Vienna sausages for poor people? Come on

Is anyone else perplexed by the Vienna Sausage, “Backpack Buddies” public service announcement? I don’t mean to sound callous, but I simply don’t get it.

The announcement shows women gathered in what appears to be a community kitchen filling up paper grocery bags. Are those bags weighed down with Vienna Sausages? Are Vienna Sausages the only source of food being donated? Are the needy families expected to eat only Vienna Sausages morning, noon and night?

What about vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish and meat? After all, how nutritious can a steady diet of Vienna Sausages really be? Are the backpacks filled with Vienna Sausages? Or are the Vienna Sausages used like chits and traded up for different foods? If that’s the case, who ends up with all the Vienna Sausages?

Just as you find a flood of fast food joints in poorer neighborhoods, health food stores are usually located in the more affluent areas. A healthier diet comes at a higher cost. I’d still rather donate wholesome food, or the value thereof.

The Fingerhut commercial is particularly offensive. It ends with, “Get the credit you deserve.” Since when do we deserve credit? Demonstrating a pattern of long-term financial responsibility may earn you the privilege of having a line of credit, if purchasing unnecessary items using credit is something that appeals to you. The deliberate use of the word deserve affords a sense of entitlement to those already struggling financially. The banks (credit card companies) are really after every last dollar the targeted consumer can’t afford to part with.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Vienna sausages for poor people? Come on."