So ever since the Church clarified that caffeine wasn't proscribed by the Word of Wisdom, my newsfeed has lit up with petitions, statuses, pages, and links all about putting caffeinated drinks on BYU campus.
I don't really care one way or the other. We all know that caffeinated drinks aren't good for us, and neither are soft drinks of any kind. And neither are fruit juices, at least, not as good as they pretend to be (they're pretty sugary). So I try to limit my consumption of all three and have limited my consumption of caffeinated beverages to the point that I've never actually had any. But I don't really think you're a bad Mormon if you do drink caffeine. I mean, I still eat chocolate.
Anyway, I guess there are a lot of vocal people who want caffeine on campus. Fine. But just because a few people are vocal doesn't mean they reflect the majority. And the people who are answering the polls are usually the ones that are passionate. So I don't believe the polls.
Here's my experience that makes me hesitate to believe that people really want caffeine. In April, I went to a Tau Beta Pi barbecue. The drink options were Sprite, root beer, and Diet Coke. And guess what? Maybe 2 people touched the Diet Coke. That's all. In fact, since they ran out of Sprite and root beer so fast, Kevin and I just had to share a can of Sprite. And we weren't the only couple who did that.
So if BYU does put caffeinated beverages on campus, I'd say, don't bother putting them in the engineering building.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
I think that BYU has the right to choose whether it wants to offer caffeinated beverages or not. No one is going to stop said student from bringing his own to campus.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know about BYU students--since I didn't go there--but I know that I would've chosen the Diet Coke a hundred times over either Sprite or Root Beer. Perhaps peer pressure led no one to feel comfortable taking the Diet Coke?
ReplyDeleteI see it like this--just because you put DC in your vending machines, doesn't obligate anyone to buy it or drink it. So what's the harm in doing it? Then those who DO want it, can have it, and those who don't, don't have to. Simple as that to me.
I think the "demand" is probably there more than you would think, considering pretty much everyone I know likes colas and has no problem drinking caffeine in at least limited amounts. Maybe I hang out with weird people, but that's just been my experience. My mother-in-law is about the only person I know who still thinks caffeine in any quantity is sinning. :)
Also, despite the church's press release, I think obviously it still stands to reason that caffeine in large quantities--or feeling "addicted" like you NEED a Coke or whatever, means you should probably cut back. One Coke every few days is no biggie, but guzzling all day every day should still be seen as inappropriate, because the whole point of it ever being in question has to do with it's addictiveness, not necessarily the caffeine itself in small doses. Just my opinion. :)
PS, Did you notice that the word "caffeine" breaks the "I" before "E" except after "C" rule? Unless the fact that the word starts with "C" counts.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'.
Huh. Maybe it's like neighbor and weigh . . . so maybe we should pronounce it caf-fayne and we're all saying it wrong. Never noticed that.
DeleteI bet if it had been Dr. Pepper instead of Diet Coke, there would have been more people drinking it.
ReplyDelete