Corporate Take Over Of Children’s Minds By Anthony Woods As I fought my way through the crowds in New York, a man dressed in sackcloth, with his head full of ashes, and two large banana skins for shoes, asked me could I spare five minutes. As he wasn’t exactly an every day sight I agreed. I took him into a well - known eating establishment and ordered two cups of coffee. Then he reached into his briefcase and placed a laptop on the table! “ Bloody hell,” I thought; “he doesn’t look the educated type to me. He’s more like some biblical prophet. What’s he doing with a lappy?” Let’s call him Mac. In a soft middle New York accent, he asked me If I was aware of a “corporate take over of the world” “ Jeez!” I replied, “what a real secret, takeover, like the ones in the films?” “Yes,” he said, “and what’s more they are targeting kids; it won’t be long before they take over the whole world.” Mac explained: “A world famous deep fat fryer has produced packs which ask children to find names of the company’s products in a word puzzle, to choose matching images of its French fries and milk shakes, and to compose a song entitled Old Mc***** Had A Store. Mac paused, and has he looked over my shoulder the colour drained from his face: “I have to go.
They’ve found me!” He grabbed his laptop and ran out the side door. Two men - one resembled the famous head fryer and the other looked like the cockerel on a cornflakes box - walked into the restaurant, looked around and then left hurriedly. Then I noticed that Mac had left a book behind. It was the manifesto of the American Round Table of industrialists, and it began. “The provision of education is a market opportunity and should be treated as such. Schooling is a commodity, and worth in excess of 650 billion dollars. There are many ways of making money from education, but the most widespread is the use of school as an advertising medium. It is a lucrative business. Advertising easily sways children, and in schools they are, of course, a captive market. The kids that we are reaching are consumers in training.” Come back, Mac, all is forgiven. You are truly a prophet!