Is Taxing Pop Really A Solution?

In recent years, our North American society has fallen victim to the problem of obesity. Not only are we eating more often, but the food we eat is becoming unhealthier, too. Due to the fact that obesity is becoming an increasingly large problem, health care services are being overwhelmed by the need to address this national epidemic. If only obesity were a single problem, the economic burden being placed on the government wouldn’t nearly be as severe as it is now. Unfortunately, the fact remains that obesity is indeed more than just one problem – this medical condition is the very beginning to a hospital-bound life. Obesity is known to lead to cardiovascular problems, diabetes, kidney failure and some types of cancer. Already, obesity is a common medical condition among many Canadians – and the numbers continue to rise. As more and more money has to be placed into the healthcare services to address the problem of obesity, its economic burden on the government continues to rise. For this reason, the government is attempting to stop this epidemic from becoming an even larger problem by acting quickly and preventing the consumption of such unhealthy foods.
Supersize Me and the Taxing Pop video are examples of the many scare campaigns that are out there. I’d say that scare campaigns are one of the most effective ways to aware the public of a particular problem, but unfortunately, even this isn’t enough to prevent the obesity epidemic from worsening. Judging by similar occurrences in history, humans are generally unwilling to change their established lifestyles. Global warming, animal extinction, overfishing – we’ve all been warned about the effects of these global issues through many scare campaigns, and yet it seems that these problems are only getting worse. As knowledgeable of the effects as we are, we never realize the need to act until it’s too late, and I’m afraid the same will happen with this epidemic. However, scare campaigns do something that many other campaigns can’t – at the very least, they make us think. Humans are naturally selfish creatures. We care about our own survival more than anything else, which is why scare campaigns work so effectively on us. When we hear that something is going to significantly harm us or shorten our lifespan, we immediately reconsider our actions. As to whether or not we continue to carry out our plans is an entirely different story, but at the very least, we take that extra step to consider the results of our actions.
For example, I still haven’t been able to stop eating at McDonalds in spite of having watched Supersize Me. However, before lining up and plunking down my money for a few thousand calories, I always reconsider whether I could choose a healthier alternative, and the result is a few less visits to McDonalds every month. As small of an action that is, it still makes a difference, and each change begins with a small step. The Taxing Pop video had a similar effect: I’ve still drank pop after having watched it, but when I remember the image of that guy chugging down a cup of fat, I’m immediately rid of the desire to drink anything of the sort.
As much as I oppose of the constant and unreasonable increase in taxes, I actually think this one would make a noticeable difference in the consumption of pop. The higher prices of the pop would be another reason not to buy it, on top of the health concerns that are already involved. Like the scare campaigns, it can’t be hoped that everyone will change immediately, but at the very least, it will give customers an incentive to quit drinking carbonated sugar water. At least customers will actually reconsider whether or not the pop is worth that extra amount of money and an additional ten pounds a year.