Soda Machine: Dangerous Object?

Richard Daynard, an associate dean at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, is out for blood. He is at the head of a coalition that is going to court to have sugary soft drinks removed from school vending machines — never mind that there is no causal link between the availability of such beverages and childhood obesity; and never mind that sugary drinks actually aid memory retention (and thus learning).

Daynard's justification for filing his lawsuit:

"If somebody has something on his land like a swimming pool that he knows is attractive to kids and dangerous, then he has some obligation to keep the kids away from it. You want to keep kids away from dangerous objects, and a soda machine is demonstrated to be a dangerous object for kids."

A good roundup of what Daynard and his self-appointed obesity cops are up to is here. 

Comments

[Sandy]

Well, sure. I mean, if they were to try to jiggle a stuck soda out of the machine, it could tip over. So, following the liability logic of swimming pools, they should be removed.

Cars also kill people, so I think banning automobiles on school property is also justified. Let administrators take the school bus. But those have accidents and promote sedentary lifestyles. Let 'em walk to work. In fact, we should mandate it.

[ozymandiaz]

Ya know those pencils? Yea, they are like sharp and stuff. You could put and eye out. What worse? All the kids have em'.

[Jeff the Poustman]

Discretion and prudence will never develop if risk is removed.