Downsizing Supersize and Why Shame Won't Stop Obesity

I thought James Surowiecki had some great points about Bloomberg's large soda ban in New York. Before I read this, I thought the ban was pretty ridiculous. I actually first heard about it on the daily show with Jon Stewart where he compared the illegality of a large soda and the recent legality of medical marijuana in New York City. This seemed pretty ridiculous to me at first because marijuana, a drug, had been made legal while it was basically illegal to get more than 16 ounces of a beverage in a cup. However, after reading the article "Downsizing Supersize", I have a different perspective on the matter. This situation really sheds light on the nature of people in today's world. Most people won't make big changes to their lifestyle unless these changes are forced upon them. Like Surowiecki says, "in countries where people have to actively say they don't want to be an organ donor, most are donors" (Surowiecki, 123). If it wasn't for Bloomberg's large soda ban, I don't think most people would ever make that change in their life. I really enjoyed the rhetoric of this article. It was very informative with lots of references to other studies and laws in the world but it was also slightly humorous. For example the last line was, "but at least there's a good chance we'll be thinner rats" (Surowiecki, 125)
While I agree with the three points Dhruv Khullar makes at the end of the article (making healthy food more accessible, minimizing junk food advertising and educating the youth on health), I don't necessarily agree with some of his other points. I agree that shaming people into eating healthier is not the way to go, but unlike Khullar, I think responsibility and knowledge are the only ways to fight obesity. When it all boils down, the only person making a decision on what they eat is the consumer. If someone chooses to eat something unhealthy, they made the conscious decision to do so. If people are informed about the health benefits of food, they can make better, healthier decisions about what they put in their body. The rhetoric of this piece was very informative but it felt a little harsh. I felt like the authors opinions where being imposed on me.