Opposing The Soda Ban Essay

 

Opposing The Soda Ban: Persuasive Essay

Jacob Sutton 708

   The New York City soda ban initiated by Mayor Bloomberg restricts the portion size on sugary sodas larger than 16 ounces, and applies to food service businesses regulated by the Department of Health including restaurants, food carts, sports arenas and movie theatres. This ban raises important questions on the right of government to control individual choice with the reason that they are protecting the public from consuming large amounts of unhealthy and sugary beverages.  There are several reasons why I oppose this ban.  First of all, while the overall health of citizens is something that should be taken seriously, it should not be Bloomberg’s place to limit people’s choice of what to put in their bodies.  Second of all, there are many loopholes around this ban, and if Bloomberg is so concerned with halting obesity, he should know that limiting soft drinks is just the beginning of solving a much bigger problem. Finally, instead of creating this ban, Bloomberg should consider healthier choice initiatives with more far-reaching results.

      

    According to Veronica Majerol in her article Sugar Wars in the New York Times, many people have argued that citizens should have the right and freedom to choose as they wish.  In this article, a twenty year-old college student, Zara Atal, says that it is none of government’s business. “If people want to drink their twenty-four ounce drinks, it’s their decision,” says Zara.  I believe that Americans should have the right to control what they can or cannot drink. Mayor Bloomberg seems to clearly be overreaching government’s control in people’s everyday lives. This kind of control on the rights of New Yorkers leads us to ask what will be banned next. Mayor Bloomberg could then try to ban other unhealthy habits such as smoking.  While people do have unhealthy habits and don’t always make the best choices for themselves, there are other ways to promote good health for New Yorkers.  

   There are also loopholes in the argument around the large size soda ban. According to the New York Times in an article by Michael Grynbaum, restaurants regulated by the government are not allowed to serve citizens larger than a 16-ounce soda can, though fast-food establishments like McDonalds and Burger King can still serve them. Since this is true, people can go to their regular 7-11 and buy a 54-ounce bottle of soda.  If people are seeking ways to consume large amounts of soda, there are certainly other means for them to obtain it, though it might be inconvenient. Even in the banned establishments, if people want more soda, they may just choose to get two smaller sizes.  For these reasons, the ban does not get at the core of the problem.

   There are obviously solid arguments on both sides of the ban.  Some people would argue that since 2/3 of adults in New York are obese or overweight, this ban might lower the rate of obesity levels in the city. They might also argue that it would impose more self-control for those who have none. However, research shows that soda alone is not the biggest cause of obesity in New York. It is only 43% of the added sugar in sugary drinks of the American diet according to the Alice Park in the article Goodbye Big Soda in the New York Times.  Fast-food restaurants like McDonalds serve burgers up to 1,000 calories. Therefore, it is not reasonable to blame or cite soda as the only culprit and cause in the fight against obesity in NYC.  While Bloomberg’s intentions are in the right place, he has overstepped his boundaries, and has taken on the role of a nutritionist rather than mayor.

   Mayor Bloomberg does have the right intentions for making New Yorkers healthier, but it does not seem as if he is going about this in the right way.  Instead of this ban, a better option might be to put a high tax on fatty foods and sugary drinks.  The money from these taxes could then be used to create healthy eating/nutritional education programs in schools.  There is no doubt that we must focus on making people aware of how to lead healthier lives, but we need to create programs that get to the core of this problem.  

    

    

                       

      

    

                       



Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice

Anonymous

          Published in 1971, Go Ask Alice is the diary of a fifteen year old teenage girl whose life is turned upside down when she gets involved taking drugs.  At her friend's party, she is given a bottle of Coke with LSD in it and loves the way it makes her feel.  This begins her journey into drugs which leads her down a path where many serious and terrible things happen to her.

         I am only halfway through her diary, but it has really gotten me thinking about being a teenager and what can happen to a teen struggling with addiction and the social pressures of the drug world.  There are a few aspects to "Alice's'' personality (we don't know her real name) that seem to make her vulnerable and lead her to make some very poor choices for herself.  First of all, she is not very self-confident in the beginning of the story. She is not happy with her weight and she is having trouble finding new freinds and adjusting as her family has just moved to a new city.  At the party, this vulnerability leads her to accept the Coke with the LSD in order to feel accepted, boost her confidence, and fit in with other teenagers. I am hoping that "Alice" will overcome her drug use, but I will need to read on to find out if this is the direction she will follow.

Number The Stars

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry

Jacob Sutton

          This past week, I reread Number the Stars by Lois Lowry which is a work of historical fiction about the bravery of a family as they help their Jewish friends escape from Copenhagen during World War II during the rise of Nazism.  Annemarie Johansen, one of the protagonists, risks her life to help her best friend, Ellen Rosen by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's older sister.  The Nazi's have demanded lists of the Danish Jews and they are planning to use these lists to arrest and relocate the entire Jewish population.  In order to avoid being relocated, Ellen Rosen, disguised as Lise (Ellen's older sister who was killed by a car) comes to live with the Johansen's while her parents are taken in by Lise's fiance, Peter Neilsen.  One of the main themes of this work centers on the bravery of the characters during a very traumatic time in history.

          Annemarie learns the real meaning of bravery.  At first, she does not know whether she can stand up for what she believes to be right.  When she is faced with the knowledge that her best friend Ellen and her family will be "relocated" by the Nazi soldiers, she helps them escape from Denmark and risks her life several times to do so.  Annemarie learns that faced with these circumstances, even ordinary people like her must be brave.  Her Uncle Henrick tells her that "it is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything," that even brave people are frightened and if you are determined to stand up for what you believe, you do not consider the danger.

        Other characters in the book also show bravery. Annemarie's parents and sister, Kirsti demonstrate great bravery as they are confronted by the Nazi soldiers several times.  They are confronted when they are hiding Ellen, when they are on the train going to Gilleleje and also during a gathering to pay respects to Annemarie's Great Aunt Birte.  They ignore the dangers and do what they feel they need to do to protect Ellen and the other Jews.  Peter Neilsen is also very courageous as a member of the Danish Resistance.  All of them, in their own ways fight injustice and do all they can do to get their friends, who are Jewish, to safety.