Emergency Alert: Put Down That Soda!

     On October 10, 2012, Michael F. Jacobson wrote the article, "Amputation, Impotence, Painful Dentistry: Soda Equals Sadness", in The Huffington Post. We have all heard how junk food is harmful, how there are statistics to prove it, and the diseases that come with eating them. However, how harmful is soda? In the past, Coca-Cola was served in six and a half or ten ounce bottles. The bottle size has now increased to twenty, thirty two, or sixty four ounce bottles. Coca-Cola promotes itself as a source of happiness, such as having commercials that have vending machines "dispensing happiness". One of these vending machines had a man standing inside, and every time people would insert money to buy a Coca-Cola, a man's hand would stick out of the dispenser, passing out different gifts, which included balloon animals, a pizza box, a six footlong sandwich, and jackpot noise to let the customers know that they "hit the jackpot" by selecting Coca-Cola. Another vending machine did not need money to operate. The front of the machine had "Hug Me" written in ginormous letters, and all customers who would hug the machine received a free coke. However, this creative marketing technique is aimed to hide the disturbing facts about the long-term effect coke can have on a person. These harmful effects include obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease, and other problems. The diabetes side effect can go so far as to including amputation of infected limbs and erectile dysfunction. In other words, Coca-Cola is causing sadness rather than happiness. "The Real Bears" is an animated short film produced by Alex Bogusky, with a song written and sung by Jason Mraz, showing the negative side effects of drinking Coca-Cola. It includes actual facts, but in a way so that children and adults can fully understand that by not drinking soda, they can prevent harmful effects to their body.

Coca-Cola advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMOuF8oskRU
"The Real Bears": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myxwCEGcBYc&feature=player_embedded