Nannies Needed

Last week the news reported on an announcement made by Capital Health, which runs the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, along with 9 other hospitals in the province. Starting in October of this year, the Tim Horton’s shops operating within those hospitals will stop serving doughnuts and non-low-fat muffins.

Now, this is such an incredible no-brainer that all of the intelligent people in the world are only wondering why it takes so painfully long to make such obviously simple decisions! Why, we ask, would a facility intended for the sole purpose of keeping people as healthy as possible even consider serving food that is so unhealthy anyway when there are good healthy alternatives?

However, as painfully obvious as this is to anyone who has an IQ, the buzz on the street shows the usual ‘I want my own way even if it kills me’ kind of attitude that permeates our society.

One of the local online papers that I checked received 11 comments on the article they ran on the announcement. When I clicked to see the comments I found that six of them had been removed by the staff because they contained ‘material which was deemed inappropriate’ (enough said) or because they were posted by people who had been ‘blocked by our staff’ (same thing).

Here are the 5 comments that did get posted:

“Capital Health couldn't care less about our health. There's something else here, or else they're bored and just playing power games. Just wait---coffee will be next. All that caffeine is soooo bad for you right?” (Total cynicism devoid of any rationale)

“I think it is a case of the hospital’s food service can't compete with Timmy's good food.” (Obviously posted by an insane person)

“What a shame this is. There are people in the hospital that will never see the outside again. If these patients want a treat, let them eat a donut. Let people decide on their own.” (Yeah, that is certainly my last wish for life in this world – a chocolate éclair! Are the patients dying in our hospitals really that incredibly concerned about sugar!)

“This is ridiculous! I guess we cannot think for ourselves, on what we want to eat! This will definitely affect Tim Horton's bottom line! Don't be surprised if they close up shop!” (Ridiculous is a better word for this comment than for the announcement. I can just see Tim Horton’s wringing their hands in fear of losing their market! The ‘think for ourselves’ comment I will address in a moment.)

“Are people aware that doctors own the Tim’s at the General?”
(And the point would be???)

The TV news, of course, took their cameras to the street and got many of the same kind of responses. One guy I saw interviewed said, “People should have the choice, if they want to eat unhealthy then they should be able to make that choice.”

Now, I’m all for people having the right to choose how they live their lives so long as it doesn’t interfere unduly with the rest of us living ours. I believe very strongly in that freedom. However, this is a hospital for crying out loud! We’re talking here about a hospital!!!

One last comment – someone was heard to have said that this is yet one more example of how Canada is becoming a ‘nanny state’. And my response to that? When I observe what appears to be almost a complete lack of maturity on the part of so many adults in our society, I can only wish we had more nannies; maybe a whole nation of nannies!

And we’re not just talking about doughnuts here folks! Our society is running headlong towards a cliff. There is no restraint, little discipline, no wisdom and very little common sense left. As a society we will watch anything, put anything in our mouths, spend money we don’t have on anything and everything we don’t need and pile up debt we can’t repay. We throw our garbage out of our car windows and we are quite happy to let someone else worry about fixing any problems that result from our own self indulgence and get highly upset if it doesn’t happen fast enough. We fail to save, we fail to give and we want it all and we want it now. Does that not sound like a bunch of little children? I know full well, and so do you, that the reason Tim Horton’s stocks its shelves with so much that is so bad for us is simply because that is what people generally choose to eat. And that is the real problem. Where have all the nannies gone? If we could only get people to grow up and stop whining over a doughnut!