I admit to getting a bit over emotional and reacting too strongly to things I dislike or disapprove of from time to time. But I have to admit, the degree of passion that is being shown against soda drinkers in a top diary here is making my head swim. Is that truly who we want to be attacking?
Granted, the diary itself attacks an ad I haven't seen, but is probably stupid and is obviously inaccurate in that it apparently calls soda a food, and is undoubtedly put up by corporations afraid a tax will decrease their sales. The commenters, however, don't limit their anger to the makers of soda. They go after those "fat" "other" "Americans" who drink it and who are therefore guilty of the ultimate sin and who therefore totally deserve being taxed to oblivion.
In the list of unhealthy activities people engage in, drinking soda is waaaay down there. Far, far above it are things like having unprotected sex, eating too much meat, eating too many potato chips and french fries, wearing shoes with too high heels, smoking, drinking too much, sitting on the couch too much.
However, the question is not: is this a healthy or unhealthy thing to do? The question is: Should we be using the taxation system as a method of discouraging behavior we don't want happening (in which case there are lots and lots of things I'd like to see taxed - like being a Republican and going to church) and if so, is this particular behavior so bad or so dangerous, we need to "save" the poor from themselves by taxing them out of being able to afford the behavior.
I found the anger expressed against soda drinkers in that particular diary incredibly amusing. I happen to be a serious soda drinker. I drink a minimum of 6 diet pepsis a day - usually more. I don't eat meat, I'm at a very healthy weight, I exercise regularly, I'm in better health than at least 95% of people my age. I have little doubt that many of those excoriating me for drinking so much soda eat a pound or more of meat every day, have several beers every night, light up an occassional cigarette, probably eat chocolate cake, maybe even potato chips! Horror of horrors, that someone should actually make a choice to do something that might not be the healthiest thing for them, but hurts no one else.
Really people. Are we really so anxious to be angry that hundreds of comments are made about soda drinkers???
As Marie Antoinette so famously didn't say - why give them soda? Let them eat cake instead.