Parks and Recreation: Soda Sizes

On the show Parks and Recreation, there are many continuous jokes about the unhealthy habits of the citizens of Pawnee. This is one example of such a joke, but it is also a good example of satire. The scene I am analyzing, "Soda Sizes", Leslie is attempting to put a tax on soda, in an attempt to make the town healthier. There is a large amount of backlash from the citizens as well as the supplier of the soda, Paunch Burger, but Leslie is determined. This scene uses hyperbole to really emphasize how ridiculous the sizes are.

She shows Mrs. Pinewood Paunch Burger's "small" soda, trying to prove that it should really be considered large. Mrs. Pinewood informs her that there is a smaller size, and what they show her is a minuscule cup that barely holds any soda at all. The next sizes are the "regular" which is literally a gallon of soda, and the "Child Size", which is, "roughly the size of a two year old child if the child were liquified." By using these extreme examples of the smallest of the small and the largest of the large, the show really gets the point across.

It's pointing out how ridiculous fast food is in this day and age. Where it's just more convenient to pay a cheap amount of money for a large amount of unhealthy food, than to pay more/eat healthier. It delves into the mind of these fast food company's, with lines like "are we putting bargains on trial here?". It's so exaggerated, to the point where Leslie even puts the "Child Size" cup on her head.