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Is sugar still prohibited in Megacity One?

Started by kev67, 29 June, 2021, 09:57:18 PM

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kev67

In a recent prog, there was a Judge Dredd story in which a heiress inherited a large amount of money. She gave it away when she found out they were the profits from drug trading. In the early days of 2000 AD, wasn't sugar a proscribed substance? I thought the implication of that was that Megacity One was such a zero tolerance police state that the drugs trade had been exterminated, leaving only low level intoxicants like sugar. Either that or that Megacity One was such an over-weening, joyless nanny state, that not only tobacco and alcohol are banned, but sugar, because it can make you fat and is bad for your teeth.

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: kev67 on 29 June, 2021, 09:57:18 PM
I thought the implication of that was that Megacity One was such a zero tolerance police state that the drugs trade had been exterminated, leaving only low level intoxicants like sugar. Either that or that Megacity One was such an over-weening, joyless nanny state, that not only tobacco and alcohol are banned, but sugar, because it can make you fat and is bad for your teeth.

The latter, I think. There are new future drugs like Zizz, FX, Stookie... Even old classics like Heroin are still around, according to at least one Robbie Morrison story.
@jamesfeistdraws

Funt Solo

#2
A modern take on it, from Judge Cadet Dredd:




And from the classic "The Sweet Taste of Justice":

++ A-Z ++  coma ++

IndigoPrime

In the very early days, they largely replaced drugs with everyday items (caffeine; sugar) but that soon changed. But MC1 is so synthetic that cuts can get a high from sugar.

AlexF

The thing is, back in the 70s the idea that people would ban sugar was a ludicrous joke.
These days, it's basically starting to happen!
there's even an attack on two fronts:
1) sugar has been demonized as the source of much ill-health (I'm not going to argue the sceince on that, althoug I  personally would argue that it's OK ot be unhealthy)
2) the big sugar companies (in Britain at least) made QUITE

CalHab

I know. These days, if you say you're English, you'll be arrested and thrown in jail. It's mad. I saw it in the paper and everything.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: AlexF on 30 June, 2021, 09:43:25 AM
1) sugar has been demonized as the source of much ill-health (I'm not going to argue the sceince on that, althoug I  personally would argue that it's OK ot be unhealthy)

It's not being "demonized" — it is the source of much ill-health, and the sugar industry has been deploying many of the same tactics as the tobacco industry to obfuscate that fact. The health 'industry' (for want of a better word) has been pushing a low fat diet as the way to stay healthy and lose weight for decades, and yet we have an obesity crisis and rampant Type 2 diabetes.

The problem is sugar and processed carbohydrates. I've eaten a low fat diet my entire adult life, and been overweight the entire time. Cut out sugar and carbs, put the fat back in, and lost 10kg in about three months... and I didn't even stop drinking.
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Dark Jimbo

@jamesfeistdraws

Proudhuff

DDT did a job on me

CalHab


Art

Is that a comic you're reading, citizen?

kev67

Have to say, I have tended to use sweeteners rather than sugar because I was worried about my teeth. All my grandparents had false teeth. Having all your teeth taken out is an operation that sends chills through me, thinking about it. I still have mine, but my dentist charges me a fortune. I never used to smoke, but these days I am so angry with society, I am thinking of rebelling by smoking cigars. Mostly my rebellions to date have been riding my bicycle without a helmet.

BTW, is it legal to eat meat in Megacity One?

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: kev67 on 30 June, 2021, 11:16:33 PM
All my grandparents had false teeth. Having all your teeth taken out is an operation that sends chills through me, thinking about it.

Depending on their age, and class, it's entirely possible that they had a full set of healthy teeth removed. If they turned 21 before 1948, when the NHS was established, it was very common for working class familes to pay for someone to have all their teeth removed as a 'present' for their 21st birthday. This was seen as a 'gift' because it 'protected' them from a potential lifetime of expensive dental bills. My mum's dad wore dentures his whole adult life for that very reason.

Of course, NHS dentists are increasingly rare these days. Although it's still possible to get emergency dental treatment at walk-in centres, day-to-day dental care on the NHS is very hard to find — there's only one dentist offering NHS services within about a thirty mile radius of where I live, and their patient list is permanently full. You can provisionally register, but you have to wait until someone dies or moves away and a place becomes available.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

IndigoPrime

We've also seen a shift from interventionalist dentistry (if a molar is slightly soft, drill it) to non-interventionalist (actually, just rub on Sensodyne and stop eating sugary foods for a bit) to cosmetic (American smiles). My wife had the misfortune of having a dentist who was terrible when she was younger. He pulled out teeth and drilled away, in a manner she now reckons was entirely unnecessary. Full-on cowboy.

I was lucky enough to have a guy who cared about teeth rather than how they looked, yet who always kept up with the science. He never, ever did the whole "this has always worked for me" thing. So I'm now mid-40s, with no fillings. The only issue I have is slightly wonky front teeth (which could be fixed with braces) and impacted bottom wisdoms (which is just bad luck and genetics). 

Interestingly, when my dentist retired, he very strongly told me my gums "are perfectly healthy", twice. It seemed an odd thing to say, but OK. When I went back a year later, his replacement tried to convince me I had chronic gum disease and needed an expensive procedure. I noted what her predecessor had said and she tried to pivot to "only on a few teeth". Sure. Her aim: lots and lots of cosmetic and health fixes.

Proudhuff

Quote from: kev67 on 30 June, 2021, 11:16:33 PM
Have to say, I have tended to use sweeteners rather than sugar because I was worried about my teeth. All my grandparents had false teeth. Having all your teeth taken out is an operation that sends chills through me, thinking about it. I still have mine, but my dentist charges me a fortune. I never used to smoke, but these days I am so angry with society, I am thinking of rebelling by smoking cigars. Mostly my rebellions to date have been riding my bicycle without a helmet.


Why not rebel by being really nice to people? Everything the tories aren't: kind considerate, helpful, understanding, now that really is buckin the system.
DDT did a job on me