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Childhood Under Siege
There is now an estimated 1 trillion dollars of buying power in the hands of children.Tens of millions of children world-wide are prescribed psychotropic drugs today, compared to close to none in 1980.Food and drink industries spend billions each year marketing junk food to children.This is the story of how big businesses are transforming our children into obsessive and narcissistic mini-consumers, media addicts and pharmaceutical industry guinea pigs. In this insightful and chilling exploration, Joel Bakan throws a brilliant light on the ruthless manipulation of children and on our failure to protect them.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
12 people are currently reading
606 people want to read
About the author
Joel Bakan
12 books95 followersJoel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and an internationally renowned legal scholar and commentator. A former Rhodes Scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bakan has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie, and Harvard. His critically acclaimed international hit, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Free Press, 2004), electrified readers around the world (it was published in over 20 languages), and became a bestseller in several countries. The book inspired a feature documentary film, The Corporation, written by Bakan and co-created with Mark Achbar, which won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, and was a critical and box office success. Bakan’s highly regarded scholarly work includes Just Words: Constitutional Rights and Social Wrongs (University of Toronto Press, 1997), as well as textbooks, edited collections, and numerous articles in leading legal and social science journals. His new book, Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children, will be available in August, 2011. A frequent recipient of awards for both his writing and teaching, Bakan has worked on landmark legal cases and government policy, and served regularly as a media commentator, appearing on national television and radio. He is a popular and accomplished public speaker who has, over the last few years, addressed business, government, academic, and activist audiences in the United States and abroad. Bakan, who is also a professional jazz guitarist, grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and now lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Rebecca Jenkins, and their two children, Myim and Sadie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 18, 2013
This book is the perfect answer to Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry. Like me, author Joel Bakan agrees with Lenore Skenazy's basic premise that we should not be raising our kids in the specter of imagined fears. And he's no helicopter parent. But he wisely points out that "both overprotection and underprotection can result from corporations' and industries' strategic channelling of information to boost products and protect interests." We fear mental disorders and germs that do not exist or do not pose the risks that we suppose, and as a result, we've polluted our kids or their environments with unnecessary drugs and products. Or, we're dissuaded from raising concerns about the narrowing of American education because our fears about our children (and "America") falling behind have been stoked.
Bakan takes a methodical, nuanced approach to examining several ways in which corporate interests are shaping the American childhood in five areas: media, medicine, pollution, labor, and education. He respects parents and children, but demonstrates that even the most conscientious parents can't protect their children from all the threats that our veneration for corporations (and their attendant legal "rights" under American law) have wrought. This book is well supported by facts. I found myself reading them aloud to whomever was around. By the end of the book I was convinced of his premise, which he summarizes in this way: "Today . . . kid marketers are free to manipulate children's emotions, credulity, and inexperience, and to pitch them unhealthy ideas and products; pharmaceutical companies are free to pressure and co-opt scientists and physicians in order to boost pediatric sales of their psychotropic drugs; chemical manufacturers, users, and emitters are free to turn children's environments -- indeed their very bodies -- into toxic stews of synthetic chemicals; agricultural concerns are free to exploit the labor of impoverished and migrant children; and education companies are free to profit from school systems increasingly geared toward the narrow needs and visions of big business."
So if parents can't protect their children, what are we to do? Bakan proposes concrete policy reforms that would protect children and allow them to flourish. While many may argue that his reforms don't go far enough, I appreciated that Bakan was mindful of the present state of constitutional law and proposed reforms that would work within that framework. (While a major overhaul may be desirable, it now seems highly unlikely.)
Bakan takes a methodical, nuanced approach to examining several ways in which corporate interests are shaping the American childhood in five areas: media, medicine, pollution, labor, and education. He respects parents and children, but demonstrates that even the most conscientious parents can't protect their children from all the threats that our veneration for corporations (and their attendant legal "rights" under American law) have wrought. This book is well supported by facts. I found myself reading them aloud to whomever was around. By the end of the book I was convinced of his premise, which he summarizes in this way: "Today . . . kid marketers are free to manipulate children's emotions, credulity, and inexperience, and to pitch them unhealthy ideas and products; pharmaceutical companies are free to pressure and co-opt scientists and physicians in order to boost pediatric sales of their psychotropic drugs; chemical manufacturers, users, and emitters are free to turn children's environments -- indeed their very bodies -- into toxic stews of synthetic chemicals; agricultural concerns are free to exploit the labor of impoverished and migrant children; and education companies are free to profit from school systems increasingly geared toward the narrow needs and visions of big business."
So if parents can't protect their children, what are we to do? Bakan proposes concrete policy reforms that would protect children and allow them to flourish. While many may argue that his reforms don't go far enough, I appreciated that Bakan was mindful of the present state of constitutional law and proposed reforms that would work within that framework. (While a major overhaul may be desirable, it now seems highly unlikely.)
July 12, 2022
La nostra civiltà si misura da come trattiamo i bambini
Lo diceva Nelson Mandela che "Non ci può essere rivelazione più vera dell'anima di una società del modo in cui tratta i suoi figli". E come ci stiamo comportando con loro? Facciamo ciò che dobbiamo per proteggerli, favorirne lo sviluppo intellettivo e la salute, dare loro la possibilità di crescere e migliorare questo mondo? Joel dice di no.
Una risposta che, lunga e articolata, affronta con enorme quantità di dati e informazioni, analisi e approfondimenti sulle problematiche che giorno dopo giorno peggiorano le condizioni di vita dell'infanzia su questo nostro pianeta, e non solo nei paesi in via di sviluppo, ma, anche e con sorpresa, in quelli più avanzati come gli USA o il Canada.
Dopo che il '900 ne aveva migliorato le condizioni sino a essere 'il secolo dell'infanzia', dagli anni '80 una perlopiù in malafede idea di libertà ha quasi eliminato quel controllo istituzionale che aveva sino ad allora limitato e regolato, per esempio, gli effetti nocivi delle corporation, vincolati in realtà per statuto ai propri soli interessi.
Interessi che mai hanno esitato davanti ai soggetti più deboli e indifesi. Un marketing manipolativo mirato, dottori che si vendono prescrivendo farmaci inutili e pericolosi, prodotti tossici immessi senza controllo, un mercato del lavoro tipo in agricoltura che ne permette lo sfruttamento, la finalizzazione del mondo scolastico alla produzione acritica.
Sono solo alcuni dei campi analizzati da Joel di cui documenta in modo preoccupante la deriva malsana. In questo sistema che si vanta di basarsi sulle libertà di genitori informati e sulla responsabilità civica delle corporation, i primi non possono essere sufficientemente informati e le seconde non possono avere responsabilità civica.
Sta a noi ridefinire le regole, riappropriarci di ciò che è necessario per rappresentare di fronte a tutti i diritti di chi non può difendersi. Il diritto a una vita sana, al pensiero creativo, a un mondo più giusto in cui realizzare le proprie aspirazioni. Questo non è quello che stiamo facendo, e ciò è profondamente sbagliato. Non per noi, per i bambini.
Lo diceva Nelson Mandela che "Non ci può essere rivelazione più vera dell'anima di una società del modo in cui tratta i suoi figli". E come ci stiamo comportando con loro? Facciamo ciò che dobbiamo per proteggerli, favorirne lo sviluppo intellettivo e la salute, dare loro la possibilità di crescere e migliorare questo mondo? Joel dice di no.
Una risposta che, lunga e articolata, affronta con enorme quantità di dati e informazioni, analisi e approfondimenti sulle problematiche che giorno dopo giorno peggiorano le condizioni di vita dell'infanzia su questo nostro pianeta, e non solo nei paesi in via di sviluppo, ma, anche e con sorpresa, in quelli più avanzati come gli USA o il Canada.
Dopo che il '900 ne aveva migliorato le condizioni sino a essere 'il secolo dell'infanzia', dagli anni '80 una perlopiù in malafede idea di libertà ha quasi eliminato quel controllo istituzionale che aveva sino ad allora limitato e regolato, per esempio, gli effetti nocivi delle corporation, vincolati in realtà per statuto ai propri soli interessi.
Interessi che mai hanno esitato davanti ai soggetti più deboli e indifesi. Un marketing manipolativo mirato, dottori che si vendono prescrivendo farmaci inutili e pericolosi, prodotti tossici immessi senza controllo, un mercato del lavoro tipo in agricoltura che ne permette lo sfruttamento, la finalizzazione del mondo scolastico alla produzione acritica.
Sono solo alcuni dei campi analizzati da Joel di cui documenta in modo preoccupante la deriva malsana. In questo sistema che si vanta di basarsi sulle libertà di genitori informati e sulla responsabilità civica delle corporation, i primi non possono essere sufficientemente informati e le seconde non possono avere responsabilità civica.
Sta a noi ridefinire le regole, riappropriarci di ciò che è necessario per rappresentare di fronte a tutti i diritti di chi non può difendersi. Il diritto a una vita sana, al pensiero creativo, a un mondo più giusto in cui realizzare le proprie aspirazioni. Questo non è quello che stiamo facendo, e ciò è profondamente sbagliato. Non per noi, per i bambini.
August 2, 2021
This book is about what corporations and big business are doing to capture the our kid's minds and our minds as well. . Think about how much time most of us spend on our phones. We think it is a choice but try going without your phone for a day. It is an addiction for most of us, our worlds are increasingly on our screens and less in live contact with people. And through this medium our choices are tracked so we can be more effectively sold to. Lots of good information here. But the concluding chapter sounds like he wants to be fomenting revolution. Lots of people are killed in revolutions. And frankly, I think it is too late. For most of us the screens are here to stay and we try our best to protect our kids and to make good choices. The book is about more than media, it is also about lax laws that allow unscrupulous behavior from businesses in the chemical industry, medicine and food.
September 7, 2019
Over the years I have met quite a few soldiers who have fought in some war. And they all seem to have in common an active interest to avoid using the war vocabulary on mundane acts. On the other hand, the rats with papers proving "a bad back" will climb the stars to shout to the masses about the siege, the war, the assault and how "you" should die for his holy cause.
September 14, 2025
Cet ouvrage est très informatif mais de ce fait est aussi très fâcheux. Bien sûr, je soupçonnais déjà une grande partie de ce qui y était écrit, mais de voir ces faits sur papier, avec les références incluses à la fin du livre, cela m'a vraiment outrée contre les grandes compagnies.
L'auteur nous parle des méthodes employés pour rendre les enfants accros des jeux de console et de sites web. Une partie de leur formule est de susciter des émotions vives chez les enfants, mais une autre partie consiste à les éloigner de leurs parents!
Ensuite, on apprend pas mal de choses sur les compagnies de pharmaceutiques, qui recommandent ouvertement aux pédiatres de préscrire leurs médicaments- pardon! produits! - aux enfants de façons qui ne sont pas recommandées ni permis par la FDA. Pire encore, les compagnies de pharmaceutiques ont leur mot à dire dans la rédaction de livres référentiels consultés par les médecins concernant leurs patients, livres qui contiennent des "nouvelles" maladies mentales qui nécessiteraient que les enfants soient médicamentées. Il en a résulté des décès, suite auxquels les compagnies ont payé des amendes minimes qui ne représentaient qu'une petite goutte dans l'océan de leurs profits. De plus, les compagnies parrainent des centaines de sites web, où le nom de la compagnie n'apparaît nulle part, qui déclarent les bienfaits et minimisent les effets secondaires possibles des médicaments destinés aux enfants. En plus des compagnies de pharmaceutiques, Bakan expose celles qui produisent des produits chimiques qui rendent l'environnement très dangeureux, surtout pour les enfants. Par exemple, dans les tapis et les tuiles style PVC où les bébés rampent. Le truc des faux sites webs s'applique aussi à ces compagnies.
En troisième lieu, Bakan déplore la pratique de faire travailler les enfants. Et il ne parle pas des pays du tiers-monde! Il rapporte des cas d'enfants aussi jeunes que cinq ans qui travaillent aux États-Unis, comme par exemple dans le domaine de l'agriculture. Il a raconté un exemple où un garçon de dix ans conduisait un camion dans une orangerie. Il y eut un accident dans lequel il a écrasé et tué son frère, encore plus jeune, qui travaillait là aussi. L'auteur démontre ainsi l'hypocrisie des États-Unis, qui versent de "grandes" sommes pour combattre le travail infantil au tiers-monde, tout en négligeant de protéger les enfants à l'intérieur de leurs propres frontières. Mais ce qui suit est encore pire pour moi, étant canadienne. Saviez-vous que dans la Colombie Britanique les enfants peuvent travailler dès l'âge de 12 ans? Je trouve cela incroyable! Pire encore, la loi précise qu'il ne faut pas faire travailler les enfants durant les heures de classe, mais plusieurs d'entre eux subissent des pressions de le faire quand même. De plus, les enfants sont mal payés, n'ont aucun avantage et ne connaissent pas leurs droits, par exemple le droit de recevoir un taux horaire plus élevé pour les heures supplémentaires. Bakan déplore qu'on "offre aux enfants de contribuer au revenu de leur famille" au lieu de leur offrir de pouvoir s'éduquer sans devoir travailler, car ceux qui travaillent décrochent souvent pour travailler à temps plein dans des emplois peu rémunérés.
Joel Bakan n'a pas fini! Il expose aussi le système d'éducation qui ferme les écoles qui ne performent pas bien et congédie les professeurs dont les élèves ne réussisent pas bien, tout en gérant les écoles comme des entreprises. (D'ailleurs, ce sont les entreprises qui en sont responsables, pas le secteur publique.) Il y a aussi le fait que les nouvelles écoles créées ne performent guère mieux que celles qui ont été fermées, à part le fait qu'elles rapportent plus. De plus, la fermeture des écoles déplace les élèves dans d'autres écoles, dans d'autres quartiers que le leur, qui a résulté en la formation de bandes de jeunes qui se battent contre les nouvelles qui "envahissent" leurs écoles. La ville de Chicago en est un bel exemple.
En conclusion, Bakan avertit qu'il faut à tout prix se méfier et s'informer. Les gouvernements ne sont pas capables de (ou prêts à!) protéger les enfants et surveiller les grandes compagnies. Ils disent que c'est la responsabilité des parents de surveiller et limiter les dangers qui guettent leurs enfants, mais ils ne fournissent pas les ressources nécessaires pour prendre des décisions informées.
L'auteur nous parle des méthodes employés pour rendre les enfants accros des jeux de console et de sites web. Une partie de leur formule est de susciter des émotions vives chez les enfants, mais une autre partie consiste à les éloigner de leurs parents!
Ensuite, on apprend pas mal de choses sur les compagnies de pharmaceutiques, qui recommandent ouvertement aux pédiatres de préscrire leurs médicaments- pardon! produits! - aux enfants de façons qui ne sont pas recommandées ni permis par la FDA. Pire encore, les compagnies de pharmaceutiques ont leur mot à dire dans la rédaction de livres référentiels consultés par les médecins concernant leurs patients, livres qui contiennent des "nouvelles" maladies mentales qui nécessiteraient que les enfants soient médicamentées. Il en a résulté des décès, suite auxquels les compagnies ont payé des amendes minimes qui ne représentaient qu'une petite goutte dans l'océan de leurs profits. De plus, les compagnies parrainent des centaines de sites web, où le nom de la compagnie n'apparaît nulle part, qui déclarent les bienfaits et minimisent les effets secondaires possibles des médicaments destinés aux enfants. En plus des compagnies de pharmaceutiques, Bakan expose celles qui produisent des produits chimiques qui rendent l'environnement très dangeureux, surtout pour les enfants. Par exemple, dans les tapis et les tuiles style PVC où les bébés rampent. Le truc des faux sites webs s'applique aussi à ces compagnies.
En troisième lieu, Bakan déplore la pratique de faire travailler les enfants. Et il ne parle pas des pays du tiers-monde! Il rapporte des cas d'enfants aussi jeunes que cinq ans qui travaillent aux États-Unis, comme par exemple dans le domaine de l'agriculture. Il a raconté un exemple où un garçon de dix ans conduisait un camion dans une orangerie. Il y eut un accident dans lequel il a écrasé et tué son frère, encore plus jeune, qui travaillait là aussi. L'auteur démontre ainsi l'hypocrisie des États-Unis, qui versent de "grandes" sommes pour combattre le travail infantil au tiers-monde, tout en négligeant de protéger les enfants à l'intérieur de leurs propres frontières. Mais ce qui suit est encore pire pour moi, étant canadienne. Saviez-vous que dans la Colombie Britanique les enfants peuvent travailler dès l'âge de 12 ans? Je trouve cela incroyable! Pire encore, la loi précise qu'il ne faut pas faire travailler les enfants durant les heures de classe, mais plusieurs d'entre eux subissent des pressions de le faire quand même. De plus, les enfants sont mal payés, n'ont aucun avantage et ne connaissent pas leurs droits, par exemple le droit de recevoir un taux horaire plus élevé pour les heures supplémentaires. Bakan déplore qu'on "offre aux enfants de contribuer au revenu de leur famille" au lieu de leur offrir de pouvoir s'éduquer sans devoir travailler, car ceux qui travaillent décrochent souvent pour travailler à temps plein dans des emplois peu rémunérés.
Joel Bakan n'a pas fini! Il expose aussi le système d'éducation qui ferme les écoles qui ne performent pas bien et congédie les professeurs dont les élèves ne réussisent pas bien, tout en gérant les écoles comme des entreprises. (D'ailleurs, ce sont les entreprises qui en sont responsables, pas le secteur publique.) Il y a aussi le fait que les nouvelles écoles créées ne performent guère mieux que celles qui ont été fermées, à part le fait qu'elles rapportent plus. De plus, la fermeture des écoles déplace les élèves dans d'autres écoles, dans d'autres quartiers que le leur, qui a résulté en la formation de bandes de jeunes qui se battent contre les nouvelles qui "envahissent" leurs écoles. La ville de Chicago en est un bel exemple.
En conclusion, Bakan avertit qu'il faut à tout prix se méfier et s'informer. Les gouvernements ne sont pas capables de (ou prêts à!) protéger les enfants et surveiller les grandes compagnies. Ils disent que c'est la responsabilité des parents de surveiller et limiter les dangers qui guettent leurs enfants, mais ils ne fournissent pas les ressources nécessaires pour prendre des décisions informées.
February 15, 2023
This is one of the best books I have ever read about childhood / youths' exposure to the big agenda of big companies to program minds through the social media, as an influence tactics on people's lives. Joel expised how ridiculous it is for young people to have thoughts of worry about their virtual pets at the brink of death if not cared for or fed. This among many others conceals the insane agenda of the big companies in profit making as a way of influencing the thoughts and perception of children and the youth. You will find it rather thoughtful of what to do next when you discover the art of manipulation of the big companies for yourself.
May 30, 2012
Baken's basic premise is that corporations have been enriching themselves by ignoring or blatently stepping on children's needs and rights.
Governments in America and even in Canada have allowed corporations to do self relulating assuming that they will do the moral or right thing. Instead, with the 80's and deregulation of government controls, corporations have been ignoring and actively defending their rights to fill the environment with toxic chemicals, violent video games, obesity-causing foods all because there is no 100% absolute PROOF that chemical substances in children's bodies, bad food choices and violence and lack of compassion in children's games are caused by the companies. They defend their right to free-market distribution and absolve themselves from any responsibilities.
I like how he used Canadian examples as well as American ones. I wish he'd thrown in more Canadian content. I don't think Canadian schools have quite the same problem American schools do with corporations taking them over. Not that i think all Canadian schools and teachers are wonderful. I do think we've kept out the advertising and media usage they seem to have in American schools. Maybe that's why he didn't add in as much Canadian content.
I was shocked when he said that BC lowered their child labour laws. With many adults trying to find work, let's not make it easier for them to find cheaper workers. Children are NOT supposed to be the breadwinners for the family (except under very sad and abusive situations where they are forced into this role).
I thot it interesting how at the beginning he has this big disclaimer about how he's not condemning anyone in particular, that corporations almost 'have' to act in this manner because their mandate is to make the most money they can. I'm not too sure whether to agree or disagree with him that the actual people can be nice, even while they are distroying kid's (and the rest of us, too)'s environments, values, educational rights, etc.
Maybe we all need to watch Robots a few more times,lol. In that movie they didn't spend too much time empathizing with the corporate bigwigs destroying robots to make money, just figured out how to bring them down.
Bakan does believe that with proper government regulations and watchdogs, we- or especially the youth- can bring in change for the better...for all of us.
An eye-opening read especially in the areas of pharmecuticals and education. The companies' self-absolvements of environmental damages, moral or physical damages done by their corporations were already quite well-known to me.
April 9, 2012
I bought this book for my sister Christmas 2011. I was just as interested in reading it as she was. Once she had finished it I was surprised with the rating she gave (she also gave 2 stars). I wanted to read this and form an opinion for myself.
Just like my sister I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have thought. I think the main reason is that the book put a lot of despair into me. I felt after reading some parts that the world was such an awful place with its ruling corporations and there is little I as an individual can do to protect myself or future generations.
I always have high expectation from Canadian authors to throw in Canadian content, especially in non-fiction, so I can learn about the industries that affect me and my life. Although the author tries to include Canadian content I feel the inclusions are more anecdotes to support the American research.
I recommend this book to parents that need more reasons to fear for their child's safety, health and well-being. If you as a parent are already a basket case about these things then don't read this book it won't help your nerves.
Just like my sister I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have thought. I think the main reason is that the book put a lot of despair into me. I felt after reading some parts that the world was such an awful place with its ruling corporations and there is little I as an individual can do to protect myself or future generations.
I always have high expectation from Canadian authors to throw in Canadian content, especially in non-fiction, so I can learn about the industries that affect me and my life. Although the author tries to include Canadian content I feel the inclusions are more anecdotes to support the American research.
I recommend this book to parents that need more reasons to fear for their child's safety, health and well-being. If you as a parent are already a basket case about these things then don't read this book it won't help your nerves.
September 14, 2011
I received this book for free as a Goodreads Giveaway. I was very impressed with this book. Each chapter goes into great detail about different ways that Corporate America is going after children.....whether it's through commercials/ marketing, pharmaceutical companies, education ideas, labor laws, etc. It was eye opening and informative. I really enjoyed it and am passing it along to others. I would recommend this book if you have children in your life, or will at some time in the future.
April 1, 2022
Read/skimmed through this book for backup info for one of Jon's classes. Had a lot of good and interesting info. The book was published in 2011, so I'm curious how it would be different if published today with the topics covered.
July 17, 2021
I need to remember this "Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire" by William Yeats
February 4, 2025
How big business targets children
March 21, 2012
I consider Joel Bakan a hero. His book "The Corporation" is on my short list of "must reads," as it explains the fundamental problem of corporate power better than any other short, readable book. "Childhood Under Siege" was very good, but not an instant classic like "The Corporation." It takes a close look at how corporations disregard the interests of children in order to market and sell their products, with the only real goal being profit. For the most part Bakan does a good job making his thesis, but Bakan's presentation seems a bit random and unorganized. He makes a mistake, I believe, by starting the book with a focus on video games. While most adults would agree that video games present a parenting challenge - with their addictive nature and violent content - Bakan's criticism (especially starting out the book) left him seeming like Tipper Gore or some other would-be censor. I understand his point, and think it has some validity, but strategically it was a poor way to begin his argument and present the underlying issue of the book. Still, all in all there was lots of rich content in this book, and it's definitely worth reading. His indictment of the pharmaceutical industry was excellent, and were other areas.
August 9, 2012
Utterly depressing and with broad sweeping calls for a legal, policy and paradigm shifting revolution but no concrete or useful recommendations on what we can realistically do to protect our children now. This generation is growing up with pervasive and interactive violence and its associated hypersexualization and the objectification of girls and women so media companies can sell more games, movies, and toys. They are nulled and overmedicated for overblown diagnoses of questionable newly invented pediatric syndromes so pharmaceutical companies can sell more prescriptions. They are being poisoned by unregulated chemicals that chemical companies want to sell, and unprecedented levels of environmental toxification, and starved of real nutrition so food companies can sell cheaper food at higher profits. But no worries, they might die young in the mines or orange groves anyway before any of this catches up to them thanks to the US and Canada rolling back child labor laws. Their ticket out of this scary world, education, is deteriorating, starved of funding and gradually being corporatized to create a generation of workers, not thinkers. Sorry kids, you're screwed, and we're screwed right along with you.
October 5, 2011
Our children are bombarded daily with TV commercials, junk food in the grocery aisles, chemicals both inside and outside the home, along with new mind-altering drugs pushed by pharmaceutical companies. But just how bad is it? This book exposes the seamy underbelly of big business and its drive for the almighty dollar. It explains the types of high-violence video games that push brutality, gore and sex for that "ultimate" thrill. It lists the major drug companies who've gotten minor slaps on the wrist from government prosecutions and lawsuit judgements. And who then push the next untested "wonder drug" onto unsuspecting patients in order to rake in billions.
And with the recent push by conservative politicians to gut the FDA, the EPA and all other governmental regulatory agencies this book will terrify you to the possibility of having NO ONE to stop companies from inflicting harm on us and our children!
And with the recent push by conservative politicians to gut the FDA, the EPA and all other governmental regulatory agencies this book will terrify you to the possibility of having NO ONE to stop companies from inflicting harm on us and our children!
September 26, 2012
This one is grim. I'm usually into books like this and I can't fault the intent of the author. I agree that corporations have too much influence and are constantly acting against the public interest in order to make more money. It would just help to have some concrete solutions included so that there is some direction to the reader.
Sure, we're told that the remedies are in government regulation and more public awareness of these issues but it's really nothing new and not enough to take away from reading this book. Some of the issues mentioned are proven to be widespread and others are more anecdotally presented so their prevalence is unknown. Also, as a Canadian I found more than half the book was specific to the U.S. and couldn't really be universalized.
There are better books out there on similar stuff (including some by the same author)so it's hard to recommend this one.
Sure, we're told that the remedies are in government regulation and more public awareness of these issues but it's really nothing new and not enough to take away from reading this book. Some of the issues mentioned are proven to be widespread and others are more anecdotally presented so their prevalence is unknown. Also, as a Canadian I found more than half the book was specific to the U.S. and couldn't really be universalized.
There are better books out there on similar stuff (including some by the same author)so it's hard to recommend this one.
June 25, 2012
An excellent book for parents, educators, and everyone who cares about the well-being of children! Bakan does a good job of helping parents to "fear accurately." There are some things that corporations do not want us to fear (e.g. the effects of violent video games, toxic chemicals, and psychotropic drugs on our children). Bakan does an excellent job of outlining these. He isn't quite as clear on the other side, outlining things corporations want us to fear, that we perhaps need not fear, or not as much. He mentions a couple - random kidnappings, mental illness in children - but doesn't emphasize this side of the equation. Still, I highly recommend this book.
September 10, 2011
A disconcerting look at corporations control of damn near every aspect of our lives. By refusing to regulate industry under the guise of parental choice, government gives industry free reign to warp children into being consumers for life, empty and incapable of thought outside of corporate messages. The very statement that parents have a choice in how their children are raised is negated by the world around them. I can forbid Bratz dolls in my home but I cannot stop their influence on my daughters if other parents do not.
A thought provoking book on the corporate search for profit.
A thought provoking book on the corporate search for profit.
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May 16, 2017This well-researched book examines the predatory stance corporations have taken toward children during the past thirty years. Beyond the typical violence in video games argument, the author addresses areas such as: environmental health, public education, child psychiatry and pharmacology. Despite the heavy subject matter, this book does not overwhelm the reader in statistics or politics, but presents the information in a digestible manner. This book is not only for parents, but any person working with children who take their protection to heart. –Mariana V.-
February 27, 2015
“A society that refuses to protect its children from harm and exploitation, even when it can, has truly lost its way,” writes Joel Bakan,a Canadian law professor who holds law degrees from Oxford and Harvard.
Should young children be the target of unfettered and sophisticated marketing by industries selling junk food and other products? Or should society give the kids some protection? Bakan makes a persuasive case for protection, instead of the let-the-parents-beware system we have today.
Should young children be the target of unfettered and sophisticated marketing by industries selling junk food and other products? Or should society give the kids some protection? Bakan makes a persuasive case for protection, instead of the let-the-parents-beware system we have today.
August 18, 2011
This book attempts to take on way too much in too few pages (the text is actually only 175 pages, the rest are notes). The initial chapters are strong, especially when discussing marketing to children and pharmaceutical companies scary ability to influence the expansion of diagnoses, but subsequent chapters, the discussion of education especially, were less engaging and not as well tied in to the overall premise.
September 3, 2011
Bakan doesn't always trot out convincing evidence for all his assertions. But he's convincing nonetheless: corporations eschew safety and considerations for children's well-being in order to maximize profit in the short term. Sounds about right. His take on the standardized testing companies ought to give school reformers pause. Ought to, anyway.
December 31, 2011
I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. However, I'm not sure why.
I did know a lot of the information presented, but there was a significant amount that was new to me, or expanded on what I already knew.
Still, if you're interested in the subject, I'd recommend it. It's also not as long as it seems. Over 100 pages are dedicated to citations.
I did know a lot of the information presented, but there was a significant amount that was new to me, or expanded on what I already knew.
Still, if you're interested in the subject, I'd recommend it. It's also not as long as it seems. Over 100 pages are dedicated to citations.
April 12, 2012
Joel Bakan issues a powerful call to action to parents to become activists in order to safeguard their children's health and well-being. Highly recommended.
My review for The Toronto Star:
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/ba...
My review for The Toronto Star:
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/ba...
September 18, 2013
Loved this book, a well written and holistic analysis of how many big corporations prey on children's vulnerabilities to gain profit. I didn't find it too depressing, as the subject matter itself is realistically grim and I was prepared for that. I am glad he did not attempt to Disney-fy reality, he was frank, and it was effective.
September 18, 2013
I knew a lot of this, but not all and Bakan puts it all together very well. Very frightening to see how corporations instill fear in parents, and society in general, in some things and downplay risks in others all for their own profit.
May 8, 2016
Surprisingly concrete and because of this extremely depressing. After a while, you feel like you are reading the same story over, and over again, just in a different sauce. If you were unsure about having kids before reading this, now you certainly will not want to take the risk.
September 11, 2011
If you are an over reactive parent, do not read this book! It is a good book and has great information on how to protect your children but I can see some parents panicing.
March 7, 2013
I was a bit disappointed with this. I believe it is an important topic, but the writing was dry and boring.
October 8, 2011
typical agit-prop. A mere collection of examples of coporate excess and exploitation, with very little analysis.
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