Dreamt that McDonald's was advertising healthy food as unsustainable. They had a huge outreach campaign trying to convince people of the long-term unfeasibility of eating well due to the high price of a sensible diet, and that eating McDonald's is a viable option because it costs less. Awoke mildly disturbed. More so the more I considered it, realising how close to the truth the seemingly unrealistic vision was...

Thing is, I actually ate a "pay de queso" (like their familiar apple or cherry pies but filled with an almost-cheese-like filling) at the McDonald's on the way to Acapulco (cuz I was super-hungry and nothing else was open) – likely the inspiration for the dream. I can't remember the last time I ate there... Ick. Not again for a long, long time.

Which reminds me of a topic I've been wanting to explore for a while: the almost surreal "health notices" at the bottom of ads all over Mexico City (bus shelters, TV commercials, etc.). These are somewhat akin to the "tobacco smoke causes lung cancer" warnings on cigarette packs in Canada. Instead, though, they say things like "Chocolate is a < fuente > (fountain or source) of energy" (Kit Kat); "Health is Beauty" (Hair dye); "Boil the Water" (Herbal Tea); and "Eat Well" (Potato chips). I can't tell whether they trying to be ironic or not. I don't think so.

Really, though, wtf is up?!?

Is the government behind these "public health" messages? If so, what are they hoping to accomplish by informing people that "chocolate is a fountain of energy"? Do they want their citizens to eat more chocolate? And does the “Eat well” on the high-fat snack ads mean that by eating the product, people are in fact eating well, or that they should be eating other things instead? I would have to assume the latter, but the intended meaning isn’t that obvious to me, and maybe I’m overstepping a line by saying it wouldn’t be any more clear to the average (less-educated) Mexican. But regardless of whether I’m being picky or racist or over-health-conscious, I’m sure the companies benefit from this ambiguity.

Or maybe the messages are contrived by the advertisers themselves… To confuse us? To desensitize us to “real” health warnings? (Could the cigarette companies that want to discredit the compulsory “Cigarettes will make your life hell and kill you and your children” warnings possibly own the herbal tea and hair dye brands?) Or maybe it’s all just one big inside joke??

Anyways, I think the Adbusters folks should definitely take a field trip to Mexico; there’d be lots to write about, not to mention many ridiculously immense billboards to jam ;)