In a transparent attempt to stave off further litigation, McDonald’s is now offering what it calls the Go Active Happy Meal, which includes a bottle of water, a salad and a stepometer. You’ve probably heard about it. What does it say about American journalism that a slight change in McDonald’s menu is big news?

Anyhow, when I visited McDonald’s recently to purchase precisely the type of food that a jury will inevitably conclude I had no idea might be bad for me, I saw an ad on the cash register for this new happy meal.

It featured an average-sized woman in capri pants walking up a flight of cartoon stairs. The copy read: “Have you ever wondered about how many steps there are between here … and there?”

I thought to myself, “No, I haven’t.”

To my surprise, the lady who was apparently the narrator of this little ad agreed: “I’ve never wondered either …”

But, but, BUT: the copy continued: “… but now I’m curious!”

Why would she suddenly be curious? Just because McDonald’s is including a stepometer to go along with a crappy salad? And why would the McDonald’s copywriter behind the ad admit that nobody who wasn’t brain dead has ever really wondered how many steps there are “between here … and there”?

I guess when folks trying to bilk millions out of you argue in court that they’re too stupid to know your greasy, fatty food does not constitute a healthy diet, you tend to treat them like the idiots they claim to be.