Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Just who is Chris Arnold?
Chris Arnold writes to the Hornsey Journal about the HoL poll to rid Green Lanes of the McAd;
05 November 2008
So a small number of people ("Fast food ad removal plea", Journal, October 23), hate McDonald's and want to protect their children from McDonald's adverts. Maybe these people should get their facts right first instead of jumping on a propaganda bandwagon created by meat-hating vegans.
I would ask those 286 people who condemn McDonald's if they have ever given their kids sausage rolls, sausages, meat pies, pork pies, pasties, crisps, sweets, chocolates, sugar-coated cereals, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits, donuts... the list of food that is worse than a hamburger is a long one. Have they ever taken their kids to a restaurant serving kebabs, curries, Chinese, pizza or fish and chips? By contrast, all these foods are very fatty and calorific. McDonald's is a healthy choice by comparison.
Corporations like McDonald's don't corrupt our kids, but parents, full of anger with extreme views that have no factual basis, do.
Finally, companies have a freedom of speech and a right to advertise, just as Hugh Flouch has a freedom to express his minority views. The ASA monitors ads and takes down lies and illegal claims, that's their role. McDonald's serves 47 million people a day. We live in a democracy and most people like McDonald's. The ad stays.
- Chris Arnold, Rathcoole Gardens, N8.
05 November 2008
So a small number of people ("Fast food ad removal plea", Journal, October 23), hate McDonald's and want to protect their children from McDonald's adverts. Maybe these people should get their facts right first instead of jumping on a propaganda bandwagon created by meat-hating vegans.
I would ask those 286 people who condemn McDonald's if they have ever given their kids sausage rolls, sausages, meat pies, pork pies, pasties, crisps, sweets, chocolates, sugar-coated cereals, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits, donuts... the list of food that is worse than a hamburger is a long one. Have they ever taken their kids to a restaurant serving kebabs, curries, Chinese, pizza or fish and chips? By contrast, all these foods are very fatty and calorific. McDonald's is a healthy choice by comparison.
Corporations like McDonald's don't corrupt our kids, but parents, full of anger with extreme views that have no factual basis, do.
Finally, companies have a freedom of speech and a right to advertise, just as Hugh Flouch has a freedom to express his minority views. The ASA monitors ads and takes down lies and illegal claims, that's their role. McDonald's serves 47 million people a day. We live in a democracy and most people like McDonald's. The ad stays.
- Chris Arnold, Rathcoole Gardens, N8.
Tags for Forum Posts: Green Lanes, McDonalds, advertising
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Danzigger on
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I don't know. But he sounds charming! Thank goodness there are sane and rational people like Chris Arnold, who will stand up for the liitle guys, like, er, McDonalds, against dangerous fanatics like Hugh!
"meat-hating vegans" - brilliant.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Well he doesn't live in Harringay. Perhaps, they should put a big one up on the fort in Stationer's Park, I'm sure the across the tracks N8 crew would love that.
Bit harsh on Hugh and the poll, it wasn't objecting on health grounds but on visual pollution i.e. should there be advertising on the bridge? It was the Crouch Enders who were getting their knickers in a twist about healthy food.
But, as he says, no harm in expressing his opinion, can't see why he should have a say on our bridge when he lives all the way over there, perhaps he's a regular shopper on GL but heck it's a free country.
Are you a 'parent full of anger with extreme views with no factual basis', Matt?
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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I bet Mr Arnold is looking forward to having the Concrete Factory next door. Maybe he thinks all those opposed to that development are 'full of anger with extreme views with no factual basis'.
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Permalink Reply by AnnieH on
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We should invite Chris to become a member of HoL. He's not a resident of Harringay, but it would help him to get know the "minority" he refers to a little better and find out a little more about us.
I think he'd quickly find that the "majority" of us members are nothing close to "meat-hating vegans'. I don't think Baldwins would stay in business for long if we were!
Oh, and Chris should probably be aware that these may well be minority views at the moment, but the site grows at quite a pace - we're not going to be the minority for long. Either join us and share your opinions in an open forum or pipe down!
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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Maybe CA needs to read the McLibel case to get his facts right about how they have conducted the business regarding advertising. If it wasn't for us "minority", nothing would have changed.
http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/
I am a "meat-disliking vegetarian" which, I suppose is close enough to Chris's tag on us all.
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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Never mind Hugh.. Bad (here: Angry) publicity is better than no publicity at all..
enjoy your.. what are they called? oh yeah... 15 minutes of fame... ;^)
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Permalink Reply by mathew on
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I have no real objection to anyone scoffing a Big-Mac or other(unless they are sitting next to me in a cinema or on the tube).Having the occasional burger is fine.Having them as your chief source of food might cause you trouble.However, as for a large sign on the bridge then I would rather not see that simply because the bridge is proclaimed as the gateway to this area of Green Lanes and not solely MacDs.
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The Hornsey Journal actually published this letter? Good grief! It's not as if it's been a slow news week!
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Problem is, when Chris Arnold reads our objections to Paul Simon he'll probably think we were all objecting to SEX. We weren't, were we?
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Liz just pointed this out to me. I made it clear to the Journal, I've made it clear to another person with simillar views on the Stroud Green Residents Association Yahoo Group and I've made it clear to anyone who'll listen that I never did have nor now have anything in particular against McDonalds. For my money this is also clear in the article. There's a distinction made between what I feel and what I report other mum's may feel.
I just spoke with Emma at the Journal who says that she also made this clear to the editor when she passed him Chris's letter. So there's no doubt for anyone who'll listen or read about why I object to the advertising. It's about not wnating ever more advertising crowding Green Lanes. I even made it clear to McDonalds when I wrote to them that I had nothing against them.
So pretty much Chris's whole letter is based on a set of false assumptions. Silly old Chrissy!
Emma has offered to publish my response letter.
I guess we should be grateful that at least this keeps the story running!!
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Great stuff Hugh. I think a response letter is a great way to formally respond to this chap.
Eddie, as for members objecting to the Paul Simon's advert. I think, based on Chris' reply to the McDonalds advert, he may possibly distort our point on that one too. He'd probably even tar us with a "frigid, up-tight fuddy duddies" tag. I for one, object to the advert, but of course, between consenting adults, sex can be lots of fun and healthy. I don't think anyone would object to that one ;-)
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