Seriously – I was raised on whatever they called “food” was slopped out at my Public High School. Of course, my School was a K-12, and therefore I had the pleasure of enjoying cafeteria food since kindergarten. I strongly believe that my life is several years shorter because of it. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food was easily of better quality then food at other schools. And I would not want to put down the lovely ladies (yes, all females) who prepared our lunches every day for the past 12 years.
This problem does not have to with the “taste” of food. Any food can be accepted as tasting “good” by the body after time. I point to coffee and broccoli as prime examples. The problem is our food supply. Our eating habits. Our habits of raising food. Our use of chemicals that go above and beyond what is needed. Our dependence on antibiotics.
Let me show you the problem first. Fat asses.
Yes, once reserved for only a few genetically unlucky, and the occasional lazy child, the number of clinically obese children has SKYROCKETED. I mean, we aren’t talking like a little rise, but a massive epidemic. Between the ages of 12-17, obesity has tripled from 5% in 1984 to 17.1% in 2002. Also between 7-11, that demographic has also doubled, from 7% to 15%. What’s worse is this isn’t even “overweight”, I won’t touch the societal problems of “fat” and what we see as our mental image of hot. That is a whole different picture. This is clinically obese, which is defined as 20% of your body weight composed of fat.
This is going to result in massive problems. Overweight people generally will have more heart attacks, get diabetes, so on and so forth. Aka, the more obese people are, they more EXPENSIVE they will become. This is what scares me. Right now, we have baby boomers retiring, and needing lots of expensive medical care, great! If anyone went to see David Walker, the Comptroller General of the United States, when he came to speak here in Madison (sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee), he gave a great talk about how in twenty years, we will have to simply throw all the old people out on the street (not literally, but figuratively), because we have no way to pay for anything close to the cost of our current obligations to Medicare, and Social Security. This is a problem. So… Lets take skyrocketing medical costs, a massive generation of people getting old really fast… and a new generation rising up that will be more expensive then the last. My friends, we have a perfect storm.
Why lord? I ask you for answers! You created mankind, surely obesity was part of your grand master plan, we must overcome! I am waiting for this rhetoric from the religious right. Its coming, oh, trust me. Recently, apparently Christians have finally decided that we are keepers of this world… and therefore must be really eco-friendly? I’m not sure how that came about, but I will gladly embrace the religious right if they want to get on the eco-friendly-low CO2 emissions bandwagon. If they can suddenly become tree huggers, no doubt they will begin to condemn the destruction of “god’s temple” with junk food and watching TV.
HOWEVER! I must strongly state the stereotype for “fat people” just doesn’t match up with reality. Why are children really getting fat? Honestly, I think its easy for old people to blame it on the new “stupid generation” playing video games and eating junk food. That is ridiculously untrue. Have habits changed? Yes, they have and I shall entertain a few reasons why.
First, lack of funding for public schools. This one is pretty simple. Less money for schools mean they cut funding for Phy Ed. programs. Boom, now kids are sitting in class. What’s worse is that if high school athletics ever come around, these kids won’t join, and they never learn how to actually “work” out. It is impressive that children can actually grow up without learning to run.
Safety.
Yes I said it! Children need DANGEROUS playground equipment. If you grew up, and never broke a bone, can you say you’ve really lived? Well, sure, cause you’re alive, but did you have any fun? Look, when I was a kid, the most fun things to do were the most blatantly dangerous. Kids nowadays are having to make completely safe things unsafe just to get around the fact that every time some kid breaks an arm they yank out ever one of the playground sets
in the continental 48. That spider web thing where you could climb upside down while playing tag? Great! Of course thats gone… Tackle football on asphalt? Awesome (thanks Andrew
for killing that fun as well). Children on the playground are horrible. They inflict pain for pleasure, pick on other kids, and more or less do the kinds of things that we would consider horrendous. But we has humans NEED that. It separates the strong from the weak. Here is the great part, the strong who get
picked on, will rise from the chaos and be stronger people because of it. I know I personally benefited from getting shoved down a snowbank and kicked because I drew a Dallas Cowboy star on my face just because I wanted to rebel against “the norm” of everyone cheering for the Packers. That was in first grade. Of course, I was a rebel then, and I am now, its in my nature. But that taught me a lesson, and made me stronger. Kids are coddled way too much these days. Audiences applaud if they are talented or not, if they tried or not, if they care or not. Kids need to learn failure so they can come to hate it. I’m serious. Why should people somehow think that kids should be told “its not that bad” when they fail. You have to learn hate failure. Of course parents shouldn’t “punish” children for failing, but they shouldn’t reward them either. How about staying out of the fucking way? Let the kid mope around and figure out shit on their own? Forty Billion kids have figured out how to create DNA, replicate it, and transfer it to the opposite sex to create an entire new human being without the help of anyone. I think they can figure out how to solve a conflict as simple as playing football or kickball today.
Last, but defiantly not least is the quality of our food. We rely on antibiotics for everything we eat. Of course eventually a super virus will come around and kill us all, but thats just the maybes', or what ifs. There are real effects that will begin to compound. One is all the shit we pump into our bodies. The recent test of our water supply shows that all the pills we stuff into our bodies are staying in the water supply, which is why all the fish in lake Michigan are female. All the estrogen is swapping the genes. Solid…
Processed food stays around, its harder to digest, your body gets lazy. Autism is skyrocketing. Why? Who knows… As well as diabetes. You consume processed sugars, your body is simply not ready for that. Its not made to handle so many calories so quickly. And people need to touch some bacteria more often. I had strep throat for years. I got scarlet fever and almost died alright? It was living in my tonsils for years. Finally, I got them removed, and stopped being tested positive for it. But let me tell you, having streptococcus in your body for a few years makes your immune system KICK ASS. I haven’t been sick in years. Years. I wasn’t born with that, I was exposed to bacteria, and my body adapted. Don’t disinfect everything unless you really need it (like a baby, or the elderly). Eat some dirt. Its good for you.
And finally, something that gives me hope… Video games, like guitar hero. They are huge. Why? Because it requires you to STAND UP, to move around, to interact, to think, and be social. DDR or Wii boxing will make you sweat! That’s something to be happy about!
Ah! It is spring outside! So nice to walk out in the fresh air! Glorious! Soccer time now! Just remember you know what else happens in spring? People get horny. And just remember… Sex burns calories. Lets all lower the obesity rate! Have a Glorious day!
Thanks,
Guthrie
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