A Clean Bill of Health for Sickness

Ethan Switch - Saturday, 10 May, 2003 - 06:39:58 - print it raw

The Ronald McDonald House is a supposed refuge, a "home away from home" for those of the younger set waiting for an operation or recuperating from such at a nearby hospital. The organisation is a charity and relies on events marketed as such to generate the funds needed to keep alive the focus.

The children are in no way bound by any agreements other than perhaps that of being happy. In a provision of misconception in a recent advertisement just as soon to be shelved, there is an underlying hint of what may come to pass for survivors of both the operating rooms and the big house.

The star of a recently aired commercial, Janelle Herring, a former leukaemia patient now with hair and a complexion, recalls her time spent in the Ronald McDonald House whilst images of her suiting up are screened. The final image rests with her serving up a tray of what could only be considered "fast food" from behind the counter of a rather oil and heat free McDonalds counter. As she pushes forth the tray of decorative wax moulds a caption below reminds us of the fact that she spent some time in the big clown's house.

From the superficial gloss and angles projected by said commercial, Janelle was perhaps unable to cough up any necessary dues and must now work back the remaining of her healthy days in exchange for the less than spectacular constitution she walked in with. As this was not the case, a serious disruption in signal to noise has clearly disrupted the message.

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