September 13, 2012 at 11:48 pm , by Nick Shell
21 months.
Here’s how you know if, in your heart, you secretly are a Democrat: You approve of New York City’s ban on “sugary drinks” in containers of 16 ounces or more.
It’s beyond ironic that many of the same people who are pro-choice when it comes to abortion are totally cool with the government restricting the amount of sugar a person puts in their own body.
This ridiculous “soda ban” easily sums up why I’m a Libertarian: I believe in the right to be stupid, as long as it doesn’t hurt other people.
There’s no way around it; drinking soda on a regular (daily or even just weekly) basis, especially in quantities of 16 ounces or more, is a horrible (!) idea.
It’s detrimental to a person’s health. Doing so puts a person on the fast track to Diabetes, if not obesity.
Consider this, even in a just a typical 12 ounce can of cola, you’re consuming about 10 teaspoons of sugar.
I’ll say that again: 10 teaspoons of sugar!
In fact, as a health nut and vegetarian, if I had to choose between smoking a half a pack of cigarettes a day versus drinking a 16 ounce soda, I would have a very difficult time in deciding which way to wreck my health.
Drinking “sugary drinks” like soda, chocolate milk, sweet tea, and even fruit juice, as compared to actually eating the fruit itself, is not good.
However, regularly drinking sugary drinks and soda is definitely more socially accepted than smoking cigarettes. (That makes it okay, right?)
We’re so culturally aware of the long-term health risks of tobacco use, but when it comes to junk food andprocessed foods, sometimes we need a reminder that it’s more than just that those things “make us get fat.”
Either way, I want to live in country where people have the freedom to make those bad decisions for themselves. Not just in New York City, but in every city.
It shouldn’t be the government’s job to “ban” junk food.
That’s my job:
I choose to ban “sugary drinks” in my own life, and just as important, in my young son’s life as well. I take responsibility for myself and my family.
Sure, I agree that America is experiencing an obesity epidemic and we need to do something about it.
But the “we” I’m referring to is not the government. The “we” is us.
For more intriguing pictures showing how much sugar is in drinks and food, go the awesome website they came from:
This past weekend we hung out with Jack’s friend Henry, his parents, and grandparents. There was the train ride with Thomas, then breakfast at First Watch, and lastly we decided to tour the pet store next door.
Two Saturday nights ago my wife and I turned on the TV in hopes of a catching a creepy episode of Dateline featuring yet another typical, captivating story where a seemingly normal husband or wife murdered their spouse and tried to cover it up. Instead, we happened to catch the very beginning of Wrestelmania 28, which for some random reason was airing on NBC. And we couldn’t turn it off. We were reeled in by the mini-documentary profiles of both The Rock and John Cena. Before the match began, we were already rooting for John Cena, dressed in his token jean shorts. Yes, professional wrestling is fake. Sorry. No, not every single move is choreographed, but the basics of each match are predetermined, as I assume the wrestlers practice with each other for hours before their televised event. Sure, certain parts of the physical wrestling are real, like slamming each other down on the stage. But if all those “punches” to the face were real, there would obviously be some instant red marks and/or blood to prove it. Why is it important that professional wrestling is fake? Because that’s what draws a crowd. People love exciting entertainment, even when they know it’s over the top and less than realistic. (Ever heard of a show on TLC called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?) This concept was also part of the story lines to boxing movies like Cinderella Man and Rocky, where the fight planners and promoters acknowledged the need for not only an underdog the people would root for, but also the need for a good long fight. That’s not to say that Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear wasn’t exciting, but there’s only so many times fighters can bite off their opponent’s body parts before it hurts the integrity of the sport. Therefore, professional wrestling is fake. It’s much safer that way; not only for the well-being of the wrestlers, but also for the faithfulness of the spectators. My 21 month-old son is at least subconsciously aware of this fact, too. On a daily basis, we wrestle in our living room. And every weekend, at the park. He knows I won’t actually hurt him, yet he screams as I straddle him like a hungry lion tearing into a delicious zebra. All of my growling and barking and shouting “Jack, come back here!” as I chase him across the room has to be perceived to him like being in the middle of a WWE wrestling match. Even my toddler knows that wrestling is fake. But that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
