>> I'll repeat what I always say though: poor people aren't fat because they're poor, they're fat for the same reason they're poor -- they're not too bright, have poor impulse control, don't plan ahead, and so forth.
I would seriously not go that far to say poor people are not too bright or have poor impulse control. That's judgmental without any data to back it up. Poor people are likely poor because they aren't well educated, or have professional white collar jobs like you and I. Lack of education and access results in lack of awareness. You and I sit in our comfy sofas watching Jamie Oliver give a talk at TED and hence we hail our organic vegetables and our foo-foo healthy lifestyles. You cannot compare this vantage point with the predicament of someone who is struggling to make ends meet. Or someone who grew up in a poor neighborhood.
Lack of money has absolutely nothing to do with "brightness" or impulse control. I grew up in India and know all too well that poor people can be very sharp.
I have seen well-to-do fat people who lack even basic self-control. In fact, much of America is not poor and the obesity epidemic here has nothing to do with income levels. It is the result of a simple fact that fattening, processed stuff is widely available at every corner for dirt cheap prices. And that stuff that tastes good. When a healthy meal costs $12, it is but natural that someone who earns minimum wage goes for the $3 burger at McD.
To disprove your argument, I put forward one simple fact. Majority of the population in developing countries is not fat and they certainly aren't dancing around in money.
I would be interested in running an experiment. What if all organic, fresh, natural, unprocessed food was made dirt cheap and anything that isn't was taxed like hell? So a lb of fresh vegetables and fruits costs $0.50. Unprocessed food is subsidized at 50%. That order of fries, soda, and cheezburger? $15.
Lack of education and access results in lack of awareness. You and I sit in our comfy sofas watching Jamie Oliver give a talk at TED and hence we hail our organic vegetables and our foo-foo healthy lifestyles. You cannot compare this vantage point with the predicament of someone who is struggling to make ends meet.
You don't need to eat like Jamie Oliver to not be obese. How much "education" does it take to realize that cookies and sugary sodas and sitting on the couch all day will make you fat?
It is the result of a simple fact that fattening, processed stuff is widely available at every corner for dirt cheap prices here. Stuff that tastes good.
Absolutely. And I think there's something to Scott Adams's willpower theory. If you have a great job and a nice house and a gorgeous wife and/or mistress, it's not a huge sacrifice to pass on the Twinkie and go jogging. But if you're just barely making ends meet and have no apparent prospects for improvement, it's really hard to turn down short-term gratification.
Making healthy food taste better would do far more to combat obesity than plastering nutritional labels and PSAs everywhere.
I would seriously not go that far to say poor people are not too bright or have poor impulse control. That's judgmental without any data to back it up. Poor people are likely poor because they aren't well educated, or have professional white collar jobs like you and I. Lack of education and access results in lack of awareness. You and I sit in our comfy sofas watching Jamie Oliver give a talk at TED and hence we hail our organic vegetables and our foo-foo healthy lifestyles. You cannot compare this vantage point with the predicament of someone who is struggling to make ends meet. Or someone who grew up in a poor neighborhood.
Lack of money has absolutely nothing to do with "brightness" or impulse control. I grew up in India and know all too well that poor people can be very sharp.
I have seen well-to-do fat people who lack even basic self-control. In fact, much of America is not poor and the obesity epidemic here has nothing to do with income levels. It is the result of a simple fact that fattening, processed stuff is widely available at every corner for dirt cheap prices. And that stuff that tastes good. When a healthy meal costs $12, it is but natural that someone who earns minimum wage goes for the $3 burger at McD.
To disprove your argument, I put forward one simple fact. Majority of the population in developing countries is not fat and they certainly aren't dancing around in money.
I would be interested in running an experiment. What if all organic, fresh, natural, unprocessed food was made dirt cheap and anything that isn't was taxed like hell? So a lb of fresh vegetables and fruits costs $0.50. Unprocessed food is subsidized at 50%. That order of fries, soda, and cheezburger? $15.
What effect would it have on society?