Today at the 7-11 on Santa Monica and Virgil, a block away from my house, one now receives a free bag of Frto-Lay's brand chips with the purchase of an international phone card($5 or more). The sign, it should be noted is written in both English and Spanish (interestingly, the only bilingual signing in this particular 7-11), however the terms of the agreement are only written in spanish. Why is this blogg worthy?
1. The average bag of chili-lime cheeto's ( according to my calculations-relax I got an A in college level statistics- and Frto-Lay's wed site) contains; 480 calories( nearly 1/4th of the average dally caloric intake), 90% of the daly allotment for saturated fat, 70% of the daly allotment for sodium and about three words in its list of ingredients that I understand. Where as the advertisement is in spanish, the nutrition facts are not.
2. Obesity is not only life threatening, it is far more prevalent in impoverished households... 50% prevelent in homes making $15,000 or less a year than in homes making $50,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. My neighborhood is not affluent. Nor does it adhere Calvinistic ideologies about asceticism or a foreword looking perspective in regards to finances. These streets are occupied primarily with hard working, church going, Mexican, Salvadorian and Guatemalan families who buy Lotto tickets and international phone cards at 7-11.
To me, this is a blatant example of a the corporate structure taking advantage the impoverished. Poverty doesn't make people fat, lack of information and healthy alternatives does...don't believe me? Then why would the City of Los Angeles impose a moratorium on fast food restaurants in the inner city. This is Marx at the Marcado, Weber at the vending machene...
perhaps I am overreacting, but this kind of offends me.
1 comment:
Go Blake! It's the same stuff here -- the immigrant community, which is HUGE, is constantly targeted -- chip shops sell cheaper food than supermarkets and pay-as-you-go phones are more expensive, but all you can get if you don't have a permanent address, bank account, etc. (which you can't get if you don't have proper status).
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