Hey Aon.
Natasel, that's such a narrow slice of the population that holds that view. Consider that fact that gym memberships aren't covered by most health plans. Of couse, why would we pay for you to do things that would then cause you to not have to spend money on our shit??
Shit, dental checkups and doctor's visits aren't covered by most plans.
No, this the United States, the richest country in the world precisely because all too often we'll sell you Soylent Green to eat if it'll make a buck.
I love this country like nobody's business, but our slave-ish devotion to money will be death of us all.
edited 21st Apr '12 11:31:45 AM by TheStarshipMaxima
It was an honor
pretty much what starship said. We're super-riuch profitwise because our corporations are so idolized by half our voters that they gladly hand those corps the keys to use advertising and a lack of education to poison the narrative towards a point where something loaded with interesting chemicals is "natural" and therfore "healthy"
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How we wish.
First you need to understand that this is the United States of Money and the United States of Special Interest. In very few cases is the United States of Justice for All.
Yes, the FDA is extremely anal. And yes we have the Health Inspectors. I can tell you the Health Inspectors here in NYC take special pride in being as obstructive as is humanly possible. "So Starship, that must mean that your food is healthy and safe, of course?"
WRONG. See it's a money game. Meaning.
The FDA is less concerned with the health of Americans and more with "1) If we let you sell this, will it get enough people sick to raise a stink and more importantly file lawsuits? and 2) Can the government tax this (get a cut)?" If the answers are "No" and "Yes" the FDA will more or less say have at it.
Also, yes the Health Inspectors will harass and harangue and be a pain in the ass to most businesses. You forget though, the big players who make tons off of poisoning people have the money to make things "okay" with the FDA.
So you see, basically the FDA and Health Inspectors will ensure there's not a Black Plague and that a million people die. A few hundred thousand? Meh, acceptable losses.
Do some research on the cigarette industry and you'll see my point.
It was an honorI've heard a number of horror stories about food inspectors trying to fail a slab of beef - the fridge died, the meat in the particular fridge sat and sat and sat and eventually was found covered in mildew, inspector failed it. Solution? Workers went in with little electric meat trimmers and shaved off all the mildew. Another inspector was called in, passed the meat.
Friend who told me this worked at a slaughterhouse where this all went down. He was a vegetarian for quite awhile after that.
So yeah, FDA and all that? There are ways around those criteria. Never mind that the criteria only determines what is safe to consume, not what is nutritious.
Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.Exactly the point. All the FDA is doing is to make sure certain foods aren't going to wipe out entire cities from contamination. You could have a new brand of hamburgers made of nothing but animal fat and whale blubber, but as long as it's not ridden with bacteria, it's cleared to be eaten.
Midgetsnowman also brought a great point about how vicious the cycle is for fat people. Fat kid can't play a sport in school very well and gets made fun of by his peers during gym class. Fat kid gets depressed and feels like they can't do anything so they start to give up. Cycle repeats. It is almost like as if society wants SOMEONE to be the punching bag and fat people are it. Make fun of them because they are fat, make fun of them because they look stupid for doing physical activities, make fun of them because they are eating something, etc etc. Is it any wonder why overweight people are depressed for a long time and just give up trying to lose weight?
On top of this, thanks to the shitty economy, people are trying to tighten their budgets and if it means eating at a fast food joint more often to save a few bucks, they will do it just to get by. This makes the companies that benefit from cheap food and health care grow even richer as people are caught in a vicious cycle of eating junk, too exhausted to be active thanks to an overworked lifestyle, going to the doctor because they got sick from said food and lifestyle, repeat infinity. I guarantee you that if the economy was a LOT better, people would be buying healthier foods and be making attempts to lose weight. When you got several mouths to feed, work, and schoolwork all at once, your weight is the last thing you think about. We have so little time to ourselves that usually when we DO have time to relax, we usually spend it sitting down watching TV or going out with friends to see a movie or to go to a nice restaurant to eat instead of stuff like playing basketball because we want to catch up with all the happenings in our friends' lives.
When you are struggling to get by, all you can think about is the present, not the future. Even if someone was 500 lbs, they may not care about it as long as they need to keep working to keep the family afloat or to at least be able to keep their home, living from paycheck to paycheck.
edited 21st Apr '12 1:19:01 PM by Steven
Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
As a guy that's been "the broomstick" and "Skeletor" I need to remind ya'll that skinny people ain't exactly living the life.
The cycle is unforgiveable. We're a nation that trains people to give up. It's a disgrace considering this is the United Fucking States, a nation famed for being the land of self-determination, and not quitting in the face of adversity. This shit needs to stop.
Once again, Steven, you bring up excellent points. But that's part of the problem. The total lack of education. I get paid shit right now, and yes, a $7 meal from Burger King seems cheaper than a $70 grocery bill from the local Stop-and-Shop.
But, going back to my guardian angel ex-girlfriend, when she started making meals for me, I saw the difference in my bank balance. I couldn't believe it. It was like I'd gotten a raise at work, not having to eat out every meal. I asked her how to shop and cook and she actually went through her fridge and then we made a list of what each thing cost. You can stock a fridge for a week's worth of round-the-clock fast food.
Edit: I want to address an earlier point. Karalora stated that she's actually healthy, walking at least a mile a day and eating good salads. She mentioned that some people won't notice that and will instead notice her "lard ass".
I say with no disrespect but anyone who's eating salads and walking..it's impossible that they'd be out-of-shape. Which means..if I was checking out your "lard ass" it's for a totally different reason.
edited 21st Apr '12 1:32:34 PM by TheStarshipMaxima
It was an honorLike I said, there are those of us that would prefer a little "meat" on the people we date. Don't know if you're a lady or a guy, but I'm sure you'll cross someone who'll vouch for this.
But again, this brings us back to the point at hand which is this, who fucking cares what other people think? You have to be at peace with your body since, barring some major leap in science, you'll be in it till you die.
It was an honorYou'd be surprised. It's not like I eat nothing but salad. My diet could be better. But I certainly don't fit the nonstop snacking, fast food and candy bars stereotype.
I realize you're trying to help, but I don't think this thread is the place for "I bet I'd think you're hot."
I'm with Karalora on that one Starship...this thread ain't the place to run your game.
Anyhow. The real problem here is the falseness of encouragement.
Now, I've not run into this trying to lose weight. I'm skinny, I've always been skinny and I hope to stay that way. But I have run into it trying to quit smoking.
I get a lot of flak for lighting up; everyone blabs on and on about how unhealthy it is (sometimes while pounding soda -which I've largely given up- and eating fast food -likewise-), and does their best to make me feel like a shit every time I pull a cig out.
I have been trying to cut back; it's mostly for financial reasons, but I'm still trying to get the smoke treats out of my life so the people who are giving me all this shit should be happy, right?
Well, not really. When I want to talk about how much I've cut back or how little I smoked yesterday, they don't want to encourage me. No, some of them want me to shut up about it. Granted, I've gotten some support...but every time someone tells me "dude, you should just quit and I don't care about how much or how little you've smoked today", I just want to say fuck it and light up another.
I'm going to make a leap here and say that's how most overweight people feel, when they try to discuss their progress and people just shut them down.
It's hard to change your life and your habits, whether its too many pounds or too many cigarettes or whatever. Those who don't have to ought to give a little more credence to those who are trying.
If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~The problem is that it's possible to be fat and healthy, and a lot of people have been fucked over by genetics, and yet all these people hear is "lose weight, fatty!" when that's not really feasible, no matter how much they'd like to be skinny and socially acceptable.
There are also people who smoke and live to be a hundred years old. However, even if you're one of those people, you're still affecting the people around you if you smoke by them, while being fat around someone has no known health affects. (Note: I'm not one of those people who tell others not to smoke, and don't really mind smokers)
edited 22nd Apr '12 8:29:34 PM by ohsointocats
It's possible to be big and healthy. Flabby and healthy, not so much. The facts as I've heard them back this up, no matter how much they've been misquoted and abused.
There's a difference between not meeting the current standard of attractiveness and being too fat for your own good. Not to say that skinny people are always the picture of health (often they aren't). but carrying around extra pounds is also not good for you.
Injustice can become a justification for all sorts of indulgence, I've found.
If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

We're also the land of Mc Donalds and Taco Bell.
If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah