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Have you seen the Burger King TV commercial that has caused quite a bit of controversy and outrage by the mental health community?
In a nutshell, it is Burger King’s mascot, the king, running wildly through an office building. He is tackled and restrained by two men in white. They say he is “crazy” and “insane” for wanting to sell his burgers so cheaply.
Mental health organizations argue that they have worked very hard to erase the old school notions of mental illness (i.e. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). They fear that images like this will bring stigmatization to mental illness and make people afraid to seek treatment. (See the commercial for yourself)
Is this a case of another commercial pushing the envelope to grab the attention of its viewers or is it disrespectful?
There are a few subtexts to the commercial that aren’t mentioned by the mental health organizations but may also cause objection to those who are concerned about the impact of marketing on the way we eat.
Does the commercial also say?…
1) It’s normal to lose control over yourself when eating fast food. Why bother trying to eat it mindfully?
2) It’s cheap. Who cares about how healthy it is as long as it’s a deal.
3) Do whatever you can to get this food, no matter what the consequences.
Another group that is rallying to change fast food marketing is an organization lobbing to eliminate Ronald McDonald. They arguing that Ronald has a significant impact on the childhood obesity epidemic (see RetireRonald.org). As you can imagine, it is a heated controversy. Some say that parents alone are responsible for choosing what to feed their children and the marketing has little to do with kids being hooked on fast food. Others say the opposite. Kids are highly influenced by the ads and images they see.
The question, in general, is how much does the media impact what we buy and consume? Does a “crazy” king and a red head clown impact the way we eat? Feel free to weigh in on this issue...
By: Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of the new book, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food and Eating Mindfully www.eatingmindfully.com
