The sweet satisfaction of telling kids what to do

Here’s William Saletan of Slate on why he expected soda companies to eventually succumb to pressure to get sugary sodas out of schools:
“The reason I expected the companies to lose this round is that it’s easy to wage moral crusades when the only freedoms in the way are those of children. Americans have long been driven by two deep longings. The first is to be left alone. The second is to tell other people what to do. On most moral issues — abortion, porn, video games, alcohol, tobacco, guns — the easiest way out is to inflict our piety on minors. All the righteous satisfaction, none of the libertarian backlash. Great taste, less filling.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley

6 Comments

  1. You'll be sooory!
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 12:52 am | Permalink

    Thanks Melissa,Closest thing I have seen yet to just saying they threatened some serious Jesse Jackson style extortion if they didn’t comply.I still think it had more to do with Bill showing them a phoney poll guarenteeing a Hillary win, combined with a threat to have her nationalize the soft drink industry if they don’t goose step to the music.

  2. Joe Williams
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 4:57 am | Permalink

    You’ll be sooory!

    Or just apply the “windfall” taxes on them. Since they make more profit percentage than the oil companies.

  3. You'll be sooory!
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 6:17 am | Permalink

    Now you’ve done it Joe. You let the cat out of the bag and unleashed the socialists from hell on them.Ironic how this stuff is coming straight from the people that Kentucky Fried Chicken named a meal after. The Hillary Meal – Two big thighs and a left wing.

  4. raptor
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 7:26 am | Permalink

    Gotta love the empty gestures…a ‘feel good’ story. Then, drop on by the local convenience store, and see mom buy multi-liter sizes of liquid sugar for the little darlings.

    Oh well…look at it this way, here is one story that isn’t all bad for a change…

  5. Damoon
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 9:46 am | Permalink

    It’s a small step in the right direction. Now if we can just get parents to quit being afraid of being parents…..

  6. Gittin' madder by the minute
    Posted May 8, 2006 at 10:12 am | Permalink

    Bill Saletan’s snooty little diatribe libels Americans. Everybody in the world likes to stick their noses into other people’s businesses. It’s human nature.