Rights and Wrongs

Do Americans have the right to be fat and unhealthy, smoke, wave guns around and drive huge SUVs, regardless of the environmental and societal consequences?  These are some of the questions Marc Bittman poses in his latest column in the Times this morning.  Actually his starting point is a new book titled, "Lethal but legal; Corporations, Consumption and  Protecting Public Health".   The book was written by a City college professor, Nicholas Freudenberg to examine the "consumption industrial complex".   He examines the junk food industry, tobacco, alcohol, firearms and automotive corporations and their strategy to convince Americans it is not only their right, but their duty to indulge in behaviors which in a sane society would be condemned as wasteful, self destructive and anti-social.  Using the tobacco industry's playbook, the makers of junk food formulate their products to addict us in unhealthy ways.  Similarly, the gun industry via their mouthpiece, the NRA tries to convince us we are basically un American if we don't have a firearm in every room to protect us from non-existent threats.  All of these companies seek to avoid common sense regulation by positing "rights" to engage in the behaviors which generate profit for them.  As Bittman points out, the "right to smoke" eventually ran into the "right to breathe clean air".  We know who is winning that fight.  Similarly, the right to junk food, excessively large cars, firearms and alcohol will eventually yield to our right to a healthy diet, less air pollution, safer society, etc.  The average American is helpless before the onslaught of advertising glorifying unhealthy habits as a "right" we must enjoy.  We need a counterbalance from government, similar to tobacco regulation today.