Perhaps Dan Mitchell was watching ACSH's Jeff Stier on yesterday s CNBC segment covering the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) threat to sue McDonalds over Happy Meal toys when he observed that CSPI s tactics were a bit much in Slate's The Big Money.
According to Stephen Gardner, CSPI s litigation director, McDonald s is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children.
That statement evokes the notion that McDonald s is a child predator, states Stier in response to Gardner s nonsensical and insensitive analogy. He adds, The legal basis of their suit is if you appeal to minors who can t give consent with cartoon characters, they will automatically want to buy that food, and therefore, it s deceptive advertising.
Stier rebuts the CSPI claim with his own analogy. Yesterday on the show, I donned a Bugs Bunny tie with red peppers on it. If the argument goes that cartoon characters induce children to eat whatever food they re promoting, then kids should be running like zombies to the local farmers market as we speak to eat hot peppers.
All this talk of food resurrected ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross s childhood memories of when he used to eat boxes of Cracker Jacks to get to the prize at the bottom. Now I think I m going to file a class action lawsuit against Frito-Lay for their deceptive advertising, he quips.
Watch the video here.
