Chocolate from Argentina: ~50% in poverty but a wealth of gov health labels \ stacker news ~Bitcoin

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Chocolate from Argentina: ~50% in poverty but a wealth of gov health labels

544 sats \ 13 comments \ @k00b 30 Nov 2024 Bitcoin_Travel

Some Bitcoin Commons goer recently travelled to Argentina and returned with a box of Havanna Alfajores. What struck me as I ate one, other than how delicious and texturally balanced they were, was the cigarette-style warning labels on each of the wrappers.

I took government health labels as something granted by prosperity, but seeing these labels makes me think it's the opposite. One of the more memorable facts from Milei's recent interview was that a near majority of Argentinians are in poverty.

Yet, somehow, there's no shortage of regulations shoring up scientific illiteracy.

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20 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 1 Dec 2024

(In case someone isn't able to make it out, the label has 2 black notices in Spanish, one saying "Excess calories" and the other saying "Excess sugar", by the Ministry of Health.)

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @franzap 30 Nov 2024

This stupidity was introduced during the previous administration

45 sats \ 8 replies \ @cryotosensei 1 Dec 2024

Keen to hear @didiplaywell’s perspective on this

269 sats \ 7 replies \ @didiplaywell 1 Dec 2024

Hello Sr! Thank you for summoning me :)

There's not more to it than what k00b mentioned. It's as ridiculous as it sounds, yet of course as any government regulation the sole purpose of this one is to introduce new government dependencies that of course will require budget expansion and will require to hire conveniently selected partisan agents and etc.

In comparison to others, this is but one of the most harmless of the govt regulations still in existence, yet it makes more noise for it's more visual. Strictly speaking, the "Law of Frontal Labels" establishes that what's said on the back of the product must also be said on the front of it but with those horrendous labels, because the citizen is judged to be incapable of realizing that candy as sugar, and even way less capable of reading it in the label the candy already comes with (yes, you read that right, socialism is all about the "dad state" and the "kids citizens"). So it must be repeated that way. Of course that implies that every package must go through govt approval, an extremely convenient position of power that also grants new offices, new state employees, and fresh funds to maintain partisan structures.

And yet this is laughable next to other regulations which are essentially war crimes, so that much that makes this one to be at the bottom of the priority list. All of these regulations of course where implemented by the previous socialist regimes, and Milei is dismantling them one by one. But there are critical priorities, this one can wait for long.

277 sats \ 5 replies \ @cryotosensei 1 Dec 2024

Thanks for such an elaborate explanation. Makes me realise that many governments are the same. Actually in Singapore, our health authorities directly limit the sugar content of the packet drinks you see in supermarkets. I used to be feel quite insulted that the government can’t trust us to make our own choices, but I have since gone with the flow. As you said, more pressing priorities haha

258 sats \ 4 replies \ @didiplaywell 2 Dec 2024

Thanks for such an elaborate explanation.

At your service.

I used to be feel quite insulted that the government can’t trust us to make our own choices

You feel the right way.

but I have since gone with the flow

It's the most common and natural reaction. Harmless for the case of Singapore. We actually use Singapore specifically as a gold standard reference of the economic freedom we want to achieve here.

BUT, beware of the "boiled frog" syndrome. That's what they did to us here. Slow, incremental regulations that people permanently felt immune to. Until no one was.