How Public is Your Health?
The Answer Will Shock You
Note: This piece was originally published at Trigger Warning in 2019. With the TW site currently inactive, I have republished it here.
The bracelet on Peter’s arm pinged for the second time already on his run, sending a very slight shock throughout his body, the same he imagined his dog got when he passed through the apartment building’s electric fence. He rolled his eyes and stopped, scarcely even short of breath. At this rate, he had no chance of getting a decent workout in. The police drone approached him, its ovoid body slowly hovering about seven feet off the frosty concrete. The dullness of its gray exterior made the drone blend in with the sky, with only its flickering red and blue lights distinguishing it from the monochrome mundanity of Chicago’s January weather.
The drone stopped roughly three feet from Peter, its lights relatively dim, implying this was a minor violation.
“Greetings citizen. You have run within 200 feet of a city-licensed gym for the second time this week. Your third violation will result in a $1,000 fine. Is there any reason why this violation should not go on your record, such as an emergency?”
“No officer. Am I free to continue?” Peter scoffed, jogging in place both to continue his workout and so he could get away from that blasted drone as quickly as he could.
“Yes citizen. Please enjoy your run, but do remember that going to a licensed gym is the best way to improve both your health and everyone else’s.” The drone said before flying away.
There it was again, public health. The reason every runner in Chicago had to wear those damn bracelets.
The obesity crisis had gone on for over two decades when The City first enacted the 200-foot rule in 2019 as a way people eat at restaurants instead of less healthy options like food trucks and street vendors, who had to be at least 200 feet away from restaurants at all times or face a fine.
Not long after, The City decided that it was reasonable to make sure that grocery stores got the same level of protection as restaurants; if anything they needed more because supermarkets served healthier food than restaurants did. The street vendors were forced to the worst parts of the city if not out of it altogether. While Peter heard there were some economic losses, The City reassured him that public health was more important than any amount of money.
Still, the obesity crisis continued. With the food market(s) covered, The City’s turned its attention to physical fitness, mandating that everyone who was able had to spend at least half an hour exercising every day. But with people finding ways to get around the system at home, The City promoted the use of gyms, as their cameras made it easy to observe who was actually working out. This finally made a dent in the city’s obesity rate. Now, those stubborn few who’d rather work out in fresh air had to stay 200 feet away from gyms, as it was unfair to take from businesses who had done so much to help The City solve its obesity crisis.
The rule had led to a boom in gym construction, and Peter hadn’t yet been able to plan a route around all the new ones. At least The City gave runners bracelets instead of those burdensome ankle monitors they gave street vendors.
Leaving the drone behind, Peter turned the corner to the next block. He’d forgotten that a new gym had just opened there on Monday. Thankfully his Christmas bonus would pay for the fine, Peter thought as the bracelet shocked him again, though it was much stronger than usual this time . . .
Freddie Bastiat is a futurist who’s a fan of Yoko Taro games, college football, and the restoration of the Byzantine and Achaemenid Empires. You can find him on Bluesky @bastiat-child.bsky.social
