Not happy about food editor's Happy Meal advice

Advertisers understand that Americans are weak sheeple who have succumbed to the drone of billion dollar media advertising business. Advertise it and they will buy. Say it has new features, even if its only two, do it up in a slick new package, or sell it with an almost worthless giveaway toy, and they stand in line for hours or turn their cars into the dummy line to eat what comes out the window.

Children, and many adults, are unaware how they are victimized by advertisers. People trained to make them feel as if what they have is old and needs to be replaced. With stealth picture and word they convince the sheeple that what they need is to be beautiful, sexy, competitive, fast, using every fear button to zap the consumer into submission.

They encourage them to hurry and buy the new gadget, face cream or kiddie meal so they will be happy, skinny, healthy, beautiful, and life will be good. Such hogwash permeates the media to the point that BP is successfully cooling the angst against them with their ads and the new faces, both with New Orleans twangs and soothing promises that they'll make everything right.

Deborah Pankey is supposed to be a food editor. However, her article on June 30 indicates that her resume is void of experience in nutrition. She touted McDonald's Happy Meals as a great food choice for kids, noting that she eats them sometimes, too. She may not care about her health. However, as a food editor, touting a meal with excessive amounts of salt and sugar and a product that is advertised as a "kid" meal is irresponsible. Please, Daily Herald, hire a food editor who understands and cares about childhood nutrition.

Gail Talbot

Huntley