Force Feeding Doesn’t Work

From: Laptop Lunches

Wow! I really have to comment on this CBS news article. Apparently, even though the school has won accolades and multiple awards for their nutritionally-minded creative school lunch program (quinoa dishes, salads, Thai selections—yum, I’ll eat lunch there!) the students have flatly rejected the well-intentioned attempt at improving their nutrition. 

From: CBS News

They are throwing the lunches away “by the thousands” and an elaborate black market of junk food has evolved to fill the hungry void!

If I may get political for a moment: This is typical of well-meaning government bureaucrats who think they can police citizens to death, with such force resulting in changed hearts and minds. It won’t work!! Never has, never will!! 

Give the students reasonably healthy choices, give them incentives. For instance, the better choices could cost less---They are paying for this food aren’t they? No!?! Well you and I are, and I say even a small fee always causes one to appreciate anything a little more, don’t you agree?

Education might work. Then again, it might not. But that’s not everyone's (i.e. my or your)  problem. If you take away the students' liberty to make bad choices—even if and after they’ve been educated to know better—you take away everyone's liberty to make good choices. It works both ways. That’s just the way it is. 

We should welcome folks who feel strongly about this issue into the schools to give testimonies, tasting parties--cool things that will entice and challenge the kids to make good choices. But throwing good food and money away to make a bunch of adults feel like we are doing all we can is a huge travesty, waste of money and a poor substitute for real solutions.