I am glad to finally see some scientific facts to back up the assertion I have been making for years. That is that on average we as a nation are getting fatter. I have noticed the trend even within my own life, granted it could be because I sit in an office for most of the day and offices are like a black wholes (racist term) that once most people are sucked into they just cant help but get fat. But it doesn't look like I am alone on this one.
What really hit me is another assumption that I am happy to see validated. That is that our two most "oppressed" minority groups in this nation, Black women and Mexican women are also the most over weight. Here is the question I have wondered for years, why is it that the supposed poor in this country are the fattest? I mean you look at actual poor people around the world and they are skinny, not here, our trailer trash is actually fatter then the average person with a high income.
Two observations result in my mind. #1 How backward is America in that in other cultures being fat is a sign of wealth and here it is a sign of being lazy. In other cultures it says "I am doing so well I have an over abundance of food, so much so that I can get fat." Here it goes "I am so wealthy I am thin, so thin in fact that when I am 40 and it looks like I am 25." I am not so sure that is good or bad.
#2 How cool is America? We are so cool that even our poor people are overfeed. We are so cool than instead of actually cutting back on our consumption we invented surgeries to remove part of our stomachs so we could loose wait with less effort. So cool that we can go to doctors and literally have them suck the fat right out of us.
At any rate the scientists predict that within 20 years every African American women will be overweight unless something is done. So basically in 20 years every black women will be over weight, that is as apposed to just 78% of them today.
So when do we stop telling people it is ok that they are overweight? I mean we tell girls with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia that they are sick and need medical/psychological help. When are we going to stop making excuses for fat people like they have an overactive thyroid? It seems clear to me that overeating is the opposite of under eating, still a disorder. It may be harsh but as the article points out because of the way our health care system is structured we all will end up paying the bill for these peoples unwillingness to admit that they have a problem.
Behold the future.
So why don't we change the definition of what it means to be overweight to fit our lifestyles; "change the bar" so to speak. That's what is being done with marriage, why not redefine what it mean to be overweight?
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ReplyDeleteBecuase I refuse to call fat people atractive. this is where I have drawen my line in the sand.
ReplyDeletenow now, if all the fat people were gone we wouldn't have any yo momma's so fat... jokes.
ReplyDeleteThose jokes make me smile. Stop trying to take away my joy!
I agree with M. Galt but unfortunately fit into the overweight catagory myself. Since I was about 9 I have been overwieght according to the normal guidlines and can not say that I want society to re-draw the guidlines. Let them stand but let me also put this thought out there as well. There are just as many bone thin hill billies in trailer parks as their are fat people so I don't agree that America has it completely wrong, and there are plenty of fat people who work hard and are anything but lazy. I would also like to know how many overwieght people are on wellfare or are unemployed comapared to the other side of things. I also think that there is a difference between being overwight and being obese. I think I am overweight but not obese.
ReplyDeletethe difference between overweight and obese is the latter are honest with themselves and the world.
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