SRL Archive - Discussions & Debates

From: Fox News

An Iowa school district's lunch program asks children as young as 5 years old to memorize a four-digit PIN code so it can monitor what they eat in the school cafeteria – prompting some parents to claim it's an unhealthy case of "Big Brother."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/08/big-brother-watching-kids-eat-at-school/

Personally I think that the reactions to this are ridiculous. I've been using a six digit pin number to buy lunch since I was in third grade. I see nothing wrong with it. If someone wants to know how much of X I eat, go for it.

I can't believe some of the people talking on there are saying that it's "Big Brother monitoring [their] kids," or anything of the sort.

Discuss.

If anything this could be turned to good use. If they're all downing pizza every day, that should raise alarm bells for the parents.

I don't see how this could infringe on rights. Of course if they try using it as a stepping stone for other things thats bad, though the harm would be little.

As much as I like privacy, I sometimes wonder how much safer I'd feel if there were cameras everywhere. It wouldn't bother me as long as they're not in my home. If I was out with a girl I wouldn't mind kissing or hugging in front of a camera. Chances are no one would even be looking. Sorry, I'm going off topic.


The question would be: Are people firing at this because they legitimately believe something bad can come of this? (if so, please post showing intriguing new stuff for all to learn)
Or are they afraid of the idea of being watched? Psychology is fun :)

The illuminati is monitoring your lunch choices to help them achieve world domination.

Good idea really, maybe once America wakes up to how fat it is Americans will stop being so fat. Sounds harsh but an American guy came to our uni on exchange the other day, he wasnt fat, but he pointed at one of the fattest people we get in Australia and said "about 50% are that fat or fatter". And he was complaining about how hard it was to get greasy food here (we've got food shops that sell food from all around the world run by families rather than franchises mainly), he got the greasiest thing he could from a fish and chip shop, and after eating it he said he still craved the fat + grease + salt "hit".

Its largely a lifestyle choice but it seems to be very cultural. Being obese is clearly unhealthy, many Americans are obese cause they're in a culture where fat and grease is the norm and very cheap and easy, rather than hard to find, so they just eat it. And then complain when someone wants to monitor their unhealthy habits, because then they might be forced to recognise their unhealthy habit for themselves.

From: cstrike
If anything this could be turned to good use. If they're all downing pizza every day, that should raise alarm bells for the parents.

I don't see how this could infringe on rights. Of course if they try using it as a stepping stone for other things thats bad, though the harm would be little.

As much as I like privacy, I sometimes wonder how much safer I'd feel if there were cameras everywhere. It wouldn't bother me as long as they're not in my home. If I was out with a girl I wouldn't mind kissing or hugging in front of a camera. Chances are no one would even be looking. Sorry, I'm going off topic.


The question would be: Are people firing at this because they legitimately believe something bad can come of this? (if so, please post showing intriguing new stuff for all to learn)
Or are they afraid of the idea of being watched? Psychology is fun :)

All I read was a bunch of idiots thinking that the government is watching their children. All this is is looking at what people eat. The numbers may not even be associated with a name. Even if it is, it's not like they'll know Billy Johnson's SSN or address or anything from this. They simply want to see if the "healthy food" shit they have in schools now is doing anything (obviously it's not because everyone's still obese). I have absolutely no idea how people make the connection to dictators or big brother from their kids' lunch choices.

From: The Claw
Good idea really, maybe once America wakes up to how fat it is Americans will stop being so fat. Sounds harsh but an American guy came to our uni on exchange the other day, he wasnt fat, but he pointed at one of the fattest people we get in Australia and said "about 50% are that fat or fatter". And he was complaining about how hard it was to get greasy food here (we've got food shops that sell food from all around the world run by families rather than franchises mainly), he got the greasiest thing he could from a fish and chip shop, and after eating it he said he still craved the fat + grease + salt "hit".

Its largely a lifestyle choice but it seems to be very cultural. Being obese is clearly unhealthy, many Americans are obese cause they're in a culture where fat and grease is the norm and very cheap and easy, rather than hard to find, so they just eat it. And then complain when someone wants to monitor their unhealthy habits, because then they might be forced to recognise their unhealthy habit for themselves.

I agree that it's a lifestyle choice (except if you have a thyroid problem). However, I have nothing against fat and what not (usually).

I have a much bigger problem with fat free or zero calorie things than I do with a McDonald's Big Mac or whatever. I think it's sick how we just tell people to "drink diet and fat-free milk and don't eat any fat at all!" It's ludicrous.

as long as it doesnt go 1984 on our asses, i'm fine

From: i luffs yeww
I have absolutely no idea how people make the connection to dictators or big brother from their kids' lunch choices.

I see people viewing it as a downhill spiral.

For example, if we were allowed to ban a book, that would give leverage to people (higher up) to ban books that they don't see fit, thus potentially opening pandora's box for banishment of books which may become manipulated to control the public– if such an evil exists at the top of the ladder.
To give you an example with some interesting thoughts:
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread609057/pg1
They sum up points better than I do throughout that thread.


Now while I agree that I see no harm coming from it, as it could be used for good… there is technically the dark side of humanity that could also use the data for bad. To give you an idea of how it could be used (based on what I quoted, unless yours was more tongue in cheek, but lets do it for the sake of argument :)), It could go like this:
Data collection –> Population eating healthier –> Leads to better grades and better knowledge –> Evil elite do not want a smart population –> Fund junk food agencies to target schools more often.
As such, data isn't what is evil, but the persons intent with the data at hand. I do not foresee any evil coming of it [rather potential good actually!], but I would not rule it out or throw it past the governments… as we all know how accountable some of them are.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." – Thomas Jefferson


To sum my post up in a nutshell:

From: Awkwardsaw
as long as it doesnt go 1984 on our asses, i'm fine

I think that if they were to make a correlation between better health and better grades, so the government/big brother/whoever feeds us worse, we will start being able to be okay with shitty food and still learn and get good grades.

And about school, school is about obedience. Changing the diet in school most likely won't change anything about grades.

I remember those shitty high school/elementary days where teachers would yell at you if you looked the wrong way. I'm glad I'm passed those days. Sometimes they even do it at university too, but it's easy to fight.

I think I know what you're trying to get at w/ the first paragraph, but the last part of the sentence confused me slightly

Though for the 2nd sentence, last part:

Changing the diet in school most likely won't change anything about grades.

There was an interesting study done:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01545.x/pdf

This journal article (which I assume is of the health sciences), shows that fish may have the ability to increase grades by 10%. It seems like there may be a connection between diet and school marks.
For some hilarity in addition with the above, apparently having a dishwasher makes one smarter (lol).

Of course to be objective and realistic, at least where I live: grades 1 through 8 here are a sham… since you can literally not write any tests and still pass with 50%. They won't fail anyone here, which teaches kids to fail. Plus I think it would be interesting to follow these kids around and see what they actually eat. It may provide insight into their bad grades if a study is released showing they all eat the junkiest food at school. That may be what Fox News was trying to get at :p

Fish is because of the fatty acids in it (which is why I think fat is usually good for people; it tends to help growth development and boosts metabolism). But if you get wheat pizza versus bleached white pizza, your grades won't change (which is what schools have done to make schools "healthier") (I think).

Oh and the last part of the first sentence is that people evolve. Not that we'll be different in a few weeks or months, but after awhile, our diet COULD change to be more adapted to the worse food (we've been adapting to shitty food since the country started to be honest.. especially since the industrial revolution). Hope that clears it up a little.

yes it clears it up :)

My friend and I were having a conversation the other day about humans evolving to eat the junk food itself and processing it. The only problem we could find there is if we did head down that road, it might take a long while before the body adapts to such food… since it would need to primarily focus on the enzymes that digest the new types of [carbs/sugars/etc] that we ingest.

I don't know if its true or not, but I heard due to a weird type of sugar conformation, that it doesn't degrade well (or at all) in water, and is actually collecting in the sea/killing wild life slowly.

To stop de-railing, for the first point:
I wonder if it would be Omega-3? It'd be interesting if they could find out if there is lack of it in school food, and potentially remedy it by adding it maybe to the french fries? Of course we don't want a nation chewing down french fries 24/7, though if its that magic chemical that increases grades… even adding it to such a food may help?


BTW sort of off topc yet on topic:
How did your 6 digit pin work? Was it electronic?

Can't be bothered to read the whole post right now, but yes. It's my school ID number. I've had one (same with everyone I know) since I was six or seven.

From: i luffs yeww
Fish is because of the fatty acids in it (which is why I think fat is usually good for people; it tends to help growth development and boosts metabolism). But if you get wheat pizza versus bleached white pizza, your grades won't change (which is what schools have done to make schools "healthier") (I think).

Only some fat have health benefits, and its very easy to get that amount in just the amount of fruit and vegetables you should be eating.

Fish and meat are only extra. And theres conflicting evidence for a lot of the healthier fatty acids about if there are any benefits to having more. Problem is for a lot of stuff out there its not uncommon to take something and cook it in such a way that it becomes much unhealthier then it was.

This is so dumb…I've been doing this since like kindergarten and I could really care less if they want to know or know what I eat..

From: Capricorn
Only some fat have health benefits, and its very easy to get that amount in just the amount of fruit and vegetables you should be eating.

Fish and meat are only extra. And theres conflicting evidence for a lot of the healthier fatty acids about if there are any benefits to having more. Problem is for a lot of stuff out there its not uncommon to take something and cook it in such a way that it becomes much unhealthier then it was.

Brool story, co. This really has nothing to do about the thread anyway.

From: i luffs yeww
Brool story, co. This really has nothing to do about the thread anyway.

Erm…Yes it does?

Neither the content of the food, nor health benefits/deficits of food is related to the topic. The topic is that a school district in Iowa is just now starting to monitor lunch, and some are considering that to be Big Brother-esque. I disagree, and wanted to know what others think about it.

From: i luffs yeww
Neither the content of the food, nor health benefits/deficits of food is related to the topic. The topic is that a school district in Iowa is just now starting to monitor lunch, and some are considering that to be Big Brother-esque. I disagree, and wanted to know what others think about it.

It is related because some of the positive things would be tracking what, if any healthy food the kids buy.

Sorry, I didn't know you wanted to exclude one of the benefits of tracking from your discussion.

meh tings like this make me laugh.

i guess the schools could have asked the parents first?

Why?

From: The Claw
Good idea really, maybe once America wakes up to how fat it is Americans will stop being so fat. Sounds harsh but an American guy came to our uni on exchange the other day, he wasnt fat, but he pointed at one of the fattest people we get in Australia and said "about 50% are that fat or fatter".

Australia is actually fairly high on the ratings of obesity for countries. I guess it doesn't show the extent to which they are obese, but still.


I just don't really see the benefit to this other than maybe getting rid of foods no one eats.

the real question is, where has iowa been for the last 5-10 years? most schools have been tracking, or atleast the ability to track what a student gets at lunch for a long, long time. i know they did when i was atleast in 1st grade