Nap Time or Miller Time?
Yet another disturbing marketing trend aimed at chiseling the innocence away from our precious children emerged today in the peripheral news headlines.
If only this was not a real story, an actual happening, conceived of by the real minds of actual human beings who somehow think this is actually a remotely acceptable product idea to promote as though it were a positive? Anyone else want to join the campaign to keep this particular brand of nonsense from hitting our Yankee shores after it takes the English by force? And does anyone else find themselves aghast at the increasingly stunningly brazen moral depravity targeting our babies under the guise of "hip" these days?:
"American children may someday have a beer to call their own.
The maker of KidsBeer, a Japanese soft drink that looks like beer and tastes like Coke, plans to market the beverage in Europe, Britain's Sunday Telegraph reports."Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink," are you READING THIS???) reads KidsBeer's Japanese slogan, according to the Telegraph.
One Japanese ad shows a boy first crying about a math test, then weeping in delight after a drink of KidsBeer. Another shows a father and daughter clinking mugs, one with KidsBeer, one with the real stuff. Brewer Tomumasu says 75,000 bottles of the brown-colored, frothy drink are sold per month in Japan. "Children always copy adults," exulted Tomumasu head Satoshi Tomoda. "If you have this drink at events attended by kids, it would make the occasions even more entertaining."
Wonderful glimpse into the warped reasoning of the sicko minds at work behind this lovely new product. But far from rare in our world these days.
About two years ago, while browsing in the children's' department of a national Department store, I came across a rack of shirts in size 4T through 6X. These tiny pink and purple shirts had the words "PORN STAR" embellished on them in little glittery rhinestones.
PORN STAR shirts.
In size four to six. Apparently, in the minds of those who target our children for marketing their wares, a porn star is a perfectly appropriate aspiration for our FOUR YEAR OLDS. Now they can not only flaunt their preschool sexuality, they can drink a toast with their "fake beer", too.
Shame on you people. I will forever stand between your corrupt influences and my children.
posted by lachen at 1:00 AM
4 Comments:
I don't think it would make it here. As "open minded" as our country seems to be, the majority of us still protect our children from the moral minority. The porn star shirts are a shame on the fashion industry, one I fail to bow to at every twist and turn anyway and have since I was a kid. But I think products like this have "tried their hand" before and failed miserably in our marketplace b/c those who are stupid enough to touch it get lamblasted, as they should, and lose more than they ever gain.
If it should "hit the streets" here I guarantee I will be writing some nasty letters and fast. As if alcoholism is not a big enough curse among the older crowd we have to pull it in on the kids. Shame.
I know this is so, so wrong of me, but I was cracking up when I read your pullquotes from that article -- both because the writer seemed to see nothing wrong with the concept, and because fallacious reasoning always makes me giggle.
"Children always copy adults:" Yup, very true. So by all means, let's not improve our own behavior, but drag them down to our lowest level!!
I will admit to understanding the concept -- when I was small, my aunt always made sure there was apple cider for New Year's so each kid got a crystal flute of that while the adults got champagne. I assume this is coming from the same place. But really, the appeal of that was getting to hold the Super-Fragile-and-Hella-Expensive china and proving to the grownups that you could be trusted not to smash it against the wall.
As for success here, I think mommaria is right. You don't see a lot of candy cigarettes around anymore, and I remember a few years back there was a huge protest when some wiseacre tried to market ballpoint pens that looked like syringes. One can hope this will get that sort of reaction as well.
I had to laugh too. And, I agree, I really do not think it would make it here in the U.S.
Though, like *arwen* - I do understand what they are trying to do. At holiday meals in my family the adults have wine, and all the kids have sparkling grape juice. But, I think they are marketing it in the wrong way (if that is possible). The commercials are just silly.
China, England, etc - have very different views on what is socially acceptable than we do here in the U.S. BUT, the "porn star" and other clothing naughties I see while out shopping with my 4-year-old daughter are just stomach turning. WHO on earth would let their young daughters wear these things?
Kind of like the KidBeer -- but I guess there has to be someone out there that does by this crap otherwise it wouldnt still be on the shelves, right? We, as parents, just have to step up & not let our children be subjected to these things.
Thanks you guys, for reeling me back from the ledge on this one. May it go to an early grave alongside the likes of candy cigars, pen syringes, PORN STAR T-shirts for preschoolers, and other such brilliant marketing innovations.
And for Mama - the story is available all over, but the "exulted" nonsense was quoted from: http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=3&id=345527
A bit over the top? These guys? Naaaahhhh...
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