‘Early Death’ Campaign Backers Scapegoating Video Games
Obesity is a growing problem in the United Kingdom and fingers are beginning to point. Recently a Scottish physician suggested a ’sin tax’ on chocolates, the precedent being set by a similar tax on tobacco and alcohol products. A different approach was taken by Campaign4Life: the controversial advertisement depicting a young boy sitting on a couch holding a PlayStation controller with the text ‘Risk an Early Death: Do Nothing’ at the top.
Funding for the advertisements comes from a group called Business 4 Life in the hefty sum of 200 million GBP. Who are these businesses that are so concerned about the welfare of British youths? Sports equipment manufacturers who abhor laziness? Football franchise owners hoping to spur a new wave of young athletes to get out and start training so the UK can dominate the World Cup in a few years? Sadly it’s nothing quite so noble or straightforward. UK publication Private Eye (a satirical rag similar to the Onion) has dug up some information about the backers of this campaign. Amongst the main contributors are Nestla, Coca-cola, Pepsico and Kelloggs.
It’s not hard to guess why these companies would be backing this project. If this is in fact true, then these companies are simply mudslinging, trying to shift the blame from the incredibly high calorie snacks, sodas and other unhealthy foods onto a different scapegoat. After all, nobody’s ever taken a lawsuit out against Barnes and Noble or Marvel for making their kids fat, but the cultural and ideological unpopularity of video games makes them a ready spot to shift the blame.