Christian Living and Dr. Pepper

I bought a can of Dr. Pepper the other day, and as I studied the can on my way back to my library study room (aka: home), I was struck by how many injustices are wrapped up in or represented by that seemingly innocuous little beverage.

Take, for example, the aluminum can. I'm all for utilizing the world's resources wisely. The use of a valuable and nonrenewable resource to package a totally unnecessary beverage doesn't seem to fit within those parameters.

We've all heard the reports about there being 1/4 of a cup of sugar per can of soda/pop/soda pop, and that's just the beginning of American sugar consumption. Unfortunately, many people either don't know or turn a blind eye to the fact that a lot of the sugar used in the US (I've heard 2/3--more on that in some future post) is harvested by trafficked persons/slaves.
http://www.sugarbabiesfilm.com/cgi-local/content.cgi?pg=3

The high fructose corn syrup in the soda is made from a product riddled with controversy. For example, the corn used in ethanol production is utilizing precious food sources--and a lot of them--to fuel cars. American farming companies have also been known to plant their hybrid, genetically modified corn products near the land of organic small farmers. The corn cross-pollinates, and the organic farmer, who can no longer sell his corn as "organic," can no longer compete.

The can from which I was drinking had been shipped from Texas. Close-to-the-border factory works screams undocumented immigration to me. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, I think we can all agree that there is injustice happening somewhere down the line to cause people to be willing to give up their homes and families in order to sneak into another country and work in poor conditions for low wages.

That one little can of Dr. Pepper had 150 calories, 55 mg of sodium, and 40 grams of sugars. I wouldn't necessarily blame the companies for selling crap-- I'm all about taking personal responsibility. Yet something still irks me about how utterly unhealthful this product is.

The energy put in to ship the can from Texas to Indiana and then to keep the can cold for days on end in the little vending machine seems inordinately wasteful, considering how unnecessary the product ultimately is.

I've also noted that food advertising (I can't speak specifically to Dr. Pepper here, as I don't watch enough TV) has become ridiculously sexual of late. You know, the guy buys this food, and suddenly Ms. Hot Thang notices him. Women, particularly the unclothed variety, are being used to sell more and more these days, and I have no profound way to express my anger toward that brand of degradation.

Finally, there's the attitude inherent in the billing of said drink as special. The name brand, the "authentic blend of 23 flavors" advertised on the can just feed into the mindset of the consumer: I want the name brand, I want the 23 flavors (because 22 just wouldn't do), I want the best, me first. . ." It's this attitude that ultimately drives most of the world's injustice.

Shoot. . .I hate it when I make these observations about things I love.