French women do get fat

[reinhard]

From a New York Times article here:

adult obesity is rising about 6 percent annually [in France], among children the national rate of growth is 17 percent. At that rate, the French could be - quelle horreur - as fat as Americans by 2020.

Why? Because they're no longer eating like Frenchwomen:

There has ... been a breakdown in the classical French tradition of mealtime as a family ritual so disciplined and honored that opening the refrigerator between meals for a child was a crime worthy of punishment.

I say this without a hint of schadenfreude. I think the traditional French way of eating is a wonder of human civilization, and am saddened and surprised that the French themselves are having trouble sticking with it. Yes, it's a little ironic that this comes precisely at a time when it's being packaged for export, but there's funny irony and just sad irony.

Maybe I should do a French translation of No-s. No-s fits very well with the "classic French tradition," and the newly struggling French might be very receptive to it.

Reinhard

[JWL]

Believe it or not, I see this as yet more evidence that there is a correlation between neoliberal capitalism and people getting fatter and unhealthier....

Maybe I'm wrong.

[piratejenny]

I think you're right, Freakwitch. I've wondered why that correlation exists. I believe it's due to the fact that we're an extremely overindulgent society. Nothing is forbidden, you can do whatever you want, "it's a free country." So people overindulge in everything, including food, with little thought to the consequences.

Freedom is wonderful, but it's not carte blanche to act irresponsible. Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean that we OUGHT to do it, no matter what the TV commercials say. In some ways, it's hard to live in a society with few restrictions on behavior. When such controls are not standard, not dictated by an authority, then the only restrictions we have are the ones that we create and uphold for ourselves (such as the No S diet). Abundant choice brings a lot of responsibility with it, and that's one reason why it's hard to be a modern person, I think. But it also means that when we succeed at something like losing weight, we can be prouder of our accomplishments, because we've worked harder to get there.

Pirate Jenny

[gratefuldeb67]

I want to party with Freakwich and Pirate Jenny!!!!!
Woo hoo!!!!

Smart people be cool

Loved reading your reply Pirate!
PS... Reinhard, you are hilarious!
Yes!!!
Translate NoS into French and all other languages!
This is an international revolution!

Peace and Love,
Deb

[EatRealFood]

Believe it or not, I see this as yet more evidence that there is a correlation between neoliberal capitalism and people getting fatter and unhealthier....

It's sad when people attempt to blame the whole system of capitalism on a problem instead of the individuals who live in that society. It takes responsibility to live in a free society.

I believe we need to educate people more about the dangers of unhealthy foods and obesity. We need to educate peole that drinking two 44-ounce servings of soda per day is not healthy. We also need to actually hold people accountable for their own healthcare. Only by giving someone a consequence for their choices will they change their behavior.

[david]

Yes, education is important.

However, it has its limits. In 2000, over 40% of Americans who had been diagnosed with emphysema were still smoking. I'm pretty sure that they all knew it was bad for them.

I also believe that the great majority of people know that drinking a bunch of soda is bad for them.

Our capacity for self-delusion is simply breath-taking (sometimes literally).

thanks,
David

[EatRealFood]

Education won't stop all bad things from happening, but that's not the point. If they still choose to indulge in such activities after learning about them, then at least they were warned. It's a less expensive and less invasive path than trying to regulate and ban everything that has the potential to cause us harm. See war on drugs for detailed example.