Corporate Responsiblity for Obesity

On Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:45:04 GMT, (The Queen of Cans and
Jars) wrote:

Dave Head wrote:

We can all make it work, by working harder at it ourselves.

Then why are you bitching so much about something you freely admit
(finally!) is completely within your own control?

Because it seems to be out of control of the general population, which seems to
be just getting fatter. I feel bad for them, and no, it doesn't help much to
blame them for it when they're being exploited by corporations that _only_
consider the bottom line. As I said in one other post, I guess it just ****es
me off.. we shouldn't _have_ to work harder to do the right thing because of
some corporation's bottom line.

I also think that their general lack of good health at the hands of these
bottom-line-only corporations is _probably_ costing me money indirectly thru
increased health insurance premiums for everybody, which doesn't make me happy
either.

Dave Head

Dave Head wrote:

On Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:45:04 GMT, (The Queen of Cans and
Jars) wrote:

Dave Head wrote:

We can all make it work, by working harder at it ourselves.

Then why are you bitching so much about something you freely admit
(finally!) is completely within your own control?

Because it seems to be out of control of the general population, which
seems to be just getting fatter. I feel bad for them, and no, it doesn't
help much to blame them for it when they're being exploited by
corporations that _only_ consider the bottom line. As I said in one other
post, I guess it just ****es me off.. we shouldn't _have_ to work harder
to do the right thing because of some corporation's bottom line.

It's nowhere near as hard as you seem to think it is. Many, many people
figure out how to survive (and even lose weight!) despite the so-called
horrors you've got your panties all twisted over.

You just don't want to take responsibility for your own actions. Lots
of people don't. That isn't the fault of any corporation.

Dave Head wrote:


Because it seems to be out of control of the general population, which seems to
be just getting fatter. I feel bad for them, and no, it doesn't help much to
blame them for it when they're being exploited by corporations that _only_
consider the bottom line.


You still are not getting the fundamental problem here.

People are fat because they don't take responsibility for the care of
their bodies. They will stay fat until they do some combination of
lifestyle choices, whether that be give up soda, get a job within
walking distance, start to workout... whatever. Each person has to
choose how and whether to do this for themselves. It does NOT work to
impose controls on people... they have to CHOOSE to take care of themselves.

As I said in one other post, I guess it just ****es
me off.. we shouldn't _have_ to work harder to do the right thing because of
some corporation's bottom line.

People have to work harder because the only thing that works is paying
attention to your food choices and making sure your body gets the
exercise it needs. There are PLENTY of opportunitities to feed your
body and get your exercise. No one - not a single person here - finds
it difficult to find healthy food choices in appropriate quantities once
they take responsibility for doing so.

I've got a teen-aged kid who is living in an incredibly wholesome
environment. We have very little junky foods in the house. We exercise
daily, often as a family. We don't have cable TV. He walks to school.
Yet he chooses to over-eat and be largely sedentary. He's got a bit
of a weight problem. He seeks out junk foods because he LIKES them. He
enjoys eating for entertainment because it is ENTERTAINING.

I know that this kid is in charge of his body. He knows everything he
has to know about how to feed and exercise it. If he doesn't care that
he is a bit pudgy then there isn't a thing I can do about it. When and
if he decides to care THEN he will take the weight off.

People are fat because they don't mind being fat. They get benefits
from being fat, such as not having to take responsibility for the food
they eat. They can eat for entertainment without concern for what it is
doing to their bodies. They can watch TV all evening instead of going
for a hike. They can sit on their asses all day long driving long
distances while drinking soda. They CHOOSE to be fat.

This is not a corporate problem.

Look in the mirror, dude.

Dally

On Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:47:11 GMT, (The Queen of Cans and
Jars) wrote:

Dave Head wrote:

Oh, well, now there you go, enjoying usenet again - its fun to say stuff
in a newsgroup that if someone were standing in front of you, you might
find yourself swallowing a few teeth.

By the way, threatening to punch a woman is in extremely poor taste.

That was no threat, that was just making you aware that you're predisposition
of being an extremely unpleasant person just might lead you to a bad end if you
do it to people who are physically present. Go down into the inner city and
talk to some gang member or some mean-ass pimp like that and see what happens.
Or maybe you'll talk to someone who is a gang member or mean-assed pimp, not in
the inner city, but is from there, and whom you just meet in the mall by
chance. They'll probably react like they normally would to such an insult and
you'll have to cough up a few of your teeth if you ever want to see 'em again.

And, BTW, do you want to put up your original phraseology as "good taste"? I
didn't think so.

But then you'd already know that if you weren't so ****ing ignorant,
wouldn't you?

There you go, enjoying usenet again. Naw, I certainly would never hit you, I'd
just walk away permanently, like I'm going to do now. (Killfiled.)

Dave Head wrote:

There you go, enjoying usenet again. Naw, I certainly would never hit you, I'd
just walk away permanently, like I'm going to do now. (Killfiled.)

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

Hee!

Killfile everyone who thinks you're full of **** and see who's left.
I'm guessing there won't be many.

On Sun, 12 Mar 2006 23:20:28 -0500, Dally wrote:

Dave Head wrote:


Because it seems to be out of control of the general population, which seems to
be just getting fatter. I feel bad for them, and no, it doesn't help much to
blame them for it when they're being exploited by corporations that _only_
consider the bottom line.


You still are not getting the fundamental problem here.

People are fat because they don't take responsibility for the care of
their bodies. They will stay fat until they do some combination of
lifestyle choices, whether that be give up soda, get a job within
walking distance, start to workout... whatever. Each person has to
choose how and whether to do this for themselves. It does NOT work to
impose controls on people... they have to CHOOSE to take care of themselves.

I think you are right in that it isn't _just_ a lack of choice of right-sized
comfort foods. Still, I think things would be easier for some people if
right-sized comfort foods were more readily available.


As I said in one other post, I guess it just ****es
me off.. we shouldn't _have_ to work harder to do the right thing because of
some corporation's bottom line.

People have to work harder because the only thing that works is paying
attention to your food choices and making sure your body gets the
exercise it needs. There are PLENTY of opportunitities to feed your
body and get your exercise. No one - not a single person here - finds
it difficult to find healthy food choices in appropriate quantities once
they take responsibility for doing so.

I sometimes find it more difficult than I think it should be... G That was
the point of the bag of peanuts experience I posted originally. I had to drive
to 3 different stores and waste 4 miles of gasoline to get the 2.5 oz bag of
peanuts I wanted. I don't think I should have had to do that - I don't think
that many other people would be as "hard-over" to obtain it as I was, and would
end up... overeating!

I've got a teen-aged kid who is living in an incredibly wholesome
environment. We have very little junky foods in the house. We exercise
daily, often as a family.

Oooohhhh... I hope you're not doing "forced exercise" on him. That's the best
way in the world to get someone to hate exercise for the rest of their lives.
There have been gung-ho military base commanders that have tried that as a
daily thing because they have absolute power at their own bases, and...
suicides amongst the troops actually went up. Now, _that's_ _really_ hating
exercise.

We don't have cable TV. He walks to school.
Yet he chooses to over-eat and be largely sedentary. He's got a bit
of a weight problem. He seeks out junk foods because he LIKES them. He
enjoys eating for entertainment because it is ENTERTAINING.

Well, maybe if he had cable TV for entertainment instead...

I know that this kid is in charge of his body. He knows everything he
has to know about how to feed and exercise it. If he doesn't care that
he is a bit pudgy then there isn't a thing I can do about it. When and
if he decides to care THEN he will take the weight off.

People are fat because they don't mind being fat.

Yes - they don't mind it as much as they mind doing the exercise necessary, or
restricting their diet as necessary, or being hungry as often as necessary,
etc. There's a lot of pain associated with successsfully keeping weight off
_if_ you're natural tendancy is to collapse on the couch with a book instead of
going out and biking 2 laps around the city...

I happen to _like_ collapsing, mostly in front of this computer as of late, so
I shoehorn all my exercise into the gym experience, which it turns out I also
like, much to my astonishment. I hated the forced exercise in the miltary, and
never thought I could enjoy the weightlifting and the aerobic conditioning that
I do now.

They get benefits
from being fat, such as not having to take responsibility for the food
they eat. They can eat for entertainment without concern for what it is
doing to their bodies. They can watch TV all evening instead of going
for a hike. They can sit on their asses all day long driving long
distances while drinking soda. They CHOOSE to be fat.

This is not a corporate problem.

Look in the mirror, dude.

Why? Averaged over time, I take in less calories than I expend. Not true
_every_ day, but long term, it is. _I_ don't _have_ a problem... but as I've
said before, its not about me. Its about the average Joe, who could use some
help.

Dave Head

Dally

Dave Head writes:

We can all make it work, by working harder at it ourselves. The point is, that
America would be better off it it didn't require this extra effort to make the
right thing happen.

That's "America's" choice. And even if the alleged "extra effort"
were not required, fat people would still be fat.

Oh, well, now there you go, enjoying usenet again - its fun to say stuff in a
newsgroup that if someone were standing in front of you, you might find
yourself swallowing a few teeth.

I suppose it's cathartic to make veiled threats of physical violence,
too.

Kinda like PETA choosing blue-haired old
ladies to splash blood on their furs, while ignoring people like Snoop Dog, or
the Hells Angels, either of which might just bust a cap in their ass...

Perhaps PETA doesn't want to send anyone to jail.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

The Queen of Cans and Jars writes:

Then why are you bitching so much about something you freely admit
(finally!) is completely within your own control?

Because he can't be expected to do anything about it, whereas taking
personal responsibility also means taking action.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

The Queen of Cans and Jars writes:

By the way, threatening to punch a woman is in extremely poor taste.

Only if it's a woman?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Dave Head writes:

That was no threat, that was just making you aware that you're predisposition
of being an extremely unpleasant person just might lead you to a bad end if you
do it to people who are physically present.

Except that it won't. Most people aren't physically violent, and even
those with an affection for violence will refrain when they know that
the consequences are usually jail terms.

Indeed, even the threat of violence can lead to prison.

Go down into the inner city and talk to some gang member or some mean-ass
pimp like that and see what happens.

Go to Wall Street and talk to some fat stockbroker and see what
happens.

You're trying to make threats of violence and it's not working. This
is USENET. You can't hit people on USENET, as much as you might like
to fantasize about it.

That's one of the problems with violence: it only works for people
within arm's reach, and almost nobody is ever within arm's reach
(except for spouses and children, I suppose).

Or maybe you'll talk to someone who is a gang member or mean-assed pimp, not in
the inner city, but is from there, and whom you just meet in the mall by
chance. They'll probably react like they normally would to such an insult and
you'll have to cough up a few of your teeth if you ever want to see 'em again.

Those who react like that are not on the street for very long. In the
real world, you cannot go around punching strangers with impunity, no
matter how "mean-ass" you might think yourself to be.

And most of the fat people in the world are not pimps or gang members,
so your example is completely irrelevant.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.