I don't get it.
Jan. 22nd, 2008 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dianec42So there seems to be some sort of "obesity epidemic" going on, or so the news outlets shriek at us daily. I've seen recent articles on the Beeb and in the LA Times about how it's not our fault: the nasty-bad corporations and "food manufacturers" and so forth are saturating our environment with cues to overeat. This one in the LA Times (Cue the gluttony) goes so far as to say that we need to change the environment of our daily lives; apparently this means LAWS "regulating portion size, labeling or the places where food can be sold or eaten."
First and foremost: Good god, spare me. If you criminalise bacon, I'm on the next plane to New Zealand and not coming back.
Second, spare a thought to wonder what the hell ever happened to personal responsibility. How on earth they'd ever enforce such BS comes in at a distant third.
Here's the thing I don't get though. Why is everyone so certain that overeating is the problem, as opposed to (say) lack of exercise? Or the shift to manufactured, chemicalized foods? Or the increased stress and reduced sleep of modern life? Or some combination of the above?
There is more going on here than too many trips to Dunkin' Donuts, people. We've had Dunkin' Donuts for 60 years, and we've had ice cream a hell of a lot longer than that. Is this just a media plot to distract us from world events, or is there something sinister happening?
First and foremost: Good god, spare me. If you criminalise bacon, I'm on the next plane to New Zealand and not coming back.
Second, spare a thought to wonder what the hell ever happened to personal responsibility. How on earth they'd ever enforce such BS comes in at a distant third.
Here's the thing I don't get though. Why is everyone so certain that overeating is the problem, as opposed to (say) lack of exercise? Or the shift to manufactured, chemicalized foods? Or the increased stress and reduced sleep of modern life? Or some combination of the above?
There is more going on here than too many trips to Dunkin' Donuts, people. We've had Dunkin' Donuts for 60 years, and we've had ice cream a hell of a lot longer than that. Is this just a media plot to distract us from world events, or is there something sinister happening?
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 06:49 pm (UTC)There are many theories. (-:
I'm developing a new theory of my own, which is that we're looking at tiny bits and pieces when it would be more useful to look at the big picture. Sure, people are turning into giant blobs. Are people also getting less healthy? Is it even the same people?
Is turning into a giant blob what makes you less healthy? Or would it be more useful to look at the root causes of both things? What about the fact that different people seem to be more susceptible to different influences? (e.g. my friend's 12-year-old daughter can eat Fruit Roll-Ups all day long, but to my other friend who's diabetic, they might as well be made of poison).
Also, *which* people are turning into giant blobs? I look around the office and I say, "What obesity epidemic?" But I go to certain shopping malls and I feel like I'm in a bad movie.
Also, high fructose corn syrup doesn't explain why the British are also turning into giant blobs. Next theory please! (-: