You miss the topic’s issue by being too literal.
Guy’s of my generation used to say “Never trust anyone over 30”.

And we used to say never trust anyone who wants to be a politician. Still do, in fact.

Now they’re in power, not only are they “The MAN”…they’re passing laws and regulations they would have called fascist 40 years ago.
Even Richard Nixon (or insert the name of any reviled conservative here) on his worst day, never dreamed about limiting actions, and choices to the extent we now see.

The companies wouldn’t have liked that; look at how long it has been known that smoking was bad for you and then think about how powerful the tobacco companies are/were or whether those in government were employed by tobacco companies (as at least one UK government minister was in the last 20-30 years).
But things change: look at all the disease’s that have been wiped out or effectively tamed, the understandings of what causes things like cancer (or some, anyway) and environmental damage, how important things like the rain forests are to our continuing existence. We know things now that weren’t known in Nixon’s day (obviously) but this knowledge means that things like lead must be taken out out of fuel and low cholesterol will help you live longer, little things like that. Now, if they kept things under their hats and not informed the public that certain insecticides actually were bad for us or not tried to cut back industrial scale pollution how do you think the people would have voted when they found out?

Sometimes, the ‘man’ must be acknowledged.

Yes, being told you can’t have a Coke is a minor thing to people starving in some hellhole or under the thumb of a real bad guy.

Strangely, that was not my point.
There are better things than a Coke (or Pepsi) to slake that thirst. Something else that is a relatively recent discovery.

How much say do you want to give strangers into deciding what you can…and cannot do?

It is all relative.
Faceless strangers make those decisions about/for people they usually don’t know and will probably never meet, everyday. The local council/government, insurance companies, banks, doctors, blah, blah, etc. Unfortunately you cannot choose those whose decisions affect you.

…(since that seems to be the image you’re trying to conjure up with “…with a bucket of Coke before tucking into a burger – with all the trimmings….”)…

Nope, nothing personal. In fact, if you read it properly, I was inviting you to join…etc.

But I do care about individual rights.

This is a subject worthy of serious discussion as opposed to dismissing it with a health lecture about electrolytes and fizzy drinks.

Just looking out for your health.

And in response to your smart **** comment about a “Ouija” board, I’ll suggest you summon a time machine and go back in time to the 617 Squadron mess.

Ha. Don’t believe in it, but it apparently gives solace to some.

YOU can tell they guys they aren’t allowed to smoke inside after coming back from a mission. You should really share your knowledge and let them know…smoking might kill them! 🙂

And then again it might not. But please remember that when they flew they wore seat belts; not that they would have helped after a direst hit from flak or a dedicated nightfighter…