5 ms·
Smoking is a choice 100% of the time. There are at least some instances (a small minority) where being overweight, even extremely obese, is not entirely a choic
by pc86 4y ago
Smoking is a choice 100% of the time. There are at least some instances (a small minority) where being overweight, even extremely obese, is not entirely a choice. It's apples and oranges.
- boloust 4y agoPropensity for addiction varies significantly between individuals. We've discovered a large number of genetic correlates of addiction susceptibility. Once you grant the existence of individuals that are outliers in susceptibility to addiction (which I think is reasonable because it's such a highly polygenic trait) I don't see how one could claim that obesity is sometimes not entirely a "choice", while smoking is always a "choice".
- brianwawok 4y agoWhat? It is a choice how much you eat. You might be bedbound and not in control of your own food. But, the staff could just give you less food. There is no medical condition that will cause someone in a locked room given a calorie restricted diet to gain weight. That is against the laws of physics. It's fine to say "losing weight is very very very hard". But it's incorrect to say "being overweight is not a choice".
- karpierz 4y agoBy your same logic, a broken leg doesn't stop you from jumping. It just makes it "very very very hard." It's incorrect to say jumping on your broken leg is not a choice. But you might find your health outcomes far worse if you jump with it vs. rest.
- brianwawok 4y agoSorry, I don't think this makes any sense. You (unless you are bedbound) choose what goes in your mouth. You, thus, have control of your own weight.
- pessimizer 4y agoBut by your logic, smoking either isn't addictive or there is no such thing as addiction. If obese people are strongly compelled to eat, I'm pretty sure we've discovered that smokers are comparably strongly compelled to smoke.
- mola 4y agoWhy do you keep attacking that strawman? The analogy is to ban sugar rich foods or they're marketing to children or tax it. Which is a pretty good idea IMHO...
- brianwawok 4y agoIs taxing sugar rich foods a good idea? Because I lived around Chicago when it happened. Didn't work so well, and ended up as basically a "poor people regressive tax".
- pc86 4y agoAll consumption taxes are regressive, by definition. That doesn't necessarily mean it didn't do what it was intended to. I'm curious how (if?) the consumption patterns changed.
- brianwawok 4y agohttps://publichealth.uic.edu/news-stories/research-reveals-new-evidence-that-sugary-beverage-tax-impacts-are-sustainable-effective/ https://publichealth.uic.edu/news-stories/research-reveals-n... it probabbly "works". Also is enough to get someone kicked out of office, as the public loves sugar.
- mitchdoogle 4y agoIt's a choice in the same way having anxiety or depression is a choice. That is, it's treatable and is possible to overcome it, but it's a very difficult path. I think it's unfair to compare it to smoking though. There are genetic factors with obesity and mental health issues.
- brianwawok 4y agoExcept, many poor people use smoking as a treatment for mental health issues. It's a bit of a "poor mans prozac".. (Which isn't entirely true, because at the current cost, I think it cost more than actual prozac).
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]