We're in a obesity epidemic(some may call it a Catastrophe) because the food corporations get us addicted to all this junk they sell us.
So my question is, why do we complain about Donald Trump when what the American people should be doing is climbing the walls where CEO's live and taking our lives back?!
You should exercise more.
share We can't blame it all on fast food. None of those companies force us by gunpoint into their drive up windows! lol Of course they do inundate us from morning to night with their commercials. Maybe the answer to that is to turn off the TV and go outside or else go to the grocery store and shop for better food to make nutritious meals..
There's no "obesity epidemic" in Haiti. It's just that the fast food companies have tapped into some of the worst of human nature, i.e., laziness and gluttony (two of the seven deadly sins by the way).
I grant you that salty and fatty foods taste pretty good. But we don't HAVE to eat them. For all the fatties out there, here's a message- eat a salad once in a while!
Normally I'd say you're correct but aren't we talking about 125 MILLION OBESE AMERICANS?
I compare this to the smoking epidemic that used to overwhelm our country, that killed millions of Americans too..however, this is probably much, much worse don't you think?
I also agree with you that obesity and smoking are terrible problems. My mom is a lifelong smoker. She was just hospitalized with her second bout of pneumonia in three years.. Her lungs are pretty well shot. Her doctor has given her endless smoking patches. But she continues to smoke a pack a day.
The TV ads from years ago glamorized smoking. But who doesn't now know how bad it is? She does. She was a nurse. But no one can stop another person's self destructive behavior.
So much of it comes down to personal choice. People want to do things which feel and taste good but are bad for them. No government or government program can stop people from harming themselves. And corporations? Greedy and out for profit, well, yes. But that's why they are in business! They make money for their employees and stock holders. If people want to buy their products, even the stuff which is bad for them, they will still do it.
Our Government did finally go after the tobacco industry and now our country's smoking rate is the lowest it's been in probably 100 years. What they were doing was criminal, the movie the Insider proved that. Now that they got busted for getting people addicted to tobacco they're now doing the same to "food". Although it's not real "food" is it?
I feel the Government will eventually go after these junk food corporations, just like they did with the tobacco industry. I've been back in the U.S. for five years and I was horrified 5 years ago and now me and my friends can tell it's drastically worse..I watched a HBO special on obesity and I think they said the average overweight or obese person gains 5 pounds a year. That's enormous and sadly it does look 25 pounds heavier than it did 5 years ago. I'm calling this a catastrophe, how about you?
Again, yes I'd agree it's a catastrophe for people to be so FAT! The politically correct terms are "obese" or large. But, let's face it. It's fat! And part of it is due to affluence and laziness.
Obesity costs a lot in health care dollars. My son is a nurse and he refers to diabetes as "The disease you give yourself."
Have you ever seen the show called "My 600 lb. Life"? I try to be kind in my thoughts but i end up thinking that you have to be one lazy, selfish slob to allow yourself to get in that condition. For obvious reasons those folks cannot work. But they all have wheelchair accessible vans, motorized carts,etc. They have family members, aka enablers, bringing them junk food by the ton. They stop at drive-throu fast food places for more garbage which they shovel in themselves as fast as they can.
No doubt their food "addictions" are being paid for by taxpayers. I call "addiction to food" as a phony addiction. We all need food to live. But come on folks, try a little personal responsibility. We can blame the corporations all we want. But everyone who gets a (taxpayer funded) public school education gets a Health class. Everyone is taught about proper nutrition.
In the end, if you want to stuff yourself like a hog and keel over from a heart attack or diabetes, don't blame anyone else, least of all companies and/or restaurants. Our country is so fond of talking about "personal freedom" and "freedom of choice", well... along with freedom comes responsibility. We are all responsible for what we put in our mouths.
Obesity costs a lot in health care dollars. My son is a nurse and he refers to diabetes as "The disease you give yourself."
Tell that to a type 1 diabetic.
Well type 1 only accounts for roughly 5% of diabetes.
Making ~95% of all diabetes cases preventable through proper diet and exercise. Not much sympathy or empathy should be given to those individuals.
Corporations are happy to sell you shit food that makes you sick, to then sell you pills/medicines to compensate for the shit food they sold you.
Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables when possible and stick to organic grain feed free range chicken and you should be good😄
Yes, freedom of choice and we're responsible for what we put in our mouths..but how do you explain all the millions of Americans who died of lung cancer from tobacco products?
It was discovered these tobacco companies were purposefully adding dozens of chemicals into the cigarettes to make people get addicted and want more and more. Can't the same be said about this "food" these companies are getting people addicted to?
Yes, this is what the one percenters do. They own the healthcare and pharmaceutical companies as well. Don't use banks, use credit unions.
sharethats capitalism baby
shareThey didn't get them addicted to anything. More like weak willed/minded people just don't have any control. Heck I eat junk food from time to time or go out to eat fast food but I know never to indulge too much. Besides, junk food and fast food are the cheapest things you can get for food for the poor though they have been getting more expensive as time goes by.
shareNo one forces anyone to eat McDonald's. It's cheaper and healthier to make your own food at home, but even at fast food places, you can eat a burger with no bun and drink a water or no sugar soda. Everything has to be someone else's fault, though. Everyone is responsible for their own situation.
share"Corporation" is a legal term in the context of business tax code. A Corporation allows business owners to separate the business from their personal assets. Most corporation CEO's are business owners who use the corporate tax and legal status to better fund business. Small businesses use corporate tax codes to protect their family and assets in case the business fails or is put into a legal dispute. Blaming a business legal and tax status for obesity is based on a miguided notion. Most transportation of healthy food is done by corporations and provided to the public by grocery corporations. Fitness and health equipment tends to be produced and sold by corporations. Do we get to blame corporations for the health and fitness? In the end, it all comes down to personal choice.
shareDefinitely personal choice to a degree. Healthy food is often times more expensive because the knowledge is out there that eating blueberries every day will extend your lifespan. So a small box of organic blueberries is $5-$6. Why? Because the organic farming is expensive and corporations know that people will pay dearly to live longer. It would be nice if the healthy foods we chose to eat were more affordable. Fast food is cheap garbage.
shareIf you look at the price and availability of all foods, the costs are much lower today than before GMO'S. The price to income ratio has continually trended downward. On top of that, we get year round availability of exotic food. Mostly due to business. The issue becomes, what does a person choose to spend his or her money on? Many organic farmers use the same legal and tax benefits of the corporate tax and legal code. So it's not correct to use the word "corporation" as a label to differentiate the two. It is more expensive to buy organic because of the cost of producing. The rub is, is it healthier? Most studies say no. So, the choice can be to purchase the cheaper option. Most people believe organic is healthier and that they need to pay higher prices for quality. That's not necessarily true. It all comes down to choice. Another option is gardening. Seeds are inexpensive. I used to grow vegetables in my apartment. It was easy and cheap.
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