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10 pounds down 32 pounds to go!

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

nanny state fanny state

Apparently it's a big deal that facebook has ads for weightloss gimmicks. How shocking! People trying to make money off other people's insecurities! No other company ever did that! It's ironic that I just read an article about how terrible it is that facebook wants to start charging for their services. It seems you can't win if you're facebook, they're not allowed to take ads from paying buyers and they can't ask customers for money. I hate to sound like a D.A.R.E. officer but seriously if people click on those ads the company will make money and they'll run more ads, it's a just say no situation. Or maybe a get over it situation.

I truly don't understand this modern need to protect the masses from their own mistakes. The children at the local school aren't allowed to play in the snow because they might fall. Who decided that life was too dangerous to live and why do we all buy in to it so easily? I honestly don't want to be a part of a culture that supports keeping children standing stock still in a frozen playground rather than letting them play and then denies them the occasional cookie because they're too fat from being encouraged to stand around or stay inside all the time.

Life wasn't always like this. Hardly one hundred years ago if you fell down playing and broke your arm you learned to be more careful or at least the fact that life is sometimes painful but you survive. It's a sad thing that we work so hard to make life easier, there is a definite lack of character in people today. Maybe I'm heartless but I think we're killing ourselves with unnatural selection. If you are a person who doesn't know that clicking the blinky blink "lose all your fat yesterday!" icon is a bad idea you deserve to get fleeced. I don't think those people need our protection. I think making mistakes and learning from them is a part of life, an important part of life. It's a harsh reality that getting what you want isn't what life is about and it's even harsher that some people make their living propagating the myth.

I don't yet think the human race is so stupid that literate people with access to the internet need violent protection from ads on facebook. There has to be a more worthy cause somewhere, even fighting pedophiles on myspace is a better use of time or visiting your local nursing home if you really want to make an actual difference in someone's life. I'm beginning to think personal computers are the root of all evil, what other medium allows people to to pander and protect the insecurities of so many.

3 comments:

MayQueen said...

This stuff makes me sick. I'm all for safer playground equipment and all that, but some schools won't even let the kids play tag. On a flat surface. Yikes. If I were a kid, I'd rather play a video game, too.

Sugarcrook said...

Playgrounds are lame. Monkeybars? C'mon. Video games are where it's at.

Amy said...

Remember those do it yourself merry go rounds that are probably against the constitution now, those were awesome/crazy dangerous.

I bet your virtual life is one playground after another.