The image above is from an NYC Health Department subway ad eschewing the consumption of sweetened beverages. The artwork makes the beverage appear to be the iconic lemon flavored ice tea from Snapple? WTF?!? Wasn’t Snapple embedded in a multi-million dollar partnership with NYC, and more specifically the NYC Department of Education?
Not that I think you should take heed to every press release that comes down the pike, but this shit was major news when it dropped several years ago. Snapple became the “official beverage” brand for NYC. Snapple vending machines were installed in city agencies throughout the five boroughs. And schools also because when you aren’t allowed to leave school grounds for a quarter water or a bag of chips you can at least copp yourself a $1 can of Snapple.
Unfortunately for NYC, the deal wasn’t as sweet as the Snapple drinks are. So now Snapple gets thrown under the proverbial bus(a B25 I imagine) because the city is undergoing a policy shift in the war against the poor. City Hall thinks that if poor people stop drinking as much sody pops and sweetened beverages maybe there won’t be as much diabetes in the ‘hood. This idea is a fail also.
Let’s smarten up NaS and realize that poor people consume crap for one reason. It’s all we can afford. We grow to like the shit after buying it for generations. but if I could afford Kumbucha drinks I would copp those instead. For the same 16ozs. of a healthier beverage priced at $3 or more I can buy myself a Tropical Fantasy for $.50 and get the most sugar per 8oz. serving available. Those are the real decisions that poor people have to make.
Why is public policy always about threatening poor people?
Because the war on the poor continues unabated.
