Flame Off: YouTube Argument On The Halloween Obesity Letter

"Solving Obesity By Giving Fat Kids Letters Instead Of Candy On Halloween"

This particular video describes an issue that received national attention during Halloween time. A Fargo, ND mother preached that this year, in order to do her part in combating the obesity epidemic in America, she would pass out a note that she wrote to some children who she considered to be moderately obese rather than giving them candy when they came to trick or treat at her door this year. The note reads:

" Happy Halloween and Happy Holidays Neighbor! You are probably wondering why your child has this note; have you ever heard the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child?" Well I am disappointed in the "village" of Fargo Moorhead, West Fargo. Your child is, in my opinion, moderately obese and should not be consuming sugar and treats to the extent of some children this Halloween season. My hope is that you will step up as a parent and ration candy this Halloween and not allow your child to continue these unhealthy eating habits. Thank you."

This note sparked outrage amongst this North Dakota mother's community. On YouTube, the responses to the news segment about this letter were mixed. There was a debate going on about whether or not this mother was evil, if her initial intentions were correct but the way she went about it was not, and who is responsible for monitoring a child's candy intake and weight. Most of us agreed that the FDA and children's personal parents should be the one's guiding their eating habits, not the witchy neighbor next-door.

My 5 comments:

1) I think that junk food advertising aimed at children is at an all time high! That's the real problem here. Kids see spongebob squarepants on packages of m&ms so they become even more drawn to these sugary, fattening candies because advertisers pay millions of dollars to add licensed characters to their packaging in order to shamelessly lure them in. I don't think parents are the biggest part of the problem. I think what this woman chose to do is wrong, but I see where her intention is coming from.. parents need to start petitioning for more restrictions on junk food advertising aimed towards children. That's where the problem first begins. Children need to be protected from that before they develop such unhealthy habits!

2) (A response) Well even though you're joking, that's actually a valid point. Maybe these overweight and obese children don't normally get a lot of exercise in... and I'm sure they are already eating a lot of sugary and fatty foods when they are sitting around at home watching television rather than running around neighborhoods door to door for an hour or two. I think Halloween probably wasn't the time for her to express her opinions to her community. Children are so excited for this holiday that I think no matter what their sizes are, they deserve to get a little bit of candy! Should be up to every household to choose exactly how much kids get to eat. 

3) (A response) I completely agree. Her method was actually quite cruel, children are very sensitive and those who received her note will probably never forget the pain that caused them! Perhaps that was her point. I do however think that both the advertising industry and parents are responsible for properly guiding a child's food decisions. Advertisers and ACTUAL parents of the overweight children are to blame. That's where the responsibility lies. Nobody else's mama needs to tell you that your child is overweight, though. 

4) (A response) I agree that her idea here is pretty mean spirited. Imagine being a young child and receiving this note as you watched your siblings or friends get handfuls of treats! Must've been heartbreaking. I think that she was maybe trying to do a good thing in a bad way though. It isn't her job to determine which kids are to be considered "moderately obese", if she didn't want to give those kids candy, the proper thing to do would be to not give out any candy at all. Or perhaps pass out a healthy snack, mini sports balls, or something to encourage fitness. Even though the letter she passed out was quite rude, it does speak to a much larger problem, the obesity epidemic, that is occurring in our society.

5) Exactly! Host some sort of Halloween game that involves physical activity, hand out fruit instead of candy (happens all the time) etc. I think the sentiment behind what she was doing was correct. The obesity epidemic is skyrocketting in the United States! But don't you think the problems lie with advertisers and actual parents rather than the neighbor next-door?

I received a few responses to my responses well which was awesome, it kept the debate going!