You want to take on the health crisis of obesity? Be my guest. Why don’t you start by going after the brands that bully schools into accepting their processed foods in their lunchrooms? Or the fast food chains and soda companies and junk food makers that fight to deluge kids with their advertising? Or maybe stop sabotaging recess and gym time because of the obscene obsession on test prep — a distraction that keeps kids from physical activity but hey, is big business for corporations like Pearson. You could also work on educating children and families about nutrition in the home and school. Because when you simply threaten to penalize families of obese children, you’re targeting exactly the people who are often most likely to be living in or vulnerable to poverty. Positive, lifelong change doesn’t come from fear of punishment. And it doesn’t come from targeting individual families. It comes from changing the culture of how we feed and care for our kids.
| — | Fining the parents of obese children is fining the poor for being poor. |
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