Disney shuts down “Fat Camp” exhibit amid complaints,....could Disneyland become 'Obamaland'?
Disney closed down a three-week-old anti-obesity attraction at its Florida theme park after angry parents, doctors and obesity experts said it was "horrifying" and insensitive."The exhibit dumbed down childhood obesity to a choice," says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a family doctor and founder of Ottawa's Bariatric Medical Institute. "As if kids, or adults, go to bed at night thinking hot damn, I'm going to be lazy and gluttonous rather than active and healthy."
Freedhoff says Disney was right to close Habit Heroes for retooling and suggested that the company—whose theme parks sell hot dogs, ice cream and other calorie-laden treats for pint-sized visitors—could do a lot more to help kids live healthier lives.
He proposed the company "start by taking a corporate stand and loudly and proudly put an end to their practice of licensing their beloved cartoon characters to sell nutritionally bankrupt food to children."The exhibit, called "Habit Heroes" and housed at Epcot Center, was co-sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Inside the 4,700-square-foot space, kids worked with protagonists Will Power and Callie Stenics to fight bad habits, personified as grotesquely obese villains with names like The Glutton, Lead Bottom and The Snacker.
In one room, kids wielded guns that shot broccoli and apples, aiming to knock out cream puffs and hot dogs. In another, they pressure Lead Bottom into dancing to help him lose weight, according to theOrlando Sentinel.A second problem with Habit Heroes is that the exhibit could make it seem like children are solely to blame for their weight, says Dr. Frank Pasztor, director of the Children's Fitness Centres of Canada. "I'm completely against that," he says, explaining that it's up to parents to set the guidelines for their kids and show them how to lead a healthy life.
Wow Disney, way to completely ruin a kid’s day at the park.It was meant as a fun escape and now they have turned it into Michelle Obama’s personal amusement park.Makes you wonder what Michelle and Barack eat at Disney World.Read the full story here.
