7 ms·

I don't think it helps to call them "degenerate." They're human beings. Some of them, more clever than you. Who are trapped in lives of quiet desperation. We t

I don't think it helps to call them "degenerate." They're human beings. Some of them, more clever than you. Who are trapped in lives of quiet desperation. We think we are civilized, but we are just as barbarous as the world of Hugo's Les Misérables. We live in a world filled with Inspector Javert's spending their lives chasing their Valjeans.

rayiner 3y ago
Changing labels doesn’t change the underlying reality. Spend some time talking to some old stock Yankees. Their attitude towards food is different. A phrase you’ll often hear is “eat to live.” It’s not a wonder that Alabama has an obesity rate that’s over 60% higher than Massachusetts.
- jefftk 3y ago
  I live in MA, and "old stock Yankees" is not most of the population. Isn't this just that MA is richer than AL, and richer people are less likely to be obese?
  - rayiner 3y ago
    The nearly universal trend among nations is that they get fatter as they get richer. So it would be quite bizarre to see affluence, in and of itself, suddenly causing the opposite effect. Maryland has comparable median income to Massachusetts, but much higher obesity rates. Vermont and Kansas have similar incomes, but Vermont has much lower obesity rates. (Same is true for Virginia versus Colorado, Montana versus South Carolina, etc.)
- burkaman 3y ago
  This is a very extreme claim that requires a lot of evidence. If we're just throwing out ideas, I'll make a claim that "attitude" is a lot less of a factor than having only dollar stores and no grocery stores within an hour's drive. Also, I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life and I've never heard anyone say "eat to live".
  - xyzzyz 3y ago
    I seriously doubt that in Alabama there are many people who don’t have a grocery store within an hour drive. Almost certainly less than 10% of population. Even if you said 20 minutes instead of an hour, it wouldn’t be a lot of people either. The thing with areas this remote is that few people live there.
    - burkaman 3y ago
      I did exaggerate a little, I apologize. It's not just rural areas though, there are plenty of small towns without any grocery stores, and urban areas where the nearest grocery store is very far away, especially if you don't have regular access to a car. Here's one source that says 1.8 million Alabama residents don't have a grocery store within 45 minutes: http://humsci.auburn.edu/news/hunger_solutions_institute_awarded_community_impact_and_innovation_grant.php http://humsci.auburn.edu/news/hunger_solutions_institute_awa...
      - xyzzyz 3y ago
        Are these people more or less obese than the ones who have easy access to grocery store? You are suggesting that this is a major driver of obesity, so you must be basing this on some data, no? Also, that link doesn’t say whether this is 45 minutes drive, and since it does not reference any source, it’s hard to look that up.
        burkaman 3y ago
        Well the driving part doesn't matter, the thing we care about is how hard it is for someone to get to a place with affordable healthy food, however they get there. If it's an urban area where a significant portion of people don't have easy access to a car, then you wouldn't look at driving times. These are called food deserts, and there is a ton of research on them. From what I've read there is not a direct line between food deserts and higher obesity rates, but it is a relevant factor, especially when abundant dollar stores and fast food places are offering cheaper and more accessible food than the nearest grocery stores (if there are any). I've also seen this described as a "food swamp". I've never seen any research or data showing disparities in American obesity rates are influenced by cultural attitudes toward food.

rayiner 3y ago

Changing labels doesn’t change the underlying reality. Spend some time talking to some old stock Yankees. Their attitude towards food is different. A phrase you’ll often hear is “eat to live.” It’s not a wonder that Alabama has an obesity rate that’s over 60% higher than Massachusetts.

jefftk 3y ago
I live in MA, and "old stock Yankees" is not most of the population. Isn't this just that MA is richer than AL, and richer people are less likely to be obese?
- rayiner 3y ago
  The nearly universal trend among nations is that they get fatter as they get richer. So it would be quite bizarre to see affluence, in and of itself, suddenly causing the opposite effect. Maryland has comparable median income to Massachusetts, but much higher obesity rates. Vermont and Kansas have similar incomes, but Vermont has much lower obesity rates. (Same is true for Virginia versus Colorado, Montana versus South Carolina, etc.)
burkaman 3y ago
This is a very extreme claim that requires a lot of evidence. If we're just throwing out ideas, I'll make a claim that "attitude" is a lot less of a factor than having only dollar stores and no grocery stores within an hour's drive. Also, I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life and I've never heard anyone say "eat to live".
- xyzzyz 3y ago
  I seriously doubt that in Alabama there are many people who don’t have a grocery store within an hour drive. Almost certainly less than 10% of population. Even if you said 20 minutes instead of an hour, it wouldn’t be a lot of people either. The thing with areas this remote is that few people live there.
  - burkaman 3y ago
    I did exaggerate a little, I apologize. It's not just rural areas though, there are plenty of small towns without any grocery stores, and urban areas where the nearest grocery store is very far away, especially if you don't have regular access to a car. Here's one source that says 1.8 million Alabama residents don't have a grocery store within 45 minutes: http://humsci.auburn.edu/news/hunger_solutions_institute_awarded_community_impact_and_innovation_grant.php http://humsci.auburn.edu/news/hunger_solutions_institute_awa...
    - xyzzyz 3y ago
      Are these people more or less obese than the ones who have easy access to grocery store? You are suggesting that this is a major driver of obesity, so you must be basing this on some data, no? Also, that link doesn’t say whether this is 45 minutes drive, and since it does not reference any source, it’s hard to look that up.
      - burkaman 3y ago
        Well the driving part doesn't matter, the thing we care about is how hard it is for someone to get to a place with affordable healthy food, however they get there. If it's an urban area where a significant portion of people don't have easy access to a car, then you wouldn't look at driving times. These are called food deserts, and there is a ton of research on them. From what I've read there is not a direct line between food deserts and higher obesity rates, but it is a relevant factor, especially when abundant dollar stores and fast food places are offering cheaper and more accessible food than the nearest grocery stores (if there are any). I've also seen this described as a "food swamp". I've never seen any research or data showing disparities in American obesity rates are influenced by cultural attitudes toward food.