On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 10:56:37 +0200, "Lictor"
wrote:

"spahks" wrote in message
...
Obesity is a self induced condition. Your corollary would be accurate
only if someone suffered a broken leg because they repeatedly hit their
own femur with a sledge hammer.

Unless you have bone cancer (which is probably your own fault, you exposed
yourself to too many pollutants or something), legs don't break on their
own. You probably took some risks you should not have (skiing, running, not
paying attention to what you were doing, climbing down your stairs, crossing
the street...) or you did not eat enough calcium or didn't practice
musculation in your teenage years to strenghten your bones. If you go deep
enough, you're eventually responsible for almost everything.

It is logical and productive behaviour to go about the normal business
of life. Folks have to move around to get to work, take care of their
families, maintain their properties, engage in social discourse, and
exercise.

On the other hand, eating more than the body will burn is almost
always an illogical, non life affirming action. And it is a choice.
Mind you, I'm personally not condemning the individual right to make
the choice to continue to overeat, though I think it's a sad one. As
long as overweight and obese folks are willing to accept the health
and $$ consequences of their choices and not engage in political or
social control measures in an attempt to place blame/costs elsewhere
or demand acceptance as a "protected" class -- it's none of my
business. Unfortunately, there are organizations that want to do just
that.

As a side note, to the extent that injuries result from known high
risk activities such as bungee jumping or skydiving for example,
participants generally and rightfully bear the burden of their
responsibility (financially) for those activities, as most insurance
will not cover treatment. Not sure about the skiing.

People don't just "Get Obese". They make themselves so.

So, you think people who made themselves obese when they were two years old
are responsible for their condition?

Good point. However, if one wants to lose and keep off excess weight,
one must and will assume current and ongoing responsibility for the
problem. Attempts to assign blame after the fact are rather useless
and frequently counterproductive.

You think that people who have a deficient thyroid are responsible for their
own thyroid? What about the responsability of the school cafetarias which feed junk food
to the kids? It's probably the kids responsability, they should seek a job
and cook their own food...

A school lunch is only one meal a day. Furthermore, even if the foods
aren't ideal, they are usually portion controlled. More importantly,
what are the kids doing, learning, and eating at home?

Many people do not make themselves obese alone, they do so with the help of
the government and their doctor.

Government and doctors don't shovel food into a person's mouth, people
do.

The best way to become a super-obese is
through yo-yo dieting after all. Many people started their way towards
obesity by merely being healthy overweights and starting a diet.

Which is all the more reason to adopt a lifetime eating and exercise
plan, instead of yo-yo dieting. For example, weight training is an
excellent way to build and maintain lean muscle mass.

What about improper city planning that leaves plenty of areas with *only*
junk food available?

Where are these areas where one has _absolutely_ no access to lean
meats and produce by walking, driving, or catching a bus to a proper
market?

Or what about the FDA that has let every traditionnal
food be replaced with a look-alike junk version of it?

Don't eat it.

What about "official"
dietitians that have been clueless for ages and have broadcast, with
government approval, recipes to *become* obese masquerading them as
"healthy" eating?

Certainly, having access to accurate nutritional information is
helpful, especially with all the food choices available today.
However, people have known for eons that eating more than is burned by
the body will cause weight gain. No one ever needed government or
nutritionists to point out this simple fact.

There is a reality : obesity on such a scale just didn't exist a mere
century ago. Or even twenty years ago. So, something must have happened.

Lack of exercise due to increased modernization, more variety of and
access to convenience foods, unfortunate cultural shift away from
value systems that emphasize the value of personal responsibility and
hard work.

(remainder snipped)