Standardise your argument
Error:
Span logic: Span 'spanfujhpr7s5ond2lxp94h9x4le' start index does not match global text index
Please contact Peter with reproduction steps
Select text and choose "Add conclusion" or "Add Premise".
Add an argument component
This newspaper recently published an opinion piece headed “Advertising is not bad for children’s health”. It would have been more honest to call it “Advertisers don’t care about children’s health”. The author would have us believe that advertisers and the companies peddling junk food to our kids are only in their business because they care so deeply about our children, and it’s got nothing to do with profits. How stupid do they think we are?
Let me respond to a few of the points made in that article.
The author acknowledges that recent Government research shows a significant increase in childhood obesity and overweight, but doesn’t think this is something to be too concerned about because they’re exercising more. But surely if they’re getting fatter while they’re exercising more, the junk food they’re eating must be doing them harm.
The author mentions children’s sport, suggesting that junk food pushers such as McDonalds should claim credit for the fact that children enjoy sport. But children have always enjoyed sport even when McDonalds had nothing to do with it. And a ban on advertising wouldn’t stop those companies donating money to children’s sport if they care so much about it. It would just stop them gaining publicity from it. So this argument has no merit.
And what about the ridiculous argument that we shouldn’t ban advertising of junk food to children because the US hasn’t banned it despite the fact that they’ve got much more junk food in schools than we do? The US hasn’t stopped guns in schools either, but that’s hardly an example we should be emulating is it?
I believe that a ban should be introduced, but my point here is not to argue for that ban. My point is to dispute the misleading rhetoric of those who would have us believe that we have nothing to fear from advertisers pushing junk food on our children. The author refers to those of us who care about our children’s health as ‘do-gooders’. I’m prepared to own that: I hope we are doing good. And if the author of the article is explicitly denying that they’re trying to do good themselves, who are we to argue?
C
P1.
P1.1.
P2.
P2.1.
P3.
P3.1.
P4.
P5.
Linked / Convergent Components
P1., P2., P3., P4., P5. = Convergent