No More Cupcakes In School

[LadyKay]

A note to parents in the Phoenixville, Pa. school district recently announced , "Effective with the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, food items to celebrate student birthdays will no longer be permitted." For some reason this makes me feel kind of sad. What has happen to our world when children can no longer have a cup cake. Just more prove that things suck. Michigan's Alma School District, cupcakes have been banned from birthday celebrations, in an effort to fight childhood obesity. So in lieu of getting a sugary treat, the classmates of the birthday kid get an extra 30 minutes of gym class that day. Oh wonderful, an extra 30 minutes of gym class. Where the weak are singled out and tormented because they can not hit a stupid little ball with a stick. (I hated gym class but that is for another post)

http://news.yahoo.com/no-more-birthday-cupcakes-elementary-school-classrooms-181400455.html

Edited August 20, 2011 by LadyKay

[candyman]

There is no reason to fight this anymore. They are doing what is "best" for people and you better like it...

[phee]

The reason this is so sad is mainly not because a lack of cupcakes... it's the lack of exercise that is making it so some places think this will actually help.

[Destroit]

Suggesting that taking away cupcakes from kids in school to fight obesity, is like suggesting that The War on Drugs isn't a ridiculous violation of our American rights, a waste of tax dollars, and that it's actually "working".

(It isn't...and this won't either )

Restricting people from actions/activities/items they enjoy almost ALWAYS makes it worse. Training people how to live in harmony with these things, and form some self-control, is what is key.

Edited August 20, 2011 by Chernobyl

[phee]

Suggesting that taking away cupcakes from kids in school to fight obesity, is like suggesting that The War on Drugs isn't a ridiculous violation of our American rights, a waste of tax dollars, and that it's actually "working".

(It isn't...and this won't either )

Restricting people from actions/activities/items they enjoy almost ALWAYS makes it worse. Training people how to live in harmony with these things, and form some self-control, is what is key.

I agree... restricting behavior is not the answer... encouraging additional healthier behavior is.

[Destroit]

I agree... restricting behavior is not the answer... encouraging additional healthier behavior is.

Indeed, and understanding, that to an extent pleasurable behaviors must be restricted, but that the individual must train themselves to do this, not be confined by the hard rule of someone else not even involved. There should be no outside source regulating you, moderation must come from within.

[victoriavengeance (1)]

this pisses me off. I brought brownies every damn year. fuck them for ruining kid's birthdays yo. that was the BEST part of school- my best friend at the time had the same birthday as I did, and we would switch on and off of who made brownies and who brought milk. gr.

[TygerLili]

This is ridiculous! An extra 30 minutes of gym for the kids' birthday sounds like a punishment to me, not a treat. If you're going to ban sweets, at least let them watch a 30 minute cartoon or something. And, really, if these kids' families don't encourage proper nutrition and exercise at home, 1 less cupcake and 30 minutes of dodgeball is not going to make any difference.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

if I went to that school, I'd so start dealing cupcakes.

[/newjackhustla]

[LadyKay]

It just sad cause it seems a kid cant just be a kid anymore.

[Tyger]

I think this is ridiculous. Put kids outside more, don't take things away. Everyone needs positive reinforcements. And a birthday is a special thing. NOT something to say "You don't need treats, your fat"...

[n0Mad]

The best way to combat childhood obesity is to abort them all before they're born.

[Slogo]

Who wants to get into the cupcake racket? Once they become illegal, a black market will arise...we should jump on that shit.

[wormsinwombs]

This doesn't even make sense O.o what it would be like maybe 26 cupcakes spread out through the year I don't think that will cause obesity or help prevent it. Hey parents get off your ass and play with your kids again that might help (and idk not buying them mcdonalds everyday that would probably help too)!

[*Siren*]

This doesn't even make sense O.o what it would be like maybe 26 cupcakes spread out through the year I don't think that will cause obesity or help prevent it. Hey parents get off your ass and play with your kids again that might help (and idk not buying them mcdonalds everyday that would probably help too)!

I agree with you completely. Children won't be active if the parents aren't. You need to get outside and be active with them. If you spend all of your free time sitting on the couch eating bon bons, your kids will too.

Why is it that people will go on and on about how children will be more likely take up smoking if their parents do, but most refuse to admit that their kids will pick up other bad habits such as a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits?

[Troy Spiral (13)]

This doesn't even make sense O.o what it would be like maybe 26 cupcakes spread out through the year I don't think that will cause obesity or help prevent it. Hey parents get off your ass and play with your kids again that might help (and idk not buying them mcdonalds everyday that would probably help too)!

I agree with you completely. Children won't be active if the parents aren't. You need to get outside and be active with them. If you spend all of your free time sitting on the couch eating bon bons, your kids will too.

Why is it that people will go on and on about how children will be more likely take up smoking if their parents do, but most refuse to admit that their kids will pick up other bad habits such as a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits?

"the cupcakes" themselves does seem silly , but on a broader note:

How to actually fix the problem culture-wide is a complex / confusing issue. In polls its clear people, parents and children alike, know what they should do, but they don't. Telling people to teach their kids to do XYZ clearly doesnt work. Why not?

We all know we need to eat less, eat more veggies and get more exersize, but we (the population) just doesn't. Unfortunately "willpower" just doesn't do it, we are evolved over almost the entire history of life and mankind in an environment of scarcity and nom nomed anything we could get, and to get it we had to work (exersize). Our brains are programed to act this way over the entire history of life on the planet up until just the last blink-of-an-eye biologicly speaking. We now live in an environment of abundance were even poor people have easy access to high calorie food (not always the best tasting but its readily available). So unless your lucky and have a good metabolism and a low appetite, in this sort of "toxic food culture" and endless supply of non-exersize related distractions, the population in general is going to stay overweight. Pass a law against all crap food advertizing might be a good start but that sort of thinking goes against our gut (no pun) instincts, we assume that willpower alone should do it.

Obesity was declared a national epidemic 10 years ago for adults, and now is considered epidemic in children, so the parents just arent doing what they need to (and even if they were biology is against us). How to fix that? Just telling the parents to shape up doesnt do it, clearly so whats left?

Its nice to think we all can just "willpower" our way out of things, and maybe we can, but its not happening. Something else needs to be done, just education is a fairly dead issue, one more detail about the specifics of "eat better / get more exerciser" hasn't fixed it, the whole culture/environment has to shift somehow.

I know that's not a popular way to look at it, but that's why 10 years after it being declared an epidemic its actually gotten worse. I'm actually concerned pretty seriously about health of the population due to this, but what to do I'm uncertain.

[Destroit]

"the cupcakes" themselves does seem silly , but on a broader note:

How to actually fix the problem culture-wide is a complex / confusing issue. In polls its clear people, parents and children alike, know what they should do, but they don't. Telling people to teach their kids to do XYZ clearly doesnt work. Why not?

We all know we need to eat less, eat more veggies and get more exersize, but we (the population) just doesn't. Unfortunately "willpower" just doesn't do it, we are evolved over almost the entire history of life and mankind in an environment of scarcity and nom nomed anything we could get, and to get it we had to work (exersize). Our brains are programed to act this way over the entire history of life on the planet up until just the last blink-of-an-eye biologicly speaking. We now live in an environment of abundance were even poor people have easy access to high calorie food (not always the best tasting but its readily available). So unless your lucky and have a good metabolism and a low appetite, in this sort of "toxic food culture" and endless supply of non-exersize related distractions, the population in general is going to stay overweight. Pass a law against all crap food advertizing might be a good start but that sort of thinking goes against our gut (no pun) instincts, we assume that willpower alone should do it.

Obesity was declared a national epidemic 10 years ago for adults, and now is considered epidemic in children, so the parents just arent doing what they need to (and even if they were biology is against us). How to fix that? Just telling the parents to shape up doesnt do it, clearly so whats left?

Its nice to think we all can just "willpower" our way out of things, and maybe we can, but its not happening. Something else needs to be done, just education is a fairly dead issue, one more detail about the specifics of "eat better / get more exerciser" hasn't fixed it, the whole culture/environment has to shift somehow.

I know that's not a popular way to look at it, but that's why 10 years after it being declared an epidemic its actually gotten worse. I'm actually concerned pretty seriously about health of the population due to this, but what to do I'm uncertain.

I WOULD buy this...if I hadn't known plenty of friends and tons of family who use willpower to keep it off. I never believe the biology stuff on that because we have free will. You don't stare at a slice of pizza, then have you hand beyond your mental control reach out and grab it, then put it in your mouth...it just doesn't happen. People choose to make excuses about it so they can eat.

In the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, we didn't have this problem, but a lot had cars, TVs, gaming (tabletop until the 80s), reading, lazy sedentary activities, and almost everyone had a stocked fridge. I think it's really because as a society, we are so out for the individual now instead of the whole, and humans aren't supposed to work this way. Back then, kid goes to grab some cookies out of the cookie jar...hand gets smacked. Social reinforcement. Now parents don't care, they just let the kids take shit and eat it. I even had to sit in on a conversation of this woman I can't stand, whose got an obese 10 year old son, and her mother was trying to tell her she should do something about it and says "well the kid makes his own choices, nobody needs to be tellin' me how I raise mah son!" and hung up...

We also don't make fun of bigger people anymore, sorry, but that IS how I decided I didn't like being obese and did something about it. When I was a little kid, I didn't want to brush my hair. My mom stopped caring and sent me to school like that. When kids brutally made fun of me, I started combing it. Simple stuff, and we don't allow anyone to tease anyone anymore and "it's none of anyone's business" when it comes to other people's shortcoming and/or what they're doing wrong. So, since we no longer keep one another in check, everyone can just be lazy and eat without having to feel embarrassed about wrecking their bodies, taking in too much food (resources), exhibiting no self-control, and living to basically serve themselves.

I've noticed that since the decline of any hope or sense of purpose through humanity, and everyone using the "well we're just animals and can't help it excuse", that's about the time everyone started getting bigger. Before that, we had all the luxuries we do now, and yet for some reason it wasn't the case. The moment we stop making excuses that we can't control ourselves, the minute we can fix it. That's almost like insinuating, that since we can't control ourselves with will power, that as we're passing people on the streets, we just run right up and fuck them. Have you been in a store recently, saw something you wanted, and took it? Most don't. Others make excuses to be able to.

Edited August 23, 2011 by Chernobyl

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Ut oh novel incoming runnnn!! (need a little soap-box smiley)

Don't get me wrong , I TOTALLY get the reaction of "WTF?? Get off your fat ass!!" How are they going to have any incentive to stop eating if no one calls them on it?

But from a society wide issue , it gets sort of philosphical that is, yes I think we do all have to take responsibility for our own actions (personal responsibility). But ALSO a member of society its also incumbent upon us to take collective responsibility as a member of that group. To do that you have to address the realpolitik , that is, from a utilitarian actual effect standpoint (rather than from an ideological standpoint) find out the way things actually are (on the whole) and deal with them as they exist. That isn't always easy 1. to agree with and then 2. to really "know" what is real and what is just perception.

It takes a lot of actual studies and reading about the details to overcome that knee jerk reaction. That whole speech I just gave up there is after a lot of homework. (I read a lot of medical / science journals and such and have (or had) a lot of people in my life with both drug and/or social/eating disorders.

Try not to confuse personal cases whats called anecdotal evidence with studies and the larger view, sort of like how our gut reaction to locking up and just beating the drug addicts will fix the addiction and if they don't get better its just too damn bad , "stay in jail you idiot". One of the main reasons its taken so long to deal with the drug problem is this same sort of gut-instinct impression of things.

I know plenty of people that have beaten drug addiction and obesity but doing it "by your bootstraps" is not the norm. Kudos to them, big time, but if we want to fix the problem society wide, just yelling at them and hoping they shape up in jail (or depressed living under a bridge becasue we don't want ot deal with them) doesn't really work.

I WOULD buy this.

In the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, we didn't have this problem,

Common misconception even though it "feels" right and I too had this same concern. I'm like so if its the environment, why wasn't this such an issue 50 years ago?

Its well studied, although your not going to see a well-reasoned detailed on fox news show bothering to discuss it like this (complex reality doesn't sell).

Even though we had the "trappings" of modern society in the earlier part of the 20th century that's all it was, it really didn't start hitting the fan until the 70s-80s and we are just now finally getting hit hardcore by it in the last 20 years or so. That was a common thought for a long time, that well , we have had "modern society" for 100 years, nothings really changed, but it has, a lot.

Even as far as up into the 70s the entertainment most people got had a ton of "outside" non-commercialized stuff , now from the time you pop out of the womb your barraged with an insane amount of "sit on your ass" stuff that teaches you that that is normal from before your old enough to even think about things logically.

In the 70s the large size at mc donalds was what is now the small just as one example. In the 70s kids got... don't have the numbers in front ofme, but exposed to a TINY fraction of the food advertizing and EAT EAT EAT this its fun from what they do now (and the further you go back the less it was a problem). When your hit with this at basicly BIRTH , its hard to argue that its not a problem.

Similar to how being racist for ages and ages was just something you heard from cradle to grave and it was the rare individual who stood out and took a stand against it. Again kudos to them but its not the way society changes as a whole. True you can just personal-willpower against things, but when you have a society geared toward (whatever) plus a biological instinct toward (whatever) it takes more than just individual responsibility to get it fixed. Even though I dont LIKE that idea, its fairly well understood, or at least I think it is.

We also don't make fun of bigger people anymore,

Well studied also. I agree also with the gut reaction. Its not magic PUT THE TWINKIES DOWN BITCH! If no one calls a lard ass a laird ass... well then... I long thought well WTF, they don't have any incentive to get in shape do they? (and the secondary reason I got fired from that radio station job I talk about was due to doing this )

But, just like drug addiction, kicking them in the nuts / shunning (hell even tossing them in jail for making my health care costs go up, why not by that rational) them just makes the problem worse not better. They eat more not less. To go into hiding from society and do more drugs / eat more not less. (there are a lot of parallels between drug addiction and food addiction / lethargy only its more insidious as its not seen as a "problem" the way drug addiction is).

I've noticed that since the decline of any hope or sense of purpose through humanity, and everyone using the "well we're just animals and can't help it excuse", case. The moment we stop making excuses...

Again I was right there with you on this, and in general its true, but the environment is heavily at work in the context of free will. We DO have to get off our asses and change, but its a more complex than just that alone. The reality is a mixture. If all your friends are drug addicts for instance, its a lot harder than if you live in a white bread household were no one hardly even knows what a drug is. Sure you CAN get over it, and some do and that's great.

Like so much received wisdom and much gut-level stuff and the way we take in information we get the "big picture" from a skewed view due to our very short lifespan / timeline view. The media bias toward the negative, and our own built-in psychological conformation bias , that is, our brains are built to tend to look for evidence to conform what we already believe , not , challenge our existing paradigms.

So we end up valuing what we see right in front of our face (which is often not accurate in the larger scheme of things) this helped us escaping Saber-tooth tigers, but it doesn't help us getting an accurate picture of reality as a whole. To get at the truth, often we have to realize that our senses are flawed as much as we HATE that idea, its real and we have to figure out how to get at the facts, despite our flawed senses.

Society on the whole is in better shape now than it has ever been despite the news (and us) focusing on the negative. Its actually generally the opposite from the impression one would get hearing about all the negative stories and "the good old days", once we decided that our goals/fate weren't "decided from above". We realized we had to get to work and improve society.

On the order of generations, despite the obesity problem and even the economic woes, once you think about or look at the overall health/lifespan/education/understanding of the universe, of the average person its higher now (on the scale of generations) than it has ever been in the history of mankind taken on balance even though its hard to see in the face of daily stresses.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

By the way Cher that argument you made there, I made myself at least twice, maybe three or four times back in the day right here on DGN.

Just my view on it has changed over time due to new info (see that long boring thing i posted above). Again, i did read your whole post (you'd be amazed how many people cant read more than a paragraph or two at a time, its sad. For some reason I feel the need to point that out, as I don't want people to stop posting detailed stuff just because many have ADD and don't read it all.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

My signature should say 'This is what i currently think but I'm totally open (or at least try my best to be, conformation bias aside) to the idea that I might be totally wrong. I just want to get at whatever the truth is, not win an argument. My whole worldview is sort of a push-pull relationship between trying to:

1. Find the truth / explain it so that you can check your own fallibility and maybe help others in the process.

2. Be Kind (this doesn't necessarily always mean hugs, that can be unkind in some cases)

3. Keep your word. (Try as we might we fail at this)

all of that is really hard to do, as finding the truth and I fail at it all the time but I keep trying.

[LadyKay]

I think biology and genetics play some roll in weigh gain. I think that some people have gens that tell the their body to make more fat cells while others do not. People who's biology make up tells their body to make more fat cells gain wait faster and more easily. And there for have to be more concern about what they eat. When I was in high school, I could and did eat anything I wanted. I never gained a pound and weight under 100 pounds all through high school. I stop being able to do that when I reached my 30's. I'm not saying that biology is an excuse for all people who are overweight and there for they should just use that excuse and give in to whatever they want to eat. But I think that it is important to understand your own body and that if you have a harder time taking off weight, instead of getting down on your self. Just realize that because of your body make up, maybe it will take you a bit longer to get into the shape and you may need to work a bit harder at it. Just like some people can get all A's in school with only a few minuets of study time while another student can study for hours and not get a grad higher then a "C.

Well anyway that's what I think.

[LadyKay]

Just watch. I think soon they are going to start banning parents from packing lunches. Saying that parents aren't packing their kids the right kind of foods. Just wait. it's coming. It has already happen in a school in Chicago.

http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/chicago-school-bans-pack-lunches/

Edited August 26, 2011 by LadyKay

[Vater Araignee]

skimmed, didn't read.

This crap isn't about legislating behavioral to improve health, it is about legislating behavioral to improve profits.

Every time you restrict a food item that can be brought onto school grounds, people become a little more use to it. Eventually you will be able to say all food items must be supplied through the school and from there the next step is all children will be required to except the school meal if they eat it or not. By way of home or government funding, so some will be paying twice.

Even if you want to discount that. How can you expect a child to eat healthy in school when

1. Public schools are required to offer a free lunch program.

2. In order to receive funding, the meals must meet a minimum calorie requirement.

3. The calorie requirement for 1 meal is over 50% of the daily requirement of a moderately active child.

4. The meals price has to fit within the budget.

Combine all of that and you have a recipe for fattening up the kids because you cant get enough healthy food with the calorie requirements cheap enough to stay in budget.

It is true that if you offer a kid something enough then eventually they will eat it. Key is offer not force.

My daughters school had to remove the salad bar because they legally could not tell the kids that get free lunch that they could not have it. Eventually so many of them where eating salad that they started losing funding. Take away the healthy alternative from all the kids and problem solved.

[Class-Punk]

Along with this being a bad idea, I think schools should've never got rid of pop machines. Americans ignore or don't know that obesity is a leading cause of death. And the nutritional knowledge in America is poor. I started really learning about nutrition last year in 2010, the extent I learned about it in school was the portion-shoddy food pyramid (which has now been abandoned by myplate.gov). The school systems keep running away from choice and individualism, then wonder why they aren't up to par.

[LadyKay]

Today is my daughter's 6 birthday and I took cupcakes to her school for the whole class. Luckily this sort of nonsense has not reached my little part of the woods yet!