Critics Denounce Pizza Hut Reading Program

Critics Denounce Pizza Hut Reading Program

Source Link: www.cnn.com

Since 1985, that's been the gist of Pizza Hut's Book It, an incentive program used by 50,000 schools nationwide to reward young readers with free pizzas. The program is now under attack by child-development experts who say it promotes bad eating habits and turns teachers into corporate promoters.

Book It, which reaches about 22 million children a year, "epitomizes everything that's wrong with corporate-sponsored programs in school," said Susan Linn, a Harvard psychologist and co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

"In the name of education, it promotes junk food consumption to a captive audience ... and undermines parents by positioning family visits to Pizza Hut as an integral component of raising literate children," Linn said.

This week, Linn's organization called on parents to end their schools' participation in the long-standing program.

(visit the link for the full news article)

For cripes sake, can't those GD Nazi libs leave anything alone. I remember this program. I used to take adavantage of it just as many of my friends did.

Well obviously whoever gets a free pizza for doing well in reading will turn to a life of junk food and become overweight.

Once they get the first free pizza all they do is sit and read to get more.

So basically almost any restaurant, since they all offer foods that people like ie; have lots of fat, sugar and salt, can't do anything to help promote education while at the same time allow themselves a chance to make money to contribute again next year. Who would have know that reading is dangerous to your health?

I agree, MooneyBravo. Fer chrissakes, a liitle reward of a pizza for reading a book comes under fire.:shk:

I bet if "the book" were to espouse alternate lifestyles, such as "My Two Dads", they would have no problem with it.

Originally posted by jsobecky
I bet if "the book" were to espouse alternate lifestyles, such as "My Two Dads", they would have no problem with it.

Hey, what do you know

[edit on 3/3/2007 by enjoies05]

This is utter nonsense. I remember doing this. Fact is, at that age I was eating it whether or not it was free. Only difference was now I was reading a book a week and eating it, rather then not reading and eating it. Honestly I can't say how ridiculous these things are. Having done this, and being able to remember it, I know that this is complete garbage and I would have eaten there whether or not the program was going on. Utter nonsense

I suspect you're correct, enjoies05. They want to have it their way, with all children taught that left is right, and right is wrong. Cradle to the grave.
Since Pizza Hut is owned by Pepsico, let's boycott them and their Taco Bell and K.F.C. restuarants too. In fact, let's boycott all fast food, everywhere.
What nonsense.






[edit on 3-3-2007 by TheAvenger]

I agree.


People eat fast food and pizza every week already. So instead of having kids eat it and read, they don't read but still eat it. That will make them real healthier

And aren't the pizzas the small ones anyway? It's not like they're giving out huge pizzas.



[edit on 3/3/2007 by enjoies05]

I have no problem with them boycotting it. I may think they are stupid for boycotting a program that promotes reading, but hey if that's their thing to boycott reading programs, fine.

Fact is, people will still eat it. I don't eat it anymore, but it's not because they don't give me free pizza anymore for reading.

I personally boycott fast food resturants all year around, but not because of their reading programs rather there negative effects on health. By boycott, what I mean is, I don't eat there or eat any products affiliated with them.

Why would the parents want it to end? Now they have to pay for the pizzas.

Its a Personal Pan Pizza, I remember
It's pretty small in size. Not even the size of a small pizza by far.

Anyway, I think these people are just pissed off that people really don't care that big corporations are doing exactly what they were meant to do, so they try to convince the parents they are doing something evil instead.

These corporations are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If a corporation doesn't give money or free stuff, they aren't being active or helpful toward the community. They give free stuff or something and all the sudden they are buying people off and promoting the corruption of our youth. What utter BS.

I wonder what kind of reading incentives they have in Amsterdam....?

Imagine if some kid accidentally got ahold of a book on nutrition, and could actually understand it!!
The horror!

Is it me or did the big theme of ATS threads suddenly change from Muslim-bashing to fast food-bashing? Strange.

is an excellent program in my opinion, which All of our children participated in.

? A free Personal Pan pizza per MONTH is promoting a junk food society ? For having read what 3-5 books(?), OUTSIDE of school/classwork.
Whaaa.

Even though they have either graduated or are in advanced grades which don't offer such, ALL of our children STILL do the weekly library visit ... checking out and READING books.

How a MONTHLY reward can be deemed promotion of a fast/junk food society is beyond me. Especially a program specifically designed to promote expanding our youth's literary growth and/or intellectual horizons through READING. (?)

I'm certainly not a fan of Pizza Hut's menu items, a personal dislike, but ... damn ... why not just do away with any/all programs that promote literacy in our youth?

If the "reward" were a bag of sugar or a pound a fat they might have a point, but to condemn a MONTHLY award consisting of a free personal pan pizza, for having read several books, is quite ludicrous.

Just my two pence on the matter.

Pizza is junk food?

Should we reward kids with carrots for reading? When I was a kid I was in the same program and loved it, always wanted my pizza.. and usually it was a family night out to get the free pizza along with a bigger pizza for the family.. promoted reading and family time. Whats wrong with that? Apparently the Liberal left would like to dictate our calorie intake? Butt out of peoples lives, thats what I say.

I can see the both sides of the argument, would Pizza Hut be doing this if the organisation did not benefit in some way? I personally doubt it after all its a business that can only survive if it makes money, i.e. sell pizza to the moms and dads of the children who get their pizza free.

I think part of the issue Susan Linn is trying to make is that education should be provided to our children as pure as is possible and for it not to be influenced by anyone or any organisation who have their own personal interests at hart.

Saying that, we in the west live in the corporate world and if the kids are learning while the corporations make some money its not all bad - after all the corporations have to pay some of the money back as tax anyway

So don't lambaste Susan Linn - she is after all trying to protect the kids education. I wonder what her views are on the Christian fundamentalists??

[edit on 3-3-2007 by freeradical]

I went to this organizations website out of curiosity.
Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood
www.commercialexploitation.org...

I am all for a "Commercial-Free Childhood" and some of their causes I can agree with like no stupid commercial bus advertising radio on school buses. But the whole Pizza Hut fight is just sort of lame. They have to be aware of what "battles" are worth fighting. However, I am sure they probably have the mission statement that ALL commercial marketing to children is wrong. Therefore, the Pizza Hut reading program while being such a minor issue is still corporate marketing to kids. I can kind of see their point to a small extent. Does anyone think that the Pizza Hunt corp. really cares if kids can read? Unless of course it is to read their menu.



[edit on 3-3-2007 by zerotime]

Had a look at their site.....

Would i be jumping off that splintered fence I was sitting in in my last reply if I said I that I was proud of the work these true paladins are doing protecting the one true faith - human reasoning?

*runs for cover*

[edit on 3-3-2007 by freeradical]