Sounds harmless enough at first blush. The trouble is that KidZania at its heart seems more interested in indoctrinating children than in educating them.
... at the heart of the concept and the business of KidZania is corporate consumerism, re-staged for children whose parents pay for them to act the role of the mature consumer and employee. The rights to brand and help create activities at each franchise are sold off to real corporations, while KidZania’s own marketing emphasizes the arguable educational benefits of the park.KidZania embeds corporate sponsors deep into the experiences it provides.
When Kahori Roskamp’s daughter took part in a cooking class activity, Roskamp found that “it was about eating chicken nuggets, probably frozen, which I don’t find very healthy, educational, or interesting.” During the activity, TV screens played a commercial for the chicken nugget company on a loop. “It was more about promoting the products rather than creating a fun, educational place for children,” Roskamp said.Does anyone think that these companies' priority isn't to make kids more loyal customers?
Your kids will grow up seeing corporate logos on their clothes, in your pantry, and on the 'net (or TV, or both). Give them a chance to develop some defense against the marketing blitz that is modern culture. Even before the first KidZania opens in the U.S., I'll bet that if you can afford the entry fee, you can also afford a trip to a park. Go to the park, okay?
(Thanks to Kottke for the link.)
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