When even Weetabix has turned evil, you know the world is in a sorry state

"Nowadays when a star signs up to be the face of a product, they're expected to embody its values in everyday life, as though they've joined a religious order. That's why Gillette dropped Tiger Woods when it transpired he'd stuck his penis into lots of women. Sticking your penis into lots of women is perhaps not a concept Gillette wants associated with its male grooming products. Masturbating alone – is that the Gillette way? Possibly using a handful of shaving foam? But the notion of "brand ambassadors" has now filtered into the everyday world. "Influential individuals" – not celebrities, just "influential" people engaged in "normal life" – are being paid by marketers to promote goods, by wearing branded clothing or enthusing about certain products online. Fairly menacing, you might think, pausing briefly afterwards to wonder why your eyes are crying. But it gets worse. Because they're doing this with children. Yes, children are being paid to wear corporate logos while out and about. The news passed me by at the time, but back in July, it was reported that Weetabix had recruited 15 especially active kids to wear special Weetabix-branded clothing "on their busiest days", in order to show that "youngsters who eat Weetabix can pack more into a day than those who don't". Weetabix spokesthing Sally Abbott was quoted as saying: "Parents know why Weetabix is great for big days but we need to find different ways of getting that message across to kids.""
  By Charlie Brooker | The Guardian /continue reading