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Old 01-11-2016, 12:39 PM
 
Location: Texas
44,256 posts, read 64,205,033 times
Reputation: 73923

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Quote:
Originally Posted by middle-aged mom View Post

Imagine if healthcare premiums and costs were based on waist size. Imagine if the only way one could be eligible for Medicaid or Medicare or VA or ... was their waist size. Would this be enough to motivate the masses to drop the lbs?



No.
They'd just go to the ER and have everyone else eat their bill.
Like everyone already does now.
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Old 01-11-2016, 12:41 PM
 
Location: NJ
23,424 posts, read 17,101,753 times
Reputation: 17452
Quote:
Originally Posted by hakkarin View Post
I hate it how progressives and liberals often tell us that people are just all completely dumb and that the state needs to take care of them. But lately I have been wondering if perhaps there is a little (a little) bit of truth to this.

A great example is the rise in obesity in the west and the apparent inability of most people to give even a single **** about what they are eating, or how much of it they eat. Let alone exercise. Now don't get me wrong, if people are ok with being big and fat if it means they can eat what they want then that is fine (unless they are parents and they make their kids obese as well). Whatever floats their boat.

But that isn't what I am talking about here. I am talking about people who are just totally ignorant about what kind of filth they are eating and see no problem with eating 2 hamburgers every lunch. And then once they finally realize they have a problem, instead of just eating less crap and more healthy food, in addition to exercising a bit, they just moan about how they have some kind of "condition" that prevents them from losing any weight. Or they look for cheap "lose weight instantly" gimmicks that don't work. Or they start going to the gym and diet for a couple of weeks before just giving up and start crying about how it made no difference, even though they were only there for half a month or may not have fallowed the program correctly.

I mean ok, I know this doesn't apply to EVERYONE. But there is a shocking amount of people that are like this. I won't pretend I am innocent, I have eaten my share of crap food. But I wised up after a while and even in the past there was still a limit to how much I would eat.

I would probably be less resentful of these people if it weren't for the fact that they are constantly moaning and acting as if their lame condition wasn't their own fault. One of my coworkers is a really fat dude who a number of times has just left work only a couple of hours after showing up because of an "upset stomach", and also tends to be lazy as well in that he sometimes looks for excuses to not properly take care of the work that is given to him. It also doesn't help that he is a easily hurt manchild.

But I think I have perhaps ventured a bit past my original topic question: Are most people just too stupid and/or weak-minded to live a smart, responsible and a healthy life? Note that I am not counting people who KNOW they are living very poorly but understand the end-result and are fine with it as stupid. But rather, all of the dumbasses who think they can get away with anything and then are shocked when that turns out to not be true and instantly start to blame someone or something else.
Anyone who doesn't have a problem being told, 'we have topass it to find out what is in it" is probabaly a democrat who doesn't mind being told lies and sees no need to even ask questions. You can keep your doctor, period! who knew obama didn't mean those words, oh, okay, so what, Obama has my best intentions in mind.
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Old 01-11-2016, 12:46 PM
 
1,431 posts, read 909,349 times
Reputation: 1316
If you turn "Standard American Diet" into an acronym, then you get the current state our country is in.
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Old 01-11-2016, 12:48 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
14,361 posts, read 9,763,627 times
Reputation: 6663
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dockside View Post
Here we go, another beat-up-on-fat-people thread, under the guise of "the epidemic of obesity." Time to load up the mindless venom and have a go at the fatties. Stupid and weak-minded...maybe we should put them in camps, you know, tuck them away so the rest of us don't have to be offended. Revoke their driving licenses...make those fat bastards walk wherever they go. I'm sure there will more great ideas.
I know, right!

People obsess over the condition of other people, while defending some of the very things that are causing those conditions.

OP - Are people too stupid to link the dots?

First dot: GMO's hit the market in 1995, at the same time corn sweeteners replaced real sugar and corn is added to over 85% of the processed foods we buy.

Next dot: Obesity, Alzheimer, diabetes, cancers, digestive, heart, liver and kidney disease have increased exponentially since... 1996! 2x to 10x more than any other 20 year period. Gluten allergies have quadrupled.

Gee, I wonder what could be contributing to these spikes?
http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html
http://responsibletechnology.org/10-...to-avoid-gmos/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/...-human-health/


They said it was safe and they lied! -Genesis

Last edited by steven_h; 01-11-2016 at 12:57 PM..
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Old 01-11-2016, 01:15 PM
 
Location: deafened by howls of 'racism!!!'
52,505 posts, read 34,224,954 times
Reputation: 29164
Default Are most people just too stupid to make smart life decisions?

some are, some aren't. it was ever thus.
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Old 01-11-2016, 02:18 PM
 
16,388 posts, read 8,471,370 times
Reputation: 19236
Quote:
Originally Posted by hakkarin View Post
I hate it how progressives and liberals often tell us that people are just all completely dumb and that the state needs to take care of them. But lately I have been wondering if perhaps there is a little (a little) bit of truth to this.

It is a truth the progressive liberals are invested in.


The more dependent on government people are, the more they can control people, "for their own good and well being".
This is in part why they want unfettered ignorant illegals from Mexico & Central/South America to pour across the border.
Do you honestly believe that if a bunch of educated, self sufficient Europeans with a strong work ethic were flooding into this country, the (D's) would be for it?
Of course they would not, because those type of people would tend not to want to be dependent of big government, and would vote (R).
The (D's) also want to keep blacks dependent on government via failed programs that help to keep them in perpetual poverty, with just enough to get by. This of course breeds apathy, resentment, and generational dependence.


Lets not forget programs like social security to where people assume their retirement will not be luxurious, but are actually depending on it to survive. If that is not dumb, I don't know what is. Obviously the program was created because far too many people never saved for retirement, or made poor investments, or were so dependent on the government already, they had little incentive to plan for their futures.
You'd be surprised at how many people think the government (i.e. you & I the American taxpayer) should take of them from cradle to grave.
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Old 01-11-2016, 02:38 PM
 
Location: Erie, PA
3,696 posts, read 2,877,366 times
Reputation: 8747
I don't think that people are necessarily too stupid to make life decisions, assuming that they have an IQ in the normal range. Most of us know that eating fast food, high calorie snacks like donuts, and not exercising are not good for us. Sometimes the motivation for not changing habits can be that the person is fine with the way they are--they are not suffering any adverse affects from their lifestyle so don't see a reason to change. Others focus on the short-term...they know that they need to make a change in their eating habits but it can wait until next year...then the year after--and so on. Some of it is probably habit--when people get accustomed to certain ways of eating and certain foods, it can be hard for them to change their diet even if those particular foods are not especially healthy for them.

I generally eat healthy foods. I eat a vegetarian diet, and try to cook my own food as often as I can. I am not perfect and I do eat processed pastries once in a while--Cinnabon is a major weakness for me. I know that these pastries are not healthy for me and are loaded with fat, sugar, and essentially empty calories but I have gotten in the habit of buying them once or twice a month. They are a treat that I look forward to.

I don't think that the government should decide what we can and cannot eat. I do think that parents should feed their children a nutritious diet while allowing for a treat once in a while. They should also set a good example for the kids--chowing down on Burger King while making the kid eat salad and low-fat turkey breast sends a hypocritical message. People should also educate themselves on the needed calories per day and what percentages of the major food groups they should be eating.

People should make their own decisions but don't go into it half-assed.
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Old 01-11-2016, 02:44 PM
 
19,966 posts, read 7,838,451 times
Reputation: 6556
Progressive politicians are too stupid (and corrupt) to make our decisions for us. I give you mass immigration of non-traditional immigrants, globalism, 'free' trade and open borders.
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Old 01-11-2016, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,438,192 times
Reputation: 4317
The problem with threads like these, and many others, is that it tries to collectively group vast swaths of people into some sort of defined, categorical, psychological entity.

For starters, humans (and most other animals) have evolved to largely take advantage of immediate happiness and pleasure over long term discomfort. We all have our guilty pleasures whether they be food, cigarettes, alcohol, sex, drugs, etc... Think about the thing you find yourself guilty about, and think about the thought process of how you tell yourself (I'll just do it this once). You are, in effect, making a trade with yourself: Immediate Enjoyment > Long Term 'X'. A very good example of this is people's immediate reaction to encountering more money than they're used to receiving. Most people's first thought is not "I can't wait to invest this," but "I can't wait to buy 'X'." The immediate gratification often outweighs the long-term benefits in most people's minds.

That is what we, as a human race, are up against. Now couple that with the massive onslaught of media advertising, the abundance of cheap food, and in some cases, yes, general ignorance, and you have yourself the makings of an obese society. Further advancing the cause is, I believe, the geography of the U.S. as well. Unless you live in one of the major cities in America, there is no real mass transportation. Where citizens of most countries walk or ride a bike to a bus stop, train station, etc... We get in our cars to go a quarter mile up the road. In effect, we drive everywhere. At least if you go to McDonald's in some other country, you have to walk back to the train stop or back home or wherever... Here in the U.S... Not so much. But, that's mostly a condition of our geography. The United States is huge compared to most other countries, so it's very hard to make mass transit economically feasible as compared to other smaller countries.

In effect, it's not just that people are ignorant or dumb, and that's the end of the argument. Being easily helped along with poor decision making skills does not help. Also, to give an idea of what we're up against in the sense of general ignorance: Michelle Obama suggested that we fight childhood obesity. The right reacted like she had no business telling people that we should watch our children's weight. They accused her, in some circumstances, of trying to take over the Office of the President.
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Old 01-11-2016, 03:42 PM
 
1,431 posts, read 909,349 times
Reputation: 1316
Quote:
Originally Posted by GCSTroop View Post
The problem with threads like these, and many others, is that it tries to collectively group vast swaths of people into some sort of defined, categorical, psychological entity.

For starters, humans (and most other animals) have evolved to largely take advantage of immediate happiness and pleasure over long term discomfort. We all have our guilty pleasures whether they be food, cigarettes, alcohol, sex, drugs, etc... Think about the thing you find yourself guilty about, and think about the thought process of how you tell yourself (I'll just do it this once). You are, in effect, making a trade with yourself: Immediate Enjoyment > Long Term 'X'. A very good example of this is people's immediate reaction to encountering more money than they're used to receiving. Most people's first thought is not "I can't wait to invest this," but "I can't wait to buy 'X'." The immediate gratification often outweighs the long-term benefits in most people's minds.

That is what we, as a human race, are up against. Now couple that with the massive onslaught of media advertising, the abundance of cheap food, and in some cases, yes, general ignorance, and you have yourself the makings of an obese society. Further advancing the cause is, I believe, the geography of the U.S. as well. Unless you live in one of the major cities in America, there is no real mass transportation. Where citizens of most countries walk or ride a bike to a bus stop, train station, etc... We get in our cars to go a quarter mile up the road. In effect, we drive everywhere. At least if you go to McDonald's in some other country, you have to walk back to the train stop or back home or wherever... Here in the U.S... Not so much. But, that's mostly a condition of our geography. The United States is huge compared to most other countries, so it's very hard to make mass transit economically feasible as compared to other smaller countries.

In effect, it's not just that people are ignorant or dumb, and that's the end of the argument. Being easily helped along with poor decision making skills does not help. Also, to give an idea of what we're up against in the sense of general ignorance: Michelle Obama suggested that we fight childhood obesity. The right reacted like she had no business telling people that we should watch our children's weight. They accused her, in some circumstances, of trying to take over the Office of the President.
Sometimes I feel like I'm alone, and then I read posts like these.
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