I realized how disappointed my fans would be to learn we would not be singing together. However, there was an important principle to uphold on behalf of all children, and I trusted that parents would understand. In my public statements to explain my position I have said that corporate support of public events is fine, when necessary, provided it is done with sensitivity and acknowledged quietly. While bowing out of this year's festival was very painful, my spirits have been lifted by the strong positive support I have received. It's getting on people's nerves.
Advertising aimed at children is so prevalent in our lives that many people think it's okay.
But child-development experts for years have said that ads on kids' TV shows, for example, constitute an unfair assault on impressionable minds that aren't old enough to appraise the sales pitch. And yet, every day, with the help of psychologists, big businesses wage media campaigns that target children from birth as consumers. We need to understand that this serves no one. It's wrong, and it must stop. It's a time for corporate humility and compassion.