Monday, April 17, 2006

Big Problem: Is The Onion satirical? Or is it just ahead of its time?

In the year 2000, The Onion parodied the Big Tobacco settlements with an article on lawsuits against Big Chocolate. It seems candy causes obesity, lo and behold, and chocoholics sued the industry for cash, according to the article.

Fast forward to today, and now we have a concerted effort to sue and regulate the fast-food and junk-food industries.

Tobacco may kill, but everyone already knows that. Suing the tobacco industry sets a dangerous precedent for other lawsuits. Already we've had suits filed against industries that create junk food and guns. That's the problem with the nanny-state. Once money becomes available, people give up personal responsibility for lawsuits.