Monster Energy Drink may be linked to 5 deaths

[user_id]

Originally Posted by TVC15

I don't see why you are trying to make this so complicated.

I'm not making it complicate, just pointing out the obvious fact that talking about self-discipline does absolutely nothing to solve the problem. I'll say it again, 2/3 of American adults are overweight, and that number is growing, whether you attribute it to a "lack of self-discipline" or whatever else...doesn't really matter. Things aren't getting better and if the trend continues, it could bankrupt the nation. So, its all cute and all that you take this as an opportunity to talk yourself up, but it is perhaps one of the most serious issues facing the nation and its something that needs to be solved quickly....

As for not relating, well that says a lot about you.

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by user_id

I'm not making it complicate, just pointing out the obvious fact that talking about self-discipline does absolutely nothing to solve the problem. I'll say it again, 2/3 of American adults are overweight, and that number is growing, whether you attribute it to a "lack of self-discipline" or whatever else...doesn't really matter. Things aren't getting better and if the trend continues, it could bankrupt the nation. So, its all cute and all that you take this as an opportunity to talk yourself up, but it is perhaps one of the most serious issues facing the nation and its something that needs to be solved quickly....

As for not relating, well that says a lot about you.

I hope it says a lot about me that I can't relate to the power you give to the food industry.

The food industry, sex industry, drug industry, fashion industry, tobacco industry etc...It is what it is. They are not going away.

People on the other hand are making the choice to keep fit or not to. The food industry is not to blame for this. It is the individual's responsibility to figure out which lifestyle they want to live. If they want to be Healthy, Unhealthy, Drugged Up, Sexed Up, Fashioned Up...or whatever. That is up to them.

Go ahead and save the US full of people who choose obesity as a way of life. I don't think that you will be very successful. If they don't want to live this way then there are many avenues they can choose to help themselves. But the reality is they don't give a damn...if they did they would be doing something about it. It is a mental disease to not want to help yourself and be the best you can be. But to put the blame on the food industry is just ridiculous. Put the blame on the individual if you must blame something.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by TVC15

The food industry is not to blame for this. It is the individual's responsibility to figure out which lifestyle they want to live.

Actually its the governments fault for not appropriately regulating the food industry, the food industry is doing what any other industry would do: try to maximize profits. The government is also failing to supply good nutritional information, instead it allows nutritional recommendations to be set by the very industries that are making the products. Telling people that they need to "take responsibility" solves nothing and, just in case you forgot, you're on the ship too...and if they sink it you're going down with them regardless of your own personal choices.

As can be seen by the rapidly increasing obesity rates in this country (along with a number of non-communicable diseases), the majority aren't able to resist the continuous onslaught of marketing, addictive foods, etc from the food industry. Telling everyone that they need to have "self-control", "take responsibility" or whatever other claptrap is like taking a quadriplegic that they need to jump higher....

The need for greater regulations is entirely obviously, only hand-in-the-sand conservative types would dispute that. The greater question is just how to regulate matters, that is the difficult part....

[EscapeCalifornia]

But don't you know we're all just helpless children who can't decide anything for ourselves? We need big daddy government to make all of life's decisions for us and protect us from ourselves.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

But don't you know we're all just helpless children who can't decide anything for ourselves?

Basically yes, the American public has demonstrated rather clearly that it can't handle the onslaught from the food industry and the consequences here are dire.... Either the US has to start letting people die in the streets from their eating habits, or we are going to bankrupt the nation with medical bills. Insurance rates aren't just magically going up each year because the big-bad insurance companies, they are going up because its becoming increasingly costly to deal with the consequences of poor nutrition.