The Tyranny of Having Too Many Choices
Imagine you are at a fast food restaurant. You have selected your sandwich and your side order of fries, and you realize that this meal will make you thirsty. You will need — nay, you will require — a beverage to wash it down. So you say to the woman at the register, “I would like a soda.”
And she looks at you with her dead eyes, her soul withered away by years of menial work in the service industry, and she utters the immortal question, “Small, medium, or large?”
You look at the three cups — your three possible destinies. Pick one too small, and you will be unsated — your throat parched from the salty food, crying out for relief. But picking one too large is dangerous as well. These beverages are filled with sugar, which could bloat your body and erode your muscle, leaving a flubbery blob where once there was a man.
You are frozen in indecision, the gravity of this choice crushing you. If you make the wrong call, your life could be ruined! You want more time, but now the look of indifference from the lady at the register is turning into hatred, and you can hear the grumbles of the patrons behind you. You must make a choice, and… You. Must. Make. It. Now.
The panic builds inside you and finally bursts. You scream, “Large!”
WRONG CHOICE! YOU’RE DEAD NOW!
That’s right. You picked too large a beverage, and now you will die from obesity or obesity-related illnesses, such as a porch collapse.
Now, imagine the scenario again, but this time you look down to see a heroic figure scurrying forward to save the day: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. With a short hop, he clambers over the counter and then climbs a step stool to swat away the large beverage choice. Now you only have the small and medium sizes to choose between. Are you a little thirsty or a lot thirsty? It’s a simple question now, and you make your choice with confidence. You have been saved from the tyranny of choices!
America was built on the principle that a man could make choices about his own life. This has been a complete failure. You remember when pioneers set out by themselves into the untamed frontier? And you remember what happened to them? That’s right: They all died. Lacking a government to tell them how much soda to drink or salt to eat, they became too obese to run away from bears and mountain lions. It’s a sad chapter in our history, but luckily when people headed out west the next time, they brought lots and lots of government with them and founded California. And thanks to its huge amount of laws telling people what to do, that area has flourished (well, I haven’t read any news about California in a decade or so, but I assume it’s still doing pretty well).
The Keebler Elves’ bakery tree is in the Shire? Who knew!
Grima Michael hates sugary soda, but he loves cappuccino with enough sugar for any two of the other.
Big Brother would be so proud of how effortlessly he achieves pure doublethink on behalf of the enlightened elite’ who hang out at Starbuck’s.
Dimwit.
clear ether
eon
Doublethink? Yeah, it’s strong here.
Abortion? MY BODY MY CHOICE.
Large soda? YOU CAN’T PUT THAT IN YOUR BODY, YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT!
And they don’t even see why we’re laughing at them. Nanny-state scolds are some of the most abusing, albeit humorless people in existence.
I have been in an ongoing “discussion” with a Democrat about “medical freedom”. As a Libertarian I advocate that we should be free to make our own medical decisions without the government limiting our choices. That is, that a person should be able to purchase medical drugs without a pescription. I agree with Dr. Ron Paul on this. The Democrat states that no one should be allowed to purchase medicine (we’re not discussion illict drugs here) without the need for a doctor’s prescription. I maintain that laws of this nature are not designed “for the public welfare”, but to put money in the pockets of a favored group. That as time has passed, we are becoming less and less free. That “government” in all its forms (federal, state, local) is increasingly only representative of certain favored groups, not the American people as a whole!
“So Bloomberg is going to give up on complicated things that are out of his hands, like the economy, and instead focus on what he can control: you.”
Excellent! You encapsulated the whole leftist statist mindset in that one sentence. These people are small minded, venial and basically haters of the human race.
By golly, I think this Bloomberg fella is on to something: limiting choices. And what’s good for the goose is good for the goose’s derriere. Mr. Bloomberg squandered an awful lot of money when he bought the office of mayor of NYC. Yes, it’s a great hobby and loads of fun and all, but he will need that money when he is old: it was the wrong choice. And while the citizens of NYC are glad for him to have a hobby that keeps him off the street, they realize they need something too: a real mayor, instead of a lightweight oaf who gets a tingle in his leg from playing dietician. Give him his money back… then limit his future job choices to those for which he is able and suited… say, organ grinder assistant. Or maybe toilet tissue tester. Or spokesperson for Pee Wee Herman. Anything but mayor.
Doomberg is a COMMIE deep down, part the 1% who are the Elite commies
WHERE oh WHERE is the ACLU?? Probably fighting lawsuite to remove 10 Commandmandments from some elementry school in middle of small town middle America- GREAT job COmmies at ACLU & BLOOMBERG you aer a Wanker
Next, mandatory exercise in Central Park, under the watchful eyes of a real Big Brother, Boss Bloomberg.
I have this sneaky suspicion that the computer programs that made this guy super rich were written by a couple of 19 year old kids. He fronted the money, sold the product, or others did, and fired the kids.
I believe in Orwell’s “1984″ that they had mandatory exercise. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but I believe “Big Brother” did require exercise of all his “subjects”. Of course “nanny state” Democrats do favor such things. Oddly enough when I was young (1950′s) the only people who did exercise were those going out for sports. Most adults smoked cigarettes. Both my parents did. I started as a teenager of 16. BTW, I had no difficulty at all in purchasing cigarettes back then either. It was rare to see a fat person. Now they are all over the place. I also suspect that smoking was less “of a burden upon society” than obesity is now. We have exchanged one addiction for another. The major push to “stop smoking” came from Democrats. They are the supporters of the “Nanny State” in all its glory. They definitely do not believe in freedom either. (except in a very narrow way)
” Smith ! ” screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen. ” 6079 Smith W. ! Yes, you ! Bend lower, please ! You can do better than that. You’re not trying. Lower, please ! That’s better, comrade. Now stand at ease, the whole squad, and watch me “.
A sudden hot sweat had broken out all over Winston’s body. His face remained completely inscrutable. Never show dismay ! Never show resentment ! A single flicker of the eyes could give you away. He stood watching while the instructress raised her arms above her head and – one could not say gracefully, but with remarkable neatness and efficiency – bent over and tucked the first joint of her fingers under her toes.
” There, comrades ! That’s how I want to see you doing it. Watch me again. I’m thirty-nine and I’ve had four children. Now look. ” She bent over again. ” You see my knees aren’t bent. You can all do it if you want to, ” she added as she straightened herself up. ” Anyone under forty-five is perfectly capable of touching his toes. We don’t all have the privilege of fighting in the front line, but at least we can all keep fit. Remember our boys on the Malabar front ! And the sailors in the Floating Fortresses ! Just think what they have to put up with. Now try again. That’s better, comrade, that’s much better, ” she added encouragingly as Winston, with a violent lunge, succeeded in touching his toes with knees unbent, for the first time in several years.
Actually, that thing about California flourishing? Well, it’s just that they’re really not flourishing after all.
But it’s okay because they’re bringing in even MORE government.
After returning to America from several years in Africa, our encounter with the Cerial Aisle at the supermarket caused a crisis of TOO MANY CHOICES.
We (mostly) got over it.
why are you insulting Tyrion Lannister??
There are still those in America who will not learn, are Americans stupid?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzQUePYOQzc&feature=player_embedded
You probably couldn’t get a 32 ounce soda in North Korea. Not much of an obesity problem there. Just call him Kim Jong-Bloomberg.
OTOH, Li’l Kim’s son looks like he’s had a few 32-oz sodas in his life. They’re good for washing down entire pizzas.
Does Bloomie have a necktie selection number? I just can’t decide which tie to wear today…
This is just terrible. What’s next, will Bloomberg ban beer? Hey, there are a heck of a lot more callories in beer than in soda and it will make you drunk, too, if you drink too much of it. So why not ban it? Oh, that’s right, the government already tried that. It was called PROHIBITION and it was a disaster. If cigarettes are so bad for you and will give you lung cancer, why not ban those? I’ve never heard of soda giving you lung cancer. Have you? And what about all that nasty sugar out there? Eat too much of that and you’re toast. Are we going to ban cookies, pastries, chocolate, and just about anything else that has sugar in it? You will have to pry my cheesecake out of my cold, dead, hands before I give that up. Will there be a black market for sugar? Will we have shady characters selling bags of sugar from the trunks of cars? Or will we have a total ban on sugar and all foods will not be allowed to have them, making for a meal that’s about as dull as listening to a speech by Mayor Bloomberg.
These are terrible times, my friends. First they come for your soda, then they’ll come for your hot dogs, then they’ll take away your ice cream. It will be just like North Korea, where the only thing you’ll have left to eat is grass. Hey, it’s green, right, and on Michelle Obama’s list of “healthy” things to eat. We will end up eating grass, while the Obama’s continue eating corn-fed steaks.
This is how it begins, folks. Take away what YOU want to eat because, after all, it’s for your own good. And if Obamacare somehow manages to survive the Supreme Court, it will get much worse. Because when the government is paying for your health insurance, it can dictate what you can eat, how much you have to weigh, and what you’re allowed to drink. Stop the madness now. Tell Mayor Bloomberg that he should stay out of our lives and go back to running a city, if he can.
You have perfectly described the way that Democrats of today think. They truly do believe that freedom is a bad thing (except for things they favor). As a Libertarian I believe in freedom, but also in responsibility. We should be free to make our decisions. We should also be willing to take responsibility for that freedom. I oppose prescription laws, drug laws in general. If you do some serious study, you’ll eventually find that all these laws are written in favor of one “special interest” or another. This is why we have “the finest government that money can buy” too. This also why Americans pay 50% more than the people of any other country for health care. Again, there are those who gain economically from the status quo at the cost of everyone else in the USA.
Not just the Democrats of today.
Alcohol Prohibition was a Progressive policy
Little Michael could have been 5’10″ if only government had cared enough to force him into making “healthy choices[sic]“. Poor little Michael.
One big reason that we don’t need nannies like Mayor Bloomin’ … the nannies can end up on the wrong side of the science:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?_r=2&smid=pl-share
Yet those like Bloomin’ believe in their own omniscience as “successful” people/”leaders” so much, they never pause to consider that what they dictate could actually work against their “noble” objectives … and when they impose their diktats by the force of law, they often end up removing the ability of the rest of us to work-around their error.
The blind faith in human omniscience that Progressives have so successfully promoted, combined with the belief of others that what’s good for the “average” person is good for EACH AND EVERY PERSON, is an erosion of our liberty and our ability to pursue happiness.
They can have my Big Gulp (which I choose to fill with DIET soda) … and my Les Paul, for that matter … when they pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
My stomach has been attacked repeatedly by extra large sugary drinks. Bloomberg is right! Large drinks are racist! Why are the commenters so mean on this thread?
I think choices are overrated.
In fact, I think limiting healthcare choices down to one government controlled plan is a great idea.
I think limiting the choice of cars to a Volt is a great idea.
I think limiting light bulbs and soda and guns and mortgages and news channels are all great ideas. I think the UN should control the internet.
People are just too damn stupid to make correct choices.
This was proven conclusively in November, 2008. And who would know better than the people who got elected in that wave of abject stupidity?
There are a number of other things that I think should now be limited. Butter. No more butter in New York, New Jersey or rural Pennsylvania. Too many butter clingers out there.
I also think religion should be restricted to one choice. Too many different sects leads to confusion. So, Scientology is it. And we should declare the Scientology settled. Hide the moral decline. And no more crosses. We should all wear hockey sticks around our necks. The Muslims will try to blow up things, but the Dianetic Force Field will repel them.
Gender of children. In order to stop this war on women, we should stop producing women to war on. Or Planned Patricide could eliminate men, but then all the Chinese men would move here after eliminating all their women.
Economic systems. Look, it’s EITHER capitalism or Marxism. You can’t have both. Since we elected Marxists to lead us, Europe has done the same, China and Russia, Venezuela and North Korea, that’s like having nearly the whole board in Risk…so let’s just get it over with.
Three squares of fruits and vegetables raw, an hour walk in the yard, state controlled health care. All we have to do is elect Don Warden as our leader for life. Oh wait, we already have.
I like what bloomberg has accomplished with his annoying nudgey helicopter mom finger waggling.
educated, middle class folks don’t need to have these restrictions and reminders to know what is good for themselves and their children to eat and drink.
those in other circumstances do need restrictions and clarity on how nutrition or the lack of it affects their health and the future of their children.
we had to have a big push for a long time on eating breakfast and how important that is. poorer children were drinking sodas and eating candy in the morning. their brains were becoming deadend.
we will really go down the drain as a society if we don’t think of those other than ourselves.
in any case, even starbucks fans were quite bitterly surprised to see (because they have to show calories, now, thanks bloomberg) that one innocent looking slice of lemon pound cake has 500 calories. oh, yeah.
bitter. but chastened.
Ban everything. Just to be sure.
You can have Ban or you can have Sure, but you can’t have them both…that would be a choice, we don’t allow choices.
Certainly not in the armpit of the nation, anyway.
I thought choice was a grade of beef. No wonder I can’t be trusted with one.
Not good enough
We have to ban everything from orbit, Its the only way to be sure.
The irony of government wanting to regulate demand for something that is cheap because of an oversupply it created.
What next? Making us all jog for the master race?
I would bet money that Bloomberg walked out of The Avengers trying to figure out why the good guy lost.
So I’ll buy a second soda. WTF? How about solving some real problems.
I drink diet soda most of the time, but bloombergs war on sugar has banned large glasses of diet soda too. Apparently its too confusing, and somebody might accidentally get a large glass of the sugary kind. That NYC residents would elect this nanny state boob is another reason why I will never live in NYC.
Bloomberg for King: Because running your own life is just too hard!
http://community.babycenter.com/journal/antonrodgers129/5295217/the_art_and_style_of_gucci_watches