Baby Einstein refunds!

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fade

fade

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In my understanding, the refunds are coming because the claim was made by the manufacturer that the videos would make your kid smarter, not because of title misunderstanding. That's not a subjective statement like, "most amazing movie of all time" or "the next War and Peace". That's a testable, objective claim, and it failed the test.
 
C

Chazwozel

fade said:
In my understanding, the refunds are coming because the claim was made by the manufacturer that the videos would make your kid smarter, not because of title misunderstanding. That's not a subjective statement like, "most amazing movie of all time" or "the next War and Peace". That's a testable, objective claim, and it failed the test.
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It's a get rich quick scheme is what it is. But I suppose you're right in that regard.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

fade said:
In my understanding, the refunds are coming because the claim was made by the manufacturer that the videos would make your kid smarter, not because of title misunderstanding. That's not a subjective statement like, "most amazing movie of all time" or "the next War and Peace". That's a testable, objective claim, and it failed the test.
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How is "smarter" quantifiable? "Smarter than if he hadn't watched" you can test for...But undoubtedly, your children WILL have gotten smarter than if they'd been, say, sleeping.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

fade said:
In my understanding, the refunds are coming because the claim was made by the manufacturer that the videos would make your kid smarter, not because of title misunderstanding. That's not a subjective statement like, "most amazing movie of all time" or "the next War and Peace". That's a testable, objective claim, and it failed the test.
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It is not the claim of smarter, it is that it will increase your child's vocabulary. Then it turns out to be detrimental to children's vocabulary.
 
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Wasabi Poptart

drawn_inward said:
My mom played Beethoven/Bach/Hadyn and my dad played Bob Wills, and Hank Williams Sr., while I was growing up. They weren't trying to make me smarter. I think they wanted me to pick a side.:D
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Sound slike my house. My mom played classical music, gospel, and old Motown. My dad played rock and country. I don't know if or how any of that had an effect on my IQ, but I do like a wide range of music.
 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

The suit isn't based on general dissatisfaction. It's based on specific advertising messages on the packaging and in commercials that make claims that it specifically increases learning and learning capability, as well as being ideal for saving the parents' time by plopping the kid down in front of the TV.

http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/babyvideos/ftccomplaint.htm

It seems pretty clear Disney stepped over the line separating hype and false advertising.
 
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WolfOfOdin

In my second job I tutor kids in math, pre-algebra to trig, and I'm more than used to being screamed at by parents who's kids still fail miserably.

Why? Because the kids and the parents expect me to be some kind of magic cure-all. I had to tell two parents today that despite my best efforts, their son would not be doing well in Calculus, because he never does ANY work I assign him and simply wants me to do it all for him.

Parents are obsessed with the idea that if they spend a lot of money on something, it has to work...and sometimes it just isn't the case at all.
 
Bowielee

Bowielee

That's the biggest problem. Everyone thinks that their child is a genius, and never wants to accept that the majority of children are merely average. The problem is the culture that tells us being average is a BAD thing.
 
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Wasabi Poptart

And everyone is looking for an easy solution to everything. Want to lose weigh? Take this pill. Want to look like Jessica Alba? Drink this super-charged vitamin water. Want your kid to be smart? Watch these videos!
 
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makare

I also hate how kids today need to be constantly stimulated mentally. Parents are basically told that a baby that is not surrounded by toys is destined for a life of mental mediocrity. I really think that is part of why so many kids are diagnosed with ADD. I know there are really kids with ADD but I think alot of the kids diagnosed are just victims of the need for constant stimulation. They never learn to sit quietly and reflect. Down time is a good thing, that is how we build an attention span.

I hope that makes sense.
 
Bowielee

Bowielee

It's the instant gratification culture that's been built up for quite some time now. In one of the movie threads this was illustrated very well, when someone pointed out that most older movies are boring because they didn't have a constant stream of action.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
makare1 said:
I also hate how kids today need to be constantly stimulated mentally. Parents are basically told that a baby that is not surrounded by toys is destined for a life of mental mediocrity. I really think that is part of why so many kids are diagnosed with ADD. I know there are really kids with ADD but I think alot of the kids diagnosed are just victims of the need for constant stimulation. They never learn to sit quietly and reflect. Down time is a good thing, that is how we build an attention span.

I hope that makes sense.
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I think this is true. And it's also that when kids are encouraged, they're encouraged TO DEATH. I loved to draw as a kid, and I did it on my own, whatever I wanted. My parents didn't immediately enroll me in art classes to try and get me to hone my gift. I had other talents that I was working to develop. I drew doodles and sketches to relax, and they didn't try to make it anything other than that.
 
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