Soda Ban?

June 2, 2012

Soda Ban?

I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but I don’t necessarily care about New York’s proposal to ban larger-than-16oz-sugary-sodas. Partly it’s because I’m not affected; I live in Seattle and haven’t even sampled non-diet pop* in years.

I am skeptical that it would make fat people thin, naturally, but I think it would be more likely to affect the budgets of folks who are grabbing lunch or dinner between work shifts than anything else. Having to buy more drinks will cost more, and water isn’t always free in delis or restaurants.

And that, I think, is what people aren’t realizing. Preventing people from buying large pop servings isn’t targeted at fat people. It’s targeted at poor people, at workers, at kids.

*I’ve occasionally had sugar or corn-syrup sweetened pop at parties over the last few decades and ended up with headaches. I haven’t drunk “real” soda regularly since 1985. Currently I drink water, diet Pepsi and coffee with half-and-half and Splenda most days.

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Living 400lbs

I blog about what it’s like to be live life at about 400lbs. :)

10 responses to “Soda Ban?”

Phyllis Jeans

June 2, 2012 at 7:29 pm

I object to this for one reason. I think it is taking our human rights away to be told what we can and cannot drink and eat and how much of it we are allowed to have. I have just been told that I cannot drink caffeinated drinks at all, no caffeine whatsoever in my diet, but that was said by my doctor for a good reason, and that is just for me, not everyone in the city or state. It really reminds me of the times of Adolf Hitler.What will be next? We can use only so much sugar in our coffee per cup? Or maybe cookies and candy will be taken off the market? If they can take our sodas away or regulate the amount we can have, then what is next? Perhaps the politicians need to try to improve the state budgets or national budget, crime, and unemployment before they try something like this!

Reply
1. Living 400lbs
  
  June 2, 2012 at 8:48 pm
  
  I wouldn’t be surprised if the restaurant association was behind it, myself. The man of the house and I will sometime share a 20-oz drink since it’s plenty large enough and costs less than 2 smaller drinks. (If smaller drinks are available.) How dare we save money!
  
  Reply
2. Living 400lbs
  
  June 3, 2012 at 12:35 am
  
  To be clear, I don’t think it’s a good law. Or a useful law. I just think it’s not about “obesity” as much as it is “health”.
  
  Reply
3. Holly
  
  June 7, 2012 at 12:57 am
  
  I am Jewish and find your comparison to be inappropriate and rather offensive.
  
  Reply
fattery

June 3, 2012 at 6:48 am

I see your point, but I think it becomes about “obesity” for the vast majority of people once it is promoted as being a tool to fight obesity, so we should be worried about it in terms of added stigma. But I’m actually more concerned about it in terms of rights, and what other rights it could influence the state to take away (which actually does come back to fatness in the end, because this could influence other bans that would more directly affect fat people). This bill will not affect me personally at all, since I never drink soda (yet am still fat!), but it concerns me nonetheless.

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JenC

June 3, 2012 at 5:22 pm

I think the ban just highlights how ignorant most politicians are about health, weight and their own overblown self importance. Bloomberg thinks he’s doing a service for the people of NY by ‘helping’ them not to consume so much ‘fattening’ stuff, but he’s so blatantly ignoring the real issues that plague his constiutents like crime, education, access to healthcare, rising taxes, home foreclosures and unemployment. Because he hasn’t the faintest clue how to do something that will really make a positive difference in the lives of voters and taxpayers, he’s attached himself to a faux cause that will make him appear conscientious and caring about everyone’s health. It’s a smoke screen to hide the truth that there’s no law he can pass that will actually make life better for anyone.

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wriggles

June 6, 2012 at 9:19 am

The key for me is precedent. Censure is not required to encourage positive change. They won’t stop here as with this mentality. If it doesn’t work, more of what doesn’t work is needed.

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Soda Ban Roundup | closetpuritan

June 11, 2012 at 4:43 pm

[…] Living 400lbs writes about why the soda ban really targets poor people, not fat people, and also about why the soda ban doesn’t personally affect her. […]

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Lindsay

August 15, 2012 at 5:39 pm

Yeah, I personally don’t give a crap about it — I don’t drink anything carbonated, haven’t since I was little — but I do think the mayor of New York City ought to have better things to do than worry about fat people drinking too much pop.

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1. Phyllis Jeans
  
  August 15, 2012 at 7:19 pm
  
  Yeah, just who the hell does he think he is? It'[s my body and if I want to drink soeas by the gallon it’s not his f-ing business. I’ve had enough of the idiot.
  
  Reply