Comments

1
Democrats fix it 'til it's broke, Republicans fix it 'til it's fixed (as in rigged).
2
I think it is a ploy by the cup makers to sell more 16 ounce cups...;-D
3
So, to get this straight:

Nathan's Hot dog eating contest: Good
32 oz fountain soda: Bad

This might seem obvious, but did anyone look into the reason for New Yorkers being fat is that they don't give a fuck?
4
Wall Street is a corrupt cesspool, rents are skyrocketing, the NYC Subway is a rat-ridden disaster, the streets are in terrible repair and Michael Bloomberg decides to get tough on SODA POP.
5
The fact that this even needs to be legislated, that some people don't understand how absolutely toxic high-sugar food and drink is, that some idiots can lose significant weight just by the cessation of soda guzzling, they all illuminate how totally fucking doomed we all are--the lowest fucking common denominator.

These people need to be rounded up, fed tranquilizers, and allowed to live the rest of their lives, wearing helmets and kneepads, in peace and quiet, chewing the cud in some wildlife paradise in the southeastern US. Best part is, if we get fed up with tranquilizing them and simultaneously if we finally care enough about the plight of the Bengal Tiger to do something about it, well, we can introduce Bengal Tigers to the very same preserve that they might derive sustenance from the slain and nourish happy young of their own.
6
You can have my Big Gulp when you pry it from my cold, dead, pudgy hands.
7
exceptions if you have a hangover. git the biiig one
8
I'd like to see them do this with beer at sporting events...
9
Also, this will largely benefit the retailers, so they can sell more refills at 3000% markup.
10
@8, you can't buy a beer at any sporting event in a cup bigger than 16 oz; I think the standard size is 14 oz, actually.

You left an option off your poll, Paul: the "fruit juice" exemption is there, and completely ridiculous, as "fruit juice" sold in these settings is always a completely fraudulent product with 10% juice at best and MORE SUGAR THAN COLA.
11
Hey, I still have the number of teeth I do (at 62) at least in part because my father said no soda (or candy) in the house, on his dentist's recommendation.

Generally, more teeth than you see in red states, in any case.

Never got into the soda drinking much as an adult, either.

Should the NYC mayor have anything to do with this? Why the hell not.

12
@10 the last Sporting event I went to had 24 oz sizes, much like they have at music events like at Sasquatch.

http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/a…
13
I consider myself a reasonable person, and I definitely chafe at this level of proposed government micromanagement. Then again, I'm not an obese soda addict. I have people - very close to me - who have absolutely no self-control when it comes to junk food, and I sometimes find myself thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to put more barriers in the way of their indulgence.
14
As someone elsewhere has pointed out, this regulation would have no bearing on sugar-frosticcinos at Starbucks or fast-food milkshakes, most of which have higher calories per ounce and added fat to boot.
15
@10 - The NYT article I saw this morning indicated that there's a minimum juice content for the exemption, something like 60%. So 10%-juice "juice drinks" are covered by the new rules.
16
At any rate, it won't do anything. People who want additional soda will buy more. People who don't want that much soda aren't buying the large sizes now anyway. It won't change any habits. Besides, I always like to order a giant Cherry Coke the 1-2 times a year I go out to the movies.
17
If you think that belly aches, tooth decay, kidney stones, and diabetes aren't enough to modify people's behavoir, but that legislating smaller cups is, you are a credulous fool.
18
My point being, I don't think it's a very effective law since it doesn't curb the market for high-calorie beverages.
19
With @15 input,I'm behind this.

Great idea!

21
The size regulation won't work because the little piggies can always double up and order two drinks.
It's the craving for sugar and salts that needs to be addressed. It goes much deeper (like a deep fried corn dog) than just regulating cup sizes.
22
I agree with @5 but I don't want the gov't setting limits on things I like (beer) so I can't support this kind of legislation in good conscience.

However, I could support this kind of thing for minors only. Adults can make their own stupid decisions; kids should be protected from their parents stupid decisions.
23
@15, well, that's a start, but even 60% "juice" has more sugar and calories than cola. So does a 24-ounce Starbucks Double Chocolaty Frappuccino (unregulated). Or a milkshake (30g fat, 121g sugar).
24
If my porky neighbor wants to consume 5000 empty HFCS calories a day drinking Big Gulps, I may think he's a complete moron, but that's his right and not my problem. This law seems ham fisted, misdirected, and trampling on the right of people to make their own bad choices.
25
@17 - the said the same thing about punitive taxes on cigarettes. Have you seen the rates of new smokers lately?

Look at portion sizes in the 1950's. Look at portion sizes today. Tell me with a straight face that portion size has nothing to do with obesity.
26
Often when I ask my working class friends what is the reason they would be so brain-damaged to vote Republican, the response I get is they hate nanny state laws. Seriously, what is this mayor thinking? A general election is coming up and he's going to give all of the Republican news outlets a trivial issue they can exploit to frame the Democratic Party as "out of touch liberal elites". Stupid, stupid, stupid.

On another note, it should be mentioned that the mayor doesn't have the power to ban the Big Gulp. He can take actions against restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues, and the like. He doesn't have the power to regulate sizes in supermarkets or convenience stores. The Big Gulp is safe, for now.
27
pot is bad for the lungs.we should keep it baned...same logic
28
Give me a Double Big Gulp or give me Death!
29
@10: Wrong. 20-ounce beers are sold at both CenturyLink and Safeco. And 20 ounces is pretty much the standard at all NFL stadiums.

30
I would be OK with this if I thought it would do a lick of good and if New York City didn't have a million other more pressing problems.
31
Also, it should be mentioned that at most venues like movie theaters and such, the 32oz-44oz gigantic drinks are generally filled with at least 2/3 ice. So, let's say that the 3/4 of the ice is not ice, then you're left with half water, half soda. Thus, you're only getting 16-22oz of soda, and 16-22oz of frozen water/air.

Thus, unless you ask for "no ice" you're not drinking more soda than you would be if you bought a 20oz bottle.
32
And from now on, every time anybody suggests regulating anything that actually matters -- how much particulate matter coal burning plants should be allowed to pump into the atmosphere, for instance, or whether lending institutions should be kept separate from institutions that rate loan derivatives -- the Fox echo chamber will point to this law as evidence of how liberals just want to create a nanny state and take away our sodas. They already took your sodas, the argument will go, next they'll be coming for your guns. Nanny State!

Unless somebody can demonstrate the health risks of second-hand Big Gulp exposure (diabetes by osmosis?) I just don't see the point. Frankly, it's embarrassing.
33
@16,

Studies prove that dividing food into smaller portions does result in people eating less.

It won't be enough to make people "thin", but thinness is irrelevant to better health outcomes.
34
I'd be surprised if this move improves the health of the average New Yorker one bit. There are so many ways to overfeed on toxic garbage. Why hone in on soda? Big Gulps aren't my vice, but I would be pissed if the gubment tried to stand between me and my rum and cokes.
35
@25--I have, in fact, looked at smoking rates lately. They declined steadily for 40 years following the Surgeon General's Report, and have been more or less level for the last 5 years.

If you look at it state by state, punitive taxes in California may be responsible for some further decline. But then you have to explain why similar rates in WA and NY haven't had the same effect.

Utah's numbers make a pretty compelling case that the most effective anti-smoking program in the US is probably Mormonism.

Tell me with a straight face that portion size has nothing to do with obesity.

(You'll have to take my word that I am doing this with a straight face): Portion size has nothing to do with obesity.

OK, that's not completely true. Portion size is a contributing factor among many, including: more sedentary lifestyles and jobs, longer commutes, more processed foods, two-income families, the TV, the computer, the decline of outdoor recreation, suburbanization, and probably a dozen others. And that's without getting into more marginal theories about environmental toxicants, epigenetic effects, etc.

So...no, I honestly don't think that legislating cup sizes of particular drinks in NYC is going to do a damn thing. Except create another reason for government officials to meddle in the minutiae of life and commerce, and possibly increase the profit margins for people who sell soda by the drink.

36
End the Corn Red State Subsidies!
37
I agree with those saying the timing of this is weird. It runs the risk of politicizing other regulations during an election year. Of course, Bloomberg's an independent, so he might just not give a fuck.

@17: Portion size definitely does make a difference. Not for everyone, but statistically it's a pretty big difference.
39
I like the sound of this regulation, both because soda is terrible for you and also because the apoplectic rage of the N-N-N-NANNY STATE!!! crowd is fun to watch.
41
This is retarded. They may have a limit on cups size but how does that do anything in the face of unlimited free refills? Anyway who cares if people are killing themselves with soda? These are mostly the people you want dead anyway.
42
It is very interesting that a magazine that boasts more illegal drug users (not including medical marijuana users) than any magazine, save "High Times", actually has a readership that a majority of would favor regulations on what one consumes, and all this from a magazine that is zealous in its defense of over issues relating to body freedom. Seriously, if people want to drink sodas till they die, it is nobody's business but their own. It's sickening to see, as I, for one, am in favor of our birthright to do whatever the hell we damn please to our own bodies. Imo, it isn't up for discussion, it's a right that is conveyed by merely being born. I care not for boundaries. If there ever were a case for "Nanny State", this is a good one. I don't even drink soda, but I support freedom of choice. Freedom of choice should never be a debate topic, as it is one's birthright.
43
@42 you need to try some organic green. That harsh chemical stuff harshes your mellow.

And it makes your skin orange.
44
The proposed law is aiming at the wrong metric. Rather than measure the number of ounces, it should aim at the number of grams of sugars. Sports drinks typically have half the sugar of sodas and it's not unreasonable to chug a quart on a hot, humid, New York day. By limiting sugars, it might even influence soda makers to experiment with dialing down the calories per ounce.
45
I'll never forget the day that the KFC drive-thru-guy asked if I wanted to upgrade my coke to a "Half-gal".
46
@41 Long before they're dead, they're clogging up my hospitals with chronic ailments that are best prevented. New York City has a network of city-owned hospitals, that take all comers, and that I'm paying for. I don't resent paying for the hospitals, in fact I'm quite happy to, but it's stupid to overcrowd them with avoidable maladies.
47
if soda gets banned before cigarettes, something seems wrong about that
48
Mattini, as long as your rum and cokes are smaller than 16 ounces, you should be good.

I am a soda junkie. I loves me some highly sugared chemical water. I also have a terrible weakness for sweet tea, probably just as bad as the soda. Aside from the fact that I'm not in New York, this law will do nothing to change my habits. I'm the only person who can make an impactful difference in that regard.

And thank you ALL for calling it soda, not pop.

I don't really care about this one way or the other. But I would like to point out the scenario of the person at McD's eating 3 big macs, 2 large fries, and a large diet coke. Those people are just as likely to be obese as us soda guzzlers? And for the record, 5'8, 130 pounds, 12% body fat.
49
For reference, the medium soda at McDonald's is 21oz. 16oz is the small.
50
Bloomberg should have gone in the opposite direction and required establishments to serve HFCS-laced beverages in NO LESS than 64 oz. servings. Not only would we hear nary a peep from the "NANNY STATE!" chicken littles, but it would serve to hasten their demise from obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and the like, thus simultaneously increasing tax revenues and reducing the drain on medical services.
52
@23: It should be noted that the "more calories than soda" really only applies to "juice drinks," not actual fruit juice. Not that actual fruit juice has no sugar, but it definitely has less as long as there is no sugar added. Also, it contains those lovely things called vitamins.

@49: I always have to remember when going to a fast food joint or movies to ALWAYS get the "small" size. My brain still drifts back to my childhood, when the sizes actually made sense. A "medium" these days is way more soda than anyone needs with one meal.
53
How the hell did anyone even think this was a good idea? Whats to stop them from making a ban on large portion meal? Why cant i just buy more cups? Why dont they do something to fix more serious problems?
54
The goal of this is simply to re-normalize normal/sane portion sizes. It's not meant to directly restrict consumption, but to affect the way people make decisions about their consumption by redefining what is normal. If it works, a few years down the road no one will perceive any kind of "soda ban" because it will only affect sellers of soda. For buyers of soda, it will just be a reality that if you want more than 16 oz, you have to buy two. Most people will find that they're satisfied by a "large" that's 16 oz.
55
Hey, kids: those of you using terms like "piggies" and "porkers" and listing your body stats as if you are thin because of moral discipline rather than because you happen to not be as affected by the hugely sugar-laden and processed-carbs-laden foods that make up the vast majority of what one finds outside the home (and that's only if you don't fill your grocery cart with that stuff)...well, enjoy the others-demonizing self-love, but you're mistaken about cause and effect here.

If the influx of sugar and white flour don't cause your body to be flooded with insulin and your blood sugar to go haywire and give you an insatiable desire for more, much like alcohol does to an alcoholic (physiologically as well as psychologically), then you're not at all dealing with what the "fatties" are. Again, congrats on all that hard work not having a biological tendency towards diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The good news is, keep drinking all that soda and maybe you will be down the road.

That said, OUTLAWING LARGE CUPS IS IDIOTIC! And like others said, misses all the people effectively drinking milkshakes at Starbucks every morning, actual milkshakes, 2-liter-bottles, bags of potato chips, etc., etc.. To whoever said you'd have to be an idiot to not know how harmful this stuff is, well, since the '70s the government and media message has been FAT IS EVIL. Sugar has only recently gotten anywhere near the same amount of attention. And it still hasn't--look around online and the message is still that type ii diabetics should avoid red meat and add lots of whole grains to their diet...sugar is hardly mentioned. During that time, of course, diabetes and metabolic syndrome have skyrocketed. And whole grains are great compared to processed grains, absolutely, but did anyone tell light smokers back in the '60s "add a pack of filtered cigarettes" in order to be healthy?
56
@52, where are you getting your numbers on juice? Most of what I've seen says that juice has high sugar content whether the sugars are added corn syrup or from the concentrated, fiber-stripped fruit itself:

http://www.hookedonjuice.com

You can drink a glass of apple juice in like 20 seconds, whereas the equivalent apple consumption would be multiple apples over a much longer time, and probably just wouldn't happen...who ever gorges on multiple apples in a short sitting? Juice takes out all the fiber and concentrates the sugar to an excessive amount.

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