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Absurd. The world is the wealthiest it's ever been. The world is more peaceful now than it's ever been. People are healthier now then they have ever been. T

Absurd. The world is the wealthiest it's ever been. The world is more peaceful now than it's ever been. People are healthier now then they have ever been. This pervasive myth of decline is completely refuted by all available evidence.

ndiscussion 6y ago
Any thoughts on obesity? This article claims the current costs of obesity are $2 trillion: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/041715/economic-cost-obese-society.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/04171...
- ocdtrekkie 6y ago
  Obesity is primarily a result of corporations not being adequately regulated, and government incentives driving down the price of particularly unhealthy additives. In short, high fructose corn syrup leads to obesity.
  - ndiscussion 6y ago
    That's exactly what I'm saying here. The availability of drugs will not lead to a libertarian utopia, but a decaying rot like we see in my home city (Portland).
  - gruez 6y ago
    >Obesity is primarily a result of corporations not being adequately regulated What would such regulations look like? >In short, high fructose corn syrup leads to obesity. Is HFCS a worldwide phenomenon? US isn't the only country with obesity problems. eg. kuwait, egypt, UAE, jordan [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass_index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass...
    - ocdtrekkie 6y ago
      I'd be curious about food/health laws in other countries high on that scale... the US is definitely one of the largest countries high on the list, and while the US sits at 28.5, most EU countries, where vastly better food regulation is in place, the average tends to be 25-26. (Several countries with major hunger issues sit towards the very low end, I wouldn't use as a picture of health.) HFCS may be a uniquely US problem, but foods with it are also exported, which explains why countries like Canada sit relatively high as well. It was a life-changing experience for me to visit EU countries, where orange Fanta contains 11% orange juice (and vaguely looks like orange juice), compared to the dark orange nearly-pure-sugar soda we drink here. Even McDonald's food was leaner, less greasy, and closer to what you'd get at a quality restaurant.
ocdtrekkie 6y ago
Perhaps "what has happened to us" is less a matter of decline, but that we've raised our standards up. People live longer, and are more financially secure, because we no longer give people the rope to hang themselves with. In the past, dying at 30-something because of bad decisions you made was a lot more likely, now we've de-selected those bad choices for you.
maximente 6y ago
a select few pieces of abstract world-level information aren't super insightful as to why or why not the US is or isn't in decline. for example, life expectancy and happiness in the US were/are not increasing, which seem fairly relevant and may indicate that people in the US are not healthier now than they ever have been (whatever that means). https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/addiction-and-unhappiness-in-america/ https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/addiction-and-unhappin...

ndiscussion 6y ago

Any thoughts on obesity? This article claims the current costs of obesity are $2 trillion: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/041715/economic-cost-obese-society.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/04171...

ocdtrekkie 6y ago
Obesity is primarily a result of corporations not being adequately regulated, and government incentives driving down the price of particularly unhealthy additives. In short, high fructose corn syrup leads to obesity.
- ndiscussion 6y ago
  That's exactly what I'm saying here. The availability of drugs will not lead to a libertarian utopia, but a decaying rot like we see in my home city (Portland).
- gruez 6y ago
  >Obesity is primarily a result of corporations not being adequately regulated What would such regulations look like? >In short, high fructose corn syrup leads to obesity. Is HFCS a worldwide phenomenon? US isn't the only country with obesity problems. eg. kuwait, egypt, UAE, jordan [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass_index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass...
  - ocdtrekkie 6y ago
    I'd be curious about food/health laws in other countries high on that scale... the US is definitely one of the largest countries high on the list, and while the US sits at 28.5, most EU countries, where vastly better food regulation is in place, the average tends to be 25-26. (Several countries with major hunger issues sit towards the very low end, I wouldn't use as a picture of health.) HFCS may be a uniquely US problem, but foods with it are also exported, which explains why countries like Canada sit relatively high as well. It was a life-changing experience for me to visit EU countries, where orange Fanta contains 11% orange juice (and vaguely looks like orange juice), compared to the dark orange nearly-pure-sugar soda we drink here. Even McDonald's food was leaner, less greasy, and closer to what you'd get at a quality restaurant.

ocdtrekkie 6y ago

Perhaps "what has happened to us" is less a matter of decline, but that we've raised our standards up. People live longer, and are more financially secure, because we no longer give people the rope to hang themselves with. In the past, dying at 30-something because of bad decisions you made was a lot more likely, now we've de-selected those bad choices for you.

maximente 6y ago

a select few pieces of abstract world-level information aren't super insightful as to why or why not the US is or isn't in decline. for example, life expectancy and happiness in the US were/are not increasing, which seem fairly relevant and may indicate that people in the US are not healthier now than they ever have been (whatever that means). https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/addiction-and-unhappiness-in-america/ https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/addiction-and-unhappin...