Topic: Let me explain why your motherfucking kids are fat

[gpw11]

Lets be fucking reasonable

The actual article is horrible and has a huge logical fallacy in it, but hey, it's a shitty blog.  The thing that gets me is the reaction.  The actual issue of the Softdrink Association's statement aside (and who can blame them?), how the fuck can people think that kids sitting around for hours on end can't in some fucking way contribute to the fact that their kids are overweight pussies. 

Diet is worse than lack of exercise. You could eat healthy and never exercise and not be obese.

  

Science is your friend.  So is logic.  Use those things next time you want to make a fucking point.

But the entire thread is like a giant example of why kids are fat.  Seriously.

[Quemaqua]

Fat people are STUPID.

Ignore my weight, please.

[Cobra951]

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Hmm.  Not a very informative article.  The general idea is not hard to understand, though.  It's scary when the food police scare the soda jerks into pointing fingers at videogames.  They're such a convenient target too.

[gpw11]

Basically how it went down is the city of San Fransico wants to tax soda because of fat kids.  Some association for the soda industry basically said something along the lines of "It's not like soda's the only thing out there contributing to kids being fat.  They play videogames all day.". 

And to be perfectly honest, they're right. Kids exercise less on average and eat shitter foods then they used to.  You can't point a finger at one of them and single it out.   It's a fucked up issue because when the government has to look at taxing shit in order to keep people from being obese there's a definite problem with your society.

But the main reason I posted it is because the reaction on digg pretty much exemplifies what I view to be wrong with north american society; a complete lack of personal responsibility on a societal level.  You can't sell a product if there's no market for it.  No one is forced to drink the soda or sit around and play videogames, but no one really cares about that.  "Soda makers say video games can contribute to people being unhealthy?  But I love videogames and I'm not fat!  Hypocrites! It's obviously the junk food" No, it's obviously the fact that the kids and parents aren't made accountable for the fact that they lead very unhealthy lifestyles - it's the faceless corporation with all their advertising and products.

A tax isn't the answer in ether case, it's more of an issue of growing some balls and being the bad guy every once in a while.  Or just tax the parents of fat kids directly, and then fund free health-oriented programs with the money raised.  But that's a bit too utopian.

[Cobra951]

And here I thought the real problem was a police state meddling with the freedoms of people to eat as much of whatever the fuck they want while doing as little as they fucking want.  Silly me.

[Raisa]

geeeezzzz...

talk about pointing fingers!

boils down to the parents imo..  can blame soda companies, videogame companies et etc.. but really, it boils down to the parents making sure the kids are eating properly, exercising properly etc...

[Pugnate]

Kids were fat well before video games became popular. While fast food is a contributing factor, the main problem is the parents.

But what parents want their kids to be fat? It is a difficult task for parents, and some just don't have the ability.

[Quemaqua]

I say let them all get fat and get diabetes and die.  Except then they'll just take my own taxes (non-soda) and use that to pay for their welfare and disability.

I think I'm going to go move under a rock.  In the woods.

[Raisa]

no que... then the world would be a more horrible place.

that's what i think, as much as we want to move into a cave or to our own island... we need to stick around or the world will miss our presence.. hahah

[Quemaqua]

They might miss *you*, but I don't think anybody'd be too broken up about having less of me around.   

[gpw11]

And here I thought the real problem was a police state meddling with the freedoms of people to eat as much of whatever the fuck they want while doing as little as they fucking want.  Silly me.

Well, see that's another issue all together.  All that aside, in any system with universal healthcare it's not unreasonable to expect those that are the biggest drain on the system to pay more towords it.  Beyond that, it's just a case of sin taxing, and demographics are probably showing that food is pretty inelastic. 

[Ghandi]

Surgeon Generals Warning: This video game may make you fat

[Cobra951]

Well, see that's another issue all together.  All that aside, in any system with universal healthcare it's not unreasonable to expect those that are the biggest drain on the system to pay more towords it.  Beyond that, it's just a case of sin taxing, and demographics are probably showing that food is pretty inelastic. 

That's yet another problem: the idea that insurance concerns should determine what freedoms people have.  You can make this the land of the terminally bored by giving in to that argument.  No motorcycles.  No bicycles.  No skate boards.  No football outside of a stadium.  No little-league baseball.  No alcohol.  No running.  No walking outside of approved safe zones.  And of course, no food outside what your family dietician prescribes for you.

A similar argument goes on at big places of employment.  People are going to lose their jobs because of their weight, not because it impairs their job performance, but because insurance companies demand it, and we've given them the power to get their way.  HMOs are only the most profitable companies anywhere.  Tell me that firing all the chubby workers is necessary for their survival.

[gpw11]

I'm going to assume that we're talking about a country with global healthcare here, but either way it's not restricting your freedom in any sense of the word - it's ensuring that high risk individuals pay more into a system they are more likely to take out of.  Your freedom isn't restricted in any way, you're just going to have to pay more to enjoy your potentially dangerous activities.  In a private system like that of  America I'd argue that it'd be an unfairly placed tax, since obesity doesn't harm anyone but the obese. 

In Canada, however, I can understand why people would want me to pay more taxes on cigarettes and alchohol since they increase the chance I'll be accessing the universal pool of health care resources.  Likewise, I have no problem with an obesity tax for that reason.  Lets not break the bank and reduce the quality of service for everyone because some people feel the need to scarf pork rinds and sit on their asses all day. 

As for fat people losing their jobs because the HMOs demand it, I don't know how you'd want to regulate that other then government intervention.  They're a business and covering obese people is bad for their bottom line. 

[Cobra951]

Government intervention is the only thing that would work, but it's not going to happen.  My point is that you can use the excuse of pooled risk to justify fascist agendas.  Medical-insurance companies could cover everyone in this country with the money they get already.  Again, look at their profits.  They're not state secrets.  The only reason insurance companies should ever be tolerated is the social benefit they're supposed to provide those who need medical care, for whatever reason.  They don't provide anything for healthy people other than hefty bills.

Don't forget that there is a certain authoritarian element who will never be happy to leave people alone.  We gave in on cigarettes, so now they're after food.  If we give in on that, what's next?  You know there's going to be something.  Better to keep them busy with this issue for as long as we can fight them off.

[gpw11]

I certainly can't disagree with you there.