juice around all day. When the rotten baby teeth fell out, these kids typically had decent adult teeth and cared for them. You cannot blame a toddler for poor dental care--it is parents. Regardless of where someone lives, no parent should allow excessive amounts of soda for their children.

Comments have been made regarding sodas in schools. I feel the Mt.Dew on the desks is a rare thing; how many schools could Diane Sawyer go to that did NOT allow sodas--we don't see this. I studied education and did student teaching in East Tenn. My school did not allow soda sales during school. The one soda vending machine was in the gym and was padlocked until the end of school. Teachers were actually discourage from bringing sodas to school for our lunches since the students were not allowed them. I can promise that the majority of students in this region are not allowed to have sodas sitting on their desks. I knew no teacher who allowed students to eat or drink in class (or chew gum either). The link I've listed shows guidelines for the entire state of Tennessee. It states that:

"• Food and beverages in middle and high schools should nor be sold from vending machines or school stores until 30 minutes after the end of the last meal period unless they are part of the school foodservice programs and meet standards associated with the dietary Guidelines for American’s
• Vending machines, snack bars, and school stores should offer 100% juice and other healthy snacks"

Link to food guidelines for the state of Tennessee 2004 quoted above): http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache...ols&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Showing my people in such a negative light is very offensive to me and a hot button issue. What Diane Sawyer is showing I feel is not the norm. Go to a city and hunt for the child who's parents work and feed him McDonald's every day--you can find him--it doesn't make him the norm. I think you will find a lack of dental care and healthcare with many low socio-economic levels. This saddens me. I strongly believe that all children deserve the best in medical care; it sets a good foundation for their futures.

Mountain people are proud and very tight-knit. They are suspicious of strangers because so many people look down on them and want to "fix" them and change their life-styles. Just because someone doesn't understand the culture does not make it wrong. Yes, many people in the Appalachian mountains are poor. Being poor doesn't make one ignorant or uneducated, although some are and they are the ones being exploited by ABC.

I haven't seen the 20/20 episode. I will try to watch it, but am uncertain if I will be able to tolerate the one-sided reporting. I have to wonder, will the Hillbillys wear shoes?

(Please note: I am not criticizing anyone who has posted on this thread, just trying to present a different opinion.)