Suburbs not to blame for obesity
Thinking Right’s weekend free-for-all. Pick a topic:
● The day after Thanksgiving is probably not the best time to bring this up, but the Centers for Disease Control finds that the nation’s obesity problem is highest in Appalachia (about 80 percent of the counties) and in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina (about 75 percent of counties.) Highest obesity rates are in 5 small, rural counties in Mississippi and Alabama – about 43 percent of the population, compared to 26 percent for the nation as a whole.
● Urbanists are determined to link the despised suburbs to obesity. As one of the planners for next year’s Atlanta meeting of the Congress for New Urbanism notes, there’s concern among some “that suburban lifestyles that require a lot of time driving and a lot of time sitting” leave the poor suburbanite with little time to exercise. See Item One. Moral of this story: The lifestyle police can always find a noble health-related reason to justify their desire for control over the way other people live. Those who live beyond I-285 have never been forgiven for “fleeing” high-density living, thus causing “sprawl.” We ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait until ObamaCare gives them a license to busy-body your life.
● The Alabama Supreme Court, having taken full momentary possession of Thinking Right’s common-sense conservatism, rules against a woman who claimed a $41.8 million “jackpot” from an obviously malfunctioning bingo machine at Victoryland. The actual payout should have been about $2. Frivolous lawsuits prompted by typographical errors in advertisements or malfunctioning machines should be tossed. But a lower court gave the bingo player $10 million.
● A new lawyer hired by Georgia to argue its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling limiting Georgia’s water withdrawal from Lake Lanier charges $855 per hour. I’m firm on this: If we lose, that’s an outrageous sum.
● AJC Reporter Bill Rankin did a beautiful story Tuesday on Georgia Supreme Court Justice George Carley, a superb jurist who, as Rankin notes, is sometimes the court’s lone dissenter. The explanation is that the other six probably got it wrong.
● The Georgia State Patrol has the same conflict with motorcycle policing that cities have with red-light cameras. On tickets issued inside I-285, fines go to the State Patrol. Proceeds should go into the state’s general fund or be handed over to local governments. No law enforcement agency should have a financial incentive to enforce the law.
● If Georgia’s football program has any pride, it’ll decline to participate in a bowl. Though any team that can pull a crowd is bowl-caliber, Georgia should have its own standards. And this year they just don’t measure up. That’s fine. It lost a lot of talent. Maybe next year…
● TV does have its slime programs and moments, but the caliber of daytime television will drop sharply when Oprah Winfrey ends her show in 2011. Much of the rest of daytime TV makes you fear for the country’s future – assuming its viewers vote.
● We’ll have another clue about whether this administration represents all America or its own agenda when it decides whether to appeal U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval’s decision that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for Katrina’s massive flooding in New Orleans. Each of seven plaintiffs was awarded $720,000. If this decision stands, the cost to taxpayers could be in the trillions of dollars. The judge is a Bill Clinton appointee.
● Data shows that two-thirds of children under the age of 18 in seven Georgia counties were living in poverty in 2008. Hint: Check the marriage rate. A household created by the birth of a child to an unmarried low-income woman is instant poverty.
● Georgia Public Service Commissioner Lauren W. McDonald Jr. wants Georgia Power Co. to consider adding a “solar-only” option for customers. It and other utilities have a “green” option already, but few people put their money where their mouth is. Only 4,300 of Georgia Power’s 2.3 million choose to pay extra for “green” power. Most of the green crowd wants to dictate the agenda, but not to have to pay extra.
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36 comments Add your comment
norman ravitch
November 27th, 2009
9:40 am
The fact that the South has the largest percentage of obese people makes the reasons obvious: 1) the southern diet, 2) the large black population which generally eats too much and too much of the wrong things, including the deadly southern diet. We should stop worrying about this unless we are willing to curtail people’s rights to be wrong.
Fat people dies younger and that helps.
JohnD
November 27th, 2009
10:01 am
Obesity? Not sure.
Stupidity? Intolerance? You bet.
Sandy Rosenthal
November 27th, 2009
10:15 am
We wish to point out a few things regarding your blurb on Judge’s Duval’s ruling.
(1) The Corps was not judged responsible for Katrina’s flooding. The Corps was found liable for failing to properly maintain a shipping channel which killed off protective plants and wetlands leading to catastrophic destruction of property. (2) A TOTAL of $720,000 was awarded to six different plantiffs, one got nothing. (3) If the decision stands, the result will not likely be checks written to individuals amounting to trillions, but rather it will mean changes in the way water projects are chosen, funded, and implemented in American. Thank you for your attention.
Sandy Rosenthal, founder of Levees.org http://www.levees.org
Hillbilly Deluxe
November 27th, 2009
12:38 pm
There are more overweight people in the South because the food is so much better here. Pass the gravy, please.
Joan
November 27th, 2009
1:42 pm
Obesity is just symptomatic of the overall tendency of people in this country not to have will power, to not defer present pleasures for long term gains, and to let the “rest of the people” pay for the additional health care burdens they will place on the country. I am not sure why doctors can’t just tell really fat patients to go home and lose weight. I would, if I were a doctor. It would be the best advice one could give.
Joan
November 27th, 2009
1:44 pm
About those idiotic viewers of daytime (and nighttime) television–for the most part that is a commentary on the lack of up bringing in this country, the general tendency to disregard the importance of a good education, and the materialism, bling and celebrity culture. People are committing felonies so they can be on “reality” tv. How idiotic can we get? And do the people who watch those shows not have a live of their own?
"Charles", The Original
November 27th, 2009
3:10 pm
If you are an American or a Negro, the choice between TV’s slime programs etc and the Oprah Winfrey show has the same value to you as the choices offered in the method of punishment provided to The Beltway sniper for his crimes. Some people considered John Allen Muhammad to be mentally ill. But you would be convinced beyond any doubt of his insanity if Muhammad were caught seriously dithering between which methods of punishment to choose. As you know, Muhammad declined all methods of executions. The method of execution was forced upon him by the criminal justice system.
Prior to integration, the masses of Negroes understood that many white people would do anything for money, absolutely anything. That was difficult for us to accept because for the most part, we were real Christians. But what we didn’t know before integration is that many so-called educated integrationist leaning Negroes would do anything for money too, absolutely anything. And white people with power capitalized upon our ignorance. They were willing to pay a steep price to see the white man’s burden, the masses of Negroes eliminated, dead. And the so-called educated integrationist leaning Negroes stood in line to fill out an applications hoping to be employed for the job. Even today, the deceitful so-called educated integrationist Negroes and others, who will do anything for money, are employed at CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC…and 1380 waok radio, etc. have the same mission.
Television, radio, news papers, schools, colleges, and universities controlled by wealthy white people and others are designed to stupefy, ridicule, diminish, and enslave the masses of Americans. Just as the so-called educated integrationist leaning Negroes stood in line to fill out applications hoping to be employed for the job of enslaving the white man’s burden, powerful enemies foreign and domestic have purchased employees, who will do anything for money, at once respected institutions, to enslave their people, country, and ultimately themselves.
This scheme isn’t difficult to understand. Even John Allen Muhammad would know the difference between TV’s slime programs etc and the monkey Michelle Oprah Winfrey show. They are one and the same.
david wayne osedach
November 28th, 2009
9:38 am
I have no doubt that they will come out with a diet pill that works for all. And has no side effects.
Jess
November 28th, 2009
11:37 am
The urbanist basically want people in the suburbs and countryside to be as dependant and needy as they are. I lived in Paris for a short time. in nine months I had to endure a taxi strike, a train [METRO] strike, an airport workers strike, and a garbage strike. Each of these strikes brought the city to its knees. Once you put youself in a dependant urban environment, you are at the mercy of many things.
Their push for high density living reminds me of the old soviet story about the woman who calls her councilman to complain about her neighbor having a goat. He explained that the neighbor had save money for a long time and was able to buy the goat. He then told her he would be glad to help her set up a plan to buy a goat as well.
The lady said I don’t want a goat. They are smelly and a lot of work. She then said what I want is for you to shoot my neighbors goat.
Greg
November 28th, 2009
3:26 pm
If we were thinking right, here are a few things we would see:
Sitting in a car for hours a day burns no calories and curtails other possibilities for physical activity. Thus, suburban living certainly makes fitness harder to achieve.
Urban living reduces dependencies by increasing options. Having a broken car in the suburbs will teach you a lesson on dependency. You can walk places in Paris, you have the bikes to rent, and there are buses, taxis, neighbors who might help you out with a ride…and cars if you want one. Unless you live on a farm, being outside the city increases your dependency.
The carbon footprint is much lower for cities dwellers, of course.
People earn more in cities. Paris is the most visited city in the world and ranks 22 in the size of worker paychecks. The US cities rated above Paris where Chicago, LA, Miami, and New York. On income, the best-rated MSA in Georgia is Marietta/Sandy Springs/Atlanta at 112. Does anyone really think that more sprawl is what is going to move us up the list?
Are urbanites the busy-bodies? Which of our wonderful and interesting cities are known for telling people how to live? Is it New York, Austin, Boulder, Seattle, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, or San Francisco?
All that is holding us back is wrong thinking. We have hours in cars, a frightfully low per capita income for Georgia and the Atlanta region, bad health. The response—shoot the messenger.
Hillbilly Deluxe
November 28th, 2009
3:26 pm
Georgia Public Service Commissioner Lauren W. McDonald Jr.
I remember when he was Bubba, all those years ago when he ran for Governor. He’s just doing what Georgia Power tells him to. Bless his heart.
Linda
November 28th, 2009
7:04 pm
Charles@3:10 on 11/27, Your comment was amazing. What I am finally seeing as the liberal agenda is what you described, the plantation/slavery mentality. The majority of racists who remain in the US today are old black men. The black leaders are doing a disservice to their followers. They claim segregation is wrong but, at the same time, segregate blacks from others. Martin Luther King said we should be judged by our character, not by the color of our skin. How would blacks feel if there was White History Month, the National Association for the Advancement of White People, the White Caucus, white churches, white colleges? Let’s just all be Americans, not hyphenated Americans or Americans of any race. The liberals want to give blacks/poor just enough to enslave them to the government, in exchange for Dem votes.
"Charles", The Original
November 28th, 2009
10:00 pm
Linda, if you thought my first post was amazing, check this one out.
I heard the for the love of money Negro host of, “too much troof”, 1380 waok radio say the vast majority of Negroes are better off today than they were when the races were separate. During segregation/separatism, for the most part, Negroes had respect for each other. Negroes didn’t wantonly kill each other or others. Negroes could leave their doors unlocked and no one would enter their homes. If another Negro was without food, a neighbor would be honored to offer food and money. If a Negro was without clothing, another Negro would graciously provide whatever was needed. If a Negro was failing in school, other Negroes were willing to assist. They wanted to strengthen every weak link in the chain of Negroes. If a Negro was seen walking in the rain, Negroes fortunate enough to have cars would offer rides at no cost. Negroes cherished socializing with each other. There were no Negro strangers. If Negroes needed jobs, Negro carpenters, brick masons, painters, yard crews, plumbers, electricians, etc would work less for less pay in order to accommodate Negroes in need of jobs. If Negroes found a stranger in the streets overcome by robbers or thieves, they would attend to his wounds and find people of his race to provide additional assistance. In other words, Negroes were a community and had a kinship to each other and respect for other races of people. All of this and more was lost with the advent of integration.
And the for the love of money childish so-called educated integrationist Negro radio hosts at 1380 waok radio supports loosing what the masses of black people once had in exchange for the ‘thought’ of knowing there are more black millionaires today and a mongrel President. The black millionaires of today have no connection to the average Negro. Reason dictates that it’s better to have one black millionaire who supports the masses of black people than a millions of black millionaires who don’t. For the most part, in one way or another, black millionaires of today probably earned their money assisting others in an effort to enslave the black and white masses.
The owners of 1380 waok radio aren’t Negroes. But Negro radio hosts are paid to deceive and influence average Negroes. The so-called educated integrationist Negroes are betting their life on the vast majority of Negroes and white people remaining asleep.
"Charles", The Original
November 28th, 2009
11:12 pm
Anyone who supports aborting a baby or as the Negroes would say ‘a woman’s right to choose’ is the worse of the scoundrels.
Need I say more Linda?
Rev Al Sharptongue
November 29th, 2009
10:32 am
Why is “Charles”, so concerned with what the “negroes” think and do?
Anyone who supports aborting a baby or as the Negroes would say ‘a woman’s right to choose’ is the worse of the scoundrels.
Its not just “negroes” who use that term. again why such the preoccupation with Black People?
This thread was about overweight people in the south and you some how turned it into a diatribe on Black people.
you my racist friend has issues
"Charles", The Original
November 29th, 2009
11:19 am
Let’s get one thing straight Rev, I’m a Negro primarily concerned with Negro issues. I don’t rudely intrude into the business of other racial groups. And it should be insulting to other racial groups if I did considering the monumental genocidal issues Negroes have.
You should read my original post, the one Linda referenced. Subsequent posts should explain themselves.
Again Rev, I’m a Negro. Only brainwashed white people wince when labeled a racist. That term doesn’t mean a thing to me.
Unknown
November 29th, 2009
7:43 pm
Just to put it out there, most people out there know what obesity means why not just say the real word? This word obese is just a replacement word so it won’t hurt feelings. I think this is just cruel way to say obese/obesity like it’s a regular word not as a way of saying “your fat”, “overweight”, and more to prevent emotional/phyisical pain to you or the person. If this post offends anyone I am very sorry and take full responsibility or knowing this post can hurt feelings.
Rednect
November 29th, 2009
9:42 pm
this message is for AJC Sportswriters and bloggers who have decided it is okay to mock the GT players videos and dancing to their music and promo videos. Feel free to point fingers at the GTAA, alumni, fans and even the parents but choosing to make classless remarks about the players is crossing the lines. These kids developed their own unique style based from their culture and diversity. If anything, UGA players would more likely follow the same and develop their own. If UGA fans on these blogs think their players think like they do, I assure you they do not. It is fun to enjoy yourself and take part with the team on your home field. To allow these remarks to be printed by AJC is more shameful than the UGA fan remarks. To continue this abuse could be construed as racist. Enough of it.
JD
November 30th, 2009
10:52 am
Greg,
To assume makes an – well I am sure you know.
To ASSUME all who live in the suburbs drive for hours each day is just as(s)inine! Many in suburbia moved closer to their job or simply moved their office closer to their home.
Suburbia is a life choice, a choice to have space, to be free of the moronic interests who have operated the City of Atlanta into bankruptcy, to be free of the moronic Mayors who have been more interested in lining their pockets than improving the lives of the citizens, to be free of the rampant crime and inept Chiefs of Police chosen not for their character and ability but for the color of their skin (sort of the anti-MLK) and ultimately free of the self-important jerks who would suggest living in over-priced cracker box houses or stacked condos and apartments is somehow “earth-friendly”.
Not to mention the ability to SAFELY take a jog through the neighborhood after a day at work as opposed to throwing on the attire to go to a health club so you can work out in relative safety. Or, how about the safety of a wife taking a 5 mile walk in our neighborhood without the threat of hearing a couple of urban, unlicensed pharmacists throw profanity-laced “how are yous” to each other across the street and several lanes of traffic.
Is there crime in suburbia? Of course, but statistics prove the level and severity is significantly lower than inside I-285.
Obesity, or FAT if you prefer, is a result of a personal decision unrelated to the area in which a person lives. Statistics can be created to prove most any hypothesis related to obesity. For instance there are probaly more fat Smiths than any other surname. So what? As for obesity in the South being a Southern problem I would ask “Where did the increase in population eminate over the last 40 years”? Primarily from the Northern US, so a more appropriate study may be the relationship between the number of non-producers and welfare recipients who have moved South and brought with them the sedentary life-style.
“The carbon footprint is much lower for city dwellers, of course.” So that huge cloud of carbon hanging over the area inside I-285 is what? And in LA, Chicago, NY and Miami this cloud is created by all those who drive into the city to work? Greg, you are one seriously misguided little puppy.
“People earn more in cities.” Well Greg, people have to earn significantly more in cities to cover the higher property taxes, sales taxes and utility rates charged to support a crumbling infrastructure ignored by the leaders for the last 75 to 100 years in virtually every city you cited. Like Atlanta, the cities who are in the worst shape financially have Democrat Mayors who, like our federal government of Democrats(and lately Republicans), have no concept of fiscal responsibility.
Yes, I live in the ‘burbs where the air is clean, the streets are clean and relatively well kept, where I can walk in and talk to the Mayor or the Council, where my wife is able to take a walk with our daughter in safety, where I have a 15 minute commute to my office, where we can have a pool or tennis courts immediatley accessible without fear of seeing discarded needles or other unwanted trash, where we have a capable police force, outstanding schools both public and private, churches of every denomination nearby and artistic and athletic interests for anyone. Oh, I failed to mention a home similar to ours would be 3 or 4 times as expensive in “The City”, without even considering increased taxes and other costs. Not to mention a lower rate of obesity among the achievers who are my neighbors.
So Greg, you stay in your fat city and follow the global warming fraud of carbon footprints and all the while you can try and blame driving a car for obesity. By the way, do you own a television? All the other fat people do!
Atlanta - Fat City
November 30th, 2009
7:24 pm
The skinniest cities in the US are Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, which are also the most educated cities.
The fattest: Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix, are the lowest-density cities with also have the largest share of sanctimonious, self-righteous conservative types.
The fat conservative types like to sit on their arses and hope to fat like their hero Limbaugh. Or, at least, chubby like Beck.
GOP is Gone
December 1st, 2009
8:00 am
Suburbs not cause obesity? Do you think it is the fact that they eat McMansion sized portions Jim? Hhhmmm……Even their dogs are fat. I hope Obama care taxes Junk food. I am sick of spending MY tax dollars on all these greedy fatties. Remember your deadly sins Christians, I believe greed and Sloth are on them.
DeeSee
December 1st, 2009
4:21 pm
I was born and raised in GA, but go to grad school in Washington, DC. When I go home for the holidays, I am always amazed at how many obese people there are in Atlanta as opposed to DC In my neighborhood, there is a Five Guys, Chipotle, Subway, and McDonalds. That’s pretty much all the fast food we have. We also have weekly farmer’s markets and tons of places to jog and ride bikes. NE and SE DC are different stories. In Atlanta, there is a drive-thru at just about every corner (yuuum Zesto). I wouldn’t ride my bike down Ponce for the life of me…
I hate exercise, but am forced to walk most places in D.C. I think this has really controlled my weight. Living in Atlanta without a car is a pretty tough task. I didn’t have a car when living in VA Highlands and was fine, but definitely not practical for most hoods in Atlanta.
As far as urbanites being healthier…I think that is a bit of a stretch. Yuppies like me? Yeah, we are generally healthy. The poor? Not so much. Cities such as Atlanta have major drug problems and only a minority of people can afford to buy organic produce, etc. at Whole Foods. Obesity is a major epidemic in the black community, especially when there is a lack of healthy options in one’s neighborhood. I saw a commercial for KFC the other day advertising how you can feed a family of 4 with just $10. If you’re a single mom living in SE Atlanta, how can you beat that?
Good luck with that
December 1st, 2009
6:57 pm
Jim,
I used to at least respect you, but you really just sound like an idiot now. Not to name call but you actually sound unintelligent and paranoid.
DeeSee
December 1st, 2009
7:02 pm
Yeah, I find it odd that a conservative would complain about people trying to control how they live. Uuum pot. kettle. black.
Conservatives want to legislate moral behavior (gay marriage, abortion, etc.), but when something as simple as driving less and eating healthy is advised, not required…they are suddenly persecuted for being suburbanites?
JD
December 2nd, 2009
11:21 am
“The fattest: Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix, are the lowest-density cities with also have the largest share of sanctimonious, self-righteous conservative types.”
The self-righteous and sanctimonious are the Liberal Loons who gave us the Moron Mayors of Atlanta and the Empty Suit in the White House. Leaders who do not lead and simply wish to spend other people’s money (See Margaret Thatcher). To assert conservatives represent the “largest share” of the population in these cities is to be brain dead.
To blame obesity on a political philosophy is even more inane. Obesity is a personal decision to ignore healthy food and avoid exercise. Michael Moore is a Liberal and weighed as much as Limbaugh and Beck combined.
Suburbia is healthier than Atlanta not because of a political bent but because there are safe areas to wolk, jog or participate in sports and other outdoor activities.
Economics play a small part but there are healthy choices the obese refuse to consider. Walking to KFC for a bucket of fried chicken does not constitute beneficial exercise.
tjest
December 2nd, 2009
11:28 am
Why is it so hard to accept that the layout of one’s environment might have an *influence* on level of physical activity? Do sprawl pattern suburbs *cause* obesity? Of course not!
The problem with these studies, and their critics, is that it is presented and then debated as isolated cause and effect. One side presents their case: basically, “Y’all are fat because you don’t live in an urban environment”; then the other (offended) “Don’t tell me how to live! I like my cul-de-sac, you communist!”
There’s merit on both sides, but we’re so addicted to getting on soap boxes that we have largely lost the ability to have meaningful discussions. Very sad.
This editorial board could do so much more than just fan flames and pander to people with an axe to grind.
You’re smart, Jim. You and your colleagues could set an example and actually advance public discourse, rather than just sling bait for controversy. But maybe that wouldn’t sell papers. Do you really just want to be the leader of a verbal dogfighting ring? Michael Vick got a big charge and a lot of money for what he did — there’s not a whole lot of difference here.
DeeSee
December 2nd, 2009
11:58 am
Tjest,
I’m kind of over the ajc, but like to keep up with Atlanta news. The paper’s getting worse and worse, and written at a level catered to people with a 5th-grade education. I try to have reasonable conversations on here, but it’s pretty difficult. Oy vey.
tjest
December 2nd, 2009
12:19 pm
DeeSee,
It’s pretty tragic. We have a whole generation growing up on this style of interaction. This cult of dogfighting puts kids in jeopardy of not being able to think critically and have a civil dialogue.
People in positions to influence the tone of debate, like Jim, have a higher responsibility that comes with the calling. Too many of those people just live for the rush that comes from watching the melee that ensues when they toss their soundbite bait into the ring.
DeeSee
December 2nd, 2009
1:17 pm
Yeah, the ajc should take a note from Gawker sites and make people “audition” to get the right to post. It really elevates the level of conversation.
BULLSEYE
December 2nd, 2009
1:41 pm
JD says: Suburbia=WHITE FOLKS! Good thing Sugarloaf don’t have any dog fighting felons or hookers.
DeeSee
December 2nd, 2009
2:26 pm
Yeah, I think the ajc comments should have an “audition” period for commentors. Gawker sites do it, and it really makes the comments section more enjoyable for everyone. Racist and misogynistic comments should not be tolerated.
dewstarpath
December 2nd, 2009
11:52 pm
- I agree with BULLSEYE and DeeSee. Some of these
blog posters need to check their attitude at the door
before they post.
Atlanta - Fat City
December 3rd, 2009
11:24 am
JD,
Nice use of creative Capitals and keen use of grammar. You poor grammar and marginal writing skill show that you are an unedumactaed chubby conservative living in the sidewalk-less Fat City suburbs.
The Skinny President of Fat City
Peter
December 3rd, 2009
2:40 pm
Jim when are you going to write about Richardson, or the failing Republican leadership in this state.
DO we have any NEW reservoirs being built ?
ohmy
December 3rd, 2009
2:57 pm
“obesity epidemic cancels out anti-smoking gains.” so if we can stop stuffing our faces and take a 20 minute walk every other day or so, within 5 years health care costs will plummet. Is this so hard to do? Responsibility should apply to ALL facets of one’s life.
Robert Littel
December 8th, 2009
9:37 am
Obesity has always been the disease of the wealthy, for the most part, until recently. By recently, I mean the last couple of centuries, after the ability to produce and store food against the lean times of the year. We have evolved over the last four, or so, million years, in-order to maximise our ability to survive the inevitable lack of food that always occurred during the year. We evolved the ability to store fat, much the way bears do, so that they can feed off of it during the hibernation and the way deer do to survive the winter.
Today, we have carried forward the ability to store fat and now that we have conquered agriculture and made long term food storage a reality and that has ended the lean times we needed to maintain our evolved proclivities to store and burn fat. Today, we can eat and put on weight without having any lean times to thin us down and with the food industry conspiring to extract as much as they can for as little as they can, we now have the miracle of chemically enhanced and created foods that our bodies never evolved the ability to consume. Hydrogenated fat, which now makes up a large percentage of our diet, is in everything from butter substitutes to almost any processed baked product on the Bakery isle. Cheaply produced “food” items like Palm oil, is hydrogenated and becomes the shortening that is used because it tastes good and extends shelf life to the point where baked products can sit on the shelf for months, if not years, and still be consumable (Twinkies for one). We might as well take a spackle knife and smear these “food” products to our bellies and to the lining of our arteries, and as long as we let advertisers tell us what we want, we are going to continue this unhealthy trend.
Of course, we have people like some of the above, who instead of looking into the problem from a rational perspective, finds that it is far easier to blame those in our society that are kept around (by institutionalized poverty) just for that purpose. Don’t blame those raking in billions while feeding us crap, blame those who are forced to buy the crap, because it is cheap and fills the belly. Blaming the victim is so much easier than facing the truth and we do it all the time. It is the bed-rock of all Right-wing propaganda, where the simple but incorrect answer always holds sway and business can never do wrong.