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This is the pragmatic LKY that everyone will be saying good bye to tomorrow. Gum is a problem? Outlaw it. Honestly, given that you can chew it if you have a

This is the pragmatic LKY that everyone will be saying good bye to tomorrow. Gum is a problem? Outlaw it. Honestly, given that you can chew it if you have a medical prescription, no great loss. Obviously not the American Solution (see how much trouble Bloomberg had outlawing the far more health hazardous soft drinks), but, certainly works well in Singapore.

TazeTSchnitzel 12y ago
Bloomberg was able to outlaw fizzy drinks, he just couldn't make an exception for the Big Gulp
adventured 12y ago
I don't think the health reference makes much sense when you consider that gum is illegal in Singapore, but cigarettes are not. I'm skeptical it would have gone over well had Lee Kuan Yew tried to outlaw soda and cigarettes as well (with the understanding that Bloomberg was not trying to outlaw soda). There's a point where people will push back on authoritarianism.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
sirseal 12y ago
Except juice, which has the equivalent amount of harmful sugar. It's more because Bloomberg is a typical dickhead politician who makes policy only to further his own power.
- ghshephard 12y ago
  Ordering SuperLargeGulps of juice was so rare as to be nonexistent. Bloomberg was most certainly not trying to further his own power in this situation - he went to his assistants and asked, "What single thing is most harming our population's health right now?" And the thing currently at the top of the chart was super-large-sizes of soft drinks. But, here is the thing - the United States (with the exception of Seat Belts, in which the NHTSA managed to link federal funding and increased safety), is typically not in the business of being a nanny state. The exception for smoking was that it was second hand smoking that was being legislated.
- IkmoIkmo 12y ago
  Except you'll be hard pressed to find actual juice that's cheaper than 10x the price of sugar-water soda. It's the reason juice is consumed by the occasional glass, and soda by the proverbial gallon, and why the latter is far more harmful than the former. And it's the reason there's a certain class-driven health problem around drinking soda. It's also the origin of Dave Chappelle's hilarious 'what the fuck is juice?' joke. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTjQLfU6Gk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTjQLfU6Gk
ValentineC 12y ago
> Honestly, given that you can chew it if you have a medical prescription, no great loss. This is not accurate. Sugar-free chewing gum (which supposedly has a dental benefit) may be purchased at pharmacies, without a prescription. It is not an offence in Singapore to chew gum, nor is it culturally unaccepted.
anon4 12y ago
Stalin had exactly the same approach. People are without work? Split jobs into sub-jobs. People are still without work? Kill them until unemployment falls to acceptable levels. You'll say that this is a level of inhumane cruelty far surpassing the banning of gum; and I'll agree. But I can't help but feel they're motivated by the same basic thinking.
- bsamuels 12y ago
  > People are still without work? Kill them until unemployment falls to acceptable levels. [citation needed] I know it's fun to rail on ruthless genocidal dictators, but at least be accurate.
hackerboos 12y ago
> see how much trouble Bloomberg had outlawing the far more health hazardous soft drinks Well Bloomberg has a vocal opposition to deal with and therefore cannot act like a dictator.

TazeTSchnitzel 12y ago

Bloomberg was able to outlaw fizzy drinks, he just couldn't make an exception for the Big Gulp

adventured 12y ago

I don't think the health reference makes much sense when you consider that gum is illegal in Singapore, but cigarettes are not. I'm skeptical it would have gone over well had Lee Kuan Yew tried to outlaw soda and cigarettes as well (with the understanding that Bloomberg was not trying to outlaw soda). There's a point where people will push back on authoritarianism.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

sirseal 12y ago

Except juice, which has the equivalent amount of harmful sugar. It's more because Bloomberg is a typical dickhead politician who makes policy only to further his own power.

ghshephard 12y ago
Ordering SuperLargeGulps of juice was so rare as to be nonexistent. Bloomberg was most certainly not trying to further his own power in this situation - he went to his assistants and asked, "What single thing is most harming our population's health right now?" And the thing currently at the top of the chart was super-large-sizes of soft drinks. But, here is the thing - the United States (with the exception of Seat Belts, in which the NHTSA managed to link federal funding and increased safety), is typically not in the business of being a nanny state. The exception for smoking was that it was second hand smoking that was being legislated.
IkmoIkmo 12y ago
Except you'll be hard pressed to find actual juice that's cheaper than 10x the price of sugar-water soda. It's the reason juice is consumed by the occasional glass, and soda by the proverbial gallon, and why the latter is far more harmful than the former. And it's the reason there's a certain class-driven health problem around drinking soda. It's also the origin of Dave Chappelle's hilarious 'what the fuck is juice?' joke. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTjQLfU6Gk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTjQLfU6Gk

ValentineC 12y ago

> Honestly, given that you can chew it if you have a medical prescription, no great loss. This is not accurate. Sugar-free chewing gum (which supposedly has a dental benefit) may be purchased at pharmacies, without a prescription. It is not an offence in Singapore to chew gum, nor is it culturally unaccepted.

anon4 12y ago

Stalin had exactly the same approach. People are without work? Split jobs into sub-jobs. People are still without work? Kill them until unemployment falls to acceptable levels. You'll say that this is a level of inhumane cruelty far surpassing the banning of gum; and I'll agree. But I can't help but feel they're motivated by the same basic thinking.

bsamuels 12y ago
> People are still without work? Kill them until unemployment falls to acceptable levels. [citation needed] I know it's fun to rail on ruthless genocidal dictators, but at least be accurate.

hackerboos 12y ago

> see how much trouble Bloomberg had outlawing the far more health hazardous soft drinks Well Bloomberg has a vocal opposition to deal with and therefore cannot act like a dictator.