brainwashing american kids, it’s good business

I saw it mentioned a few days ago in the newspaper that Santa would be on Community Access Television this evening taking calls from kids. I’d happened across this annual broadcast in the past and I’d always enjoyed it, and I thought that I could watch it with Clementine this time. I thought that maybe we’d even call up and talk with the jolly old man on live TV. We tuned in, but we only made it about two minutes before the kid on the phone started dropping the brand names of all the products he wanted. I suggested to Clementine that we go and play with her dolls, and, thankfully, she didn’t protest. I don’t know what I was expecting. My memories of it were more pure. I thought that maybe the kids would be calling up and asking him about his reindeer and what they ate, or about the elves and whether or not they’re allowed to leave the North Pole compound. It didn’t occur to me that they’d be saying, “I need the newest Nintendo system,” or “the Barbie whatever-the-fuck.” I don’t really blame the kids, but it’s all kind of depressing… Anyway, Clementine went to bed and I started searching around the web for new stats on children’s marketing. Here are some of them, via AlterNet:

…From 1992 to 1997, the amount of money spent on marketing to children doubled, from $6.2 to $12.7 billion. Today they are spending over $15 billion. Children influence purchases totaling over $600 billion a year. Children spend almost 40 hours a week outside of school consuming media, most of which is commercially driven. The average child sees about 40,000 commercials each on television alone. 65 percent of children 8-18 have a television in their bedroom…

Merry Christmas.