The internet has been abuzz, or at least in thoughtful contemplation, these past months over New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's quest to ban sales of soft drinks over 16 ounces. Today I walked into an Open Pantry convience store and purchased a 44 ounce soft drink, an amalgamation of various brands I dispenced myself. I want to stop doing that.
Critics of Mayor Bloomberg cite this measure as an attack on personal freedom, an advance of the Nanny State, and the rise of Big Brother. One usually hears this brand of rhetoric every time some sort of buisness regulation comes to the forefront, but I find it unconvincing. Lost in all the talk about personal freedoms and rights is the actual issue at hand: America is unhealthy, and ignoring the issue will not make it go away. Talk about freedom tends to emphesize the threat of tyranny, but what is the use of having complete and total freedom if it requires living in a world that is physically sick, impoverished, psychologically damaged, morally bankrupt, and more willing to defend against a hypothetical attack than work for a tangeble success? I am not against personal freedoms, but I believe we ought to start the conversation by talking about our responsibility to society. We have personal freedom as a result of adhering to an ethical vision of humanity. Spider-Man said it the best, "With great power comes great responsibility." We as Americans have great power in our education, communication technology, and economic influence, let us not forget the
Soda is most likely the unhealthiest part of my lifestyle. If I want to advance a better notion of society, I cannot justify to myself consuming a product that contributes enomously to America's health crisis. The soda manufactorers continue to distribute an unhealthy product without responding to the consiquences of their actions. I do not want to give them my money, nor do I want to spend my money to make me unhealthly. This is not about judging people, this is about something more important than personal freedom: personal responsibility, and if I cannot be responsible for myself, then I cannot justify allowing myself to be responsible for others.
