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Just blaming the obese individual is a cop out, at best. Sure...personal responsibility goes a long way,, but it'd help if society was more geared towards healthy eating, healthy living, exercise and fitness....not the "American way" of scoffing junk food and living a junk lifestyle.
If it is society's fault, then we should pass laws outlawing fat people. Say, if someone is 10% over their ideal body weight they must go to a fat farm where the weight is worked off of them. Obviously, this is an insane idea. If we are to be a free society, then people must work in their own self-interests. If people are to work in their own self-interests, then they have responsibility for themselves. THAT in a nutshell is the essence of personal responsibility....there is no "nice" to personal responsibility.
If it is society's fault, then we should pass laws outlawing fat people. Say, if someone is 10% over their ideal body weight they must go to a fat farm where the weight is worked off of them. Obviously, this is an insane idea. If we are to be a free society, then people must work in their own self-interests. If people are to work in their own self-interests, then they have responsibility for themselves. THAT in a nutshell is the essence of personal responsibility....there is no "nice" to personal responsibility.
There is a new Japanese law requiring males to keep their waist lines below 33.5 inches and women to keep their waist lines under 35.4 inches.
I say just increase health care costs for overweight people. I eat well, ride a bike to work (13 miles each way), and try hard to keep myself in shape. Why shouldn't I have lower health care costs than someone who weights 250 lbs and eats McDonalds every day?
First Worlders are getting fatter as a result in the major change in lifestyle. No longer do we have to break our backs from sun up until sundown in the fields, threshing grains, chasing cattle, walking everywhere. Those things were extremely energy intensive and since famine was always a real threat, those who could save as much fat as possible despite all of this came out on top. Now all 70% of us do all day is sit on our ass or stand in one spot. Our bodies haven't had enough time to deal with this change in lifestyle. They still think we are living on a 17th century farm. If there is plenty of food, no reason not to horde it, in its opinion. In addition, we have no real ability to burn off all the extra calories. We drive everywhere, sit at jobs all day where the hardest thing might be walking from one corner to the room to the next. No wonder we are getting fat. It is a structural problem. The people themselves are not completely to blame. If losing weight was that easy, then everyone would do it AND successfully keep it off. But short of surgery, most people fail at this. Why? I don't think it is solely a problem of self-control.
I don't think it is solely a problem of self-control.
It may be part of our evolutionary make up, coupled with each persons chosen life style. However, that statement is a long way afield from ignoring personal responsibility, by blaming "society', "fast food marketeers," or anyone else.
If it is society's fault, then we should pass laws outlawing fat people. Say, if someone is 10% over their ideal body weight they must go to a fat farm where the weight is worked off of them. Obviously, this is an insane idea. If we are to be a free society, then people must work in their own self-interests. If people are to work in their own self-interests, then they have responsibility for themselves. THAT in a nutshell is the essence of personal responsibility....there is no "nice" to personal responsibility.
Then by the same token, let's tax the s**t out of fast food, just like we do with cigarettes. Personal responsibility is all well and good, but as a society, we can create a situation where it actually "pays" to eat healthy.
Then by the same token, let's tax the s**t out of fast food, just like we do with cigarettes. Personal responsibility is all well and good, but as a society, we can create a situation where it actually "pays" to eat healthy.
I agree to an extent. I hesitate to use taxes even more to attempt to regulate people's lives.
At the same time, government does pay A LOT of health care costs. It is logical to force the people using the health care budgets to pay more into that budget.
I agree to an extent. I hesitate to use taxes even more to attempt to regulate people's lives.
At the same time, government does pay A LOT of health care costs. It is logical to force the people using the health care budgets to pay more into that budget.
Then tax the s**t out of fast food....that's the least the government could do! Besides, I truly believe that if eating healthy were more affordable, more people would do it. It's not about regulating people's lives....if the revenue generated by those extra taxes went towards healthcare & prevention, I'd be all for it. In the US, fast food is just way too cheap and the temptation is too great...taxing it and hitting people in their wallets is the only way to combat this problem.
Parents have a duty to get their kids off their asses too, to exercise (not just play video games).
We live in a very car-centric society though....more emphasis should be put on walking and cycling, as opposed to driving.
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