Memes carry dangerous health-related messages and make light of unhealthy eating habits, researchers from Loughborough University wrote in a letter sent to a British parliamentary committee.
"A substantial number of individuals on Twitter share health-related Internet memes, with both positive and negative messages," they wrote, noting that many "contain inappropriate material."
A picture of an overweight child with the caption "Free food? Count me in!" was sent along with the letter as an example of a meme the researchers found dangerous.
The academics were also concerned by a meme that created a human-like body from pictures of pizzas and hamburgers, with frankfurters used for limbs and a smiley-faced potato for a face.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/18/health/internet-memes-obesity-intl/index.html
Monkey see, monkey... eat?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday October 20 2018, @11:52PM (2 children)
See topic title. Banning something like this is about as plausible as actually banning real viruses. Memes are idea viruses, more or less. The way you fight a virus is immunity. Teach critical thinking and being well-informed, and the most pernicious meme will be unable to gain a foothold in one's mind.
But of course, we can't have actual critical thinking, as it'd endanger the power and wealth of the elite. So we're at what Sergeant Colon persists in referring to as an imp arse.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by BsAtHome on Sunday October 21 2018, @12:01AM
It is much easier to eradicate the virus with the proper disinfectants (i.e. must be forbidden) than to educate caution in the real world!
Thus, bring out the government supplied sterile plastic bags and put them over your head. No virus will ever again kill you again!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Sunday October 21 2018, @04:12PM
I Am Absolutely Serious.
Among their reasons is that critical thinking leads children to disobey their parents:
"But Mom - if all the other parents jumped off the golden gate bridge, would you too?"
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]