THE SHAME OF THE OBESITY "EPIDEMIC"

FROM STRANGE COSMOS

I began noticing it around 22 years ago. My favorite business suit outlet stopped carrying my size - 44 long, athletic cut.  When asked why my size was no longer available, the manager simply said that Americans were getting "bigger."  What she meant, of course, was that Americans were getting fatter.

2 years later, the suit outlet was having a going-out-of business sale.  I was curious and asked why the outlet was closing.  This time the manager indicated that Americans were becoming more "casual."  A fairly easy translation was that Americans were becoming more sloppy in their appearance.

I was raised in a family in which I was encouraged to look my best and to participate in athletics and physical exercise.  In fact, exercise is a habit that still occupies a significant chunk of my time.  Naturally, I began to take note of the human scenery I encountered over the next couple of decades, and it was clear that Americans were, indeed, getting fatter and sloppier.  I even began to notice a trend in fat people in shorts coming to church.

In many ways, the obesity epidemic goes hand in hand with the overall decline in standards in the U.S.  Not only have we had a decline in academic standards in the public schools, standards have also fallen precipitously in entertainment, at least judging by the product turned out by Hollywood.  Not to be outdone by culture-wide trends, grade inflation in higher education now results in the most common grade given in college-level courses being "A."  But, perhaps, I digress.

"Shame" is something that we seem to be short on these days in the U.S.  Nevertheless, in risking a severe breach of the politically-correct ethic, there will be no hesitation in these pages in using the word.  It is truly a SHAME what obesity is doing to more and more children.  Looked at statistically, obesity in children has more than doubled in the last 30 years, while for adolescents it has had a 300% increase  By 2010, 33% of all children and adolescents were obese or overweight in this country. In terms of an economic cost, almost 200 billion dollars, or 21% of medical costs in the U.S, are related to obesity.  With childhood obesity rates soaring, that figure will grow exponentially; and, along with it, there will be additional costs in unemployment and disability benefits.

In 21st century America, we are now informed that obesity is a disease.  That might be true in 10% of the cases, but, as for the other 90%, the condition would seem to be totally voluntary, the result of caloric imbalance in which the affected party simply does not burn as many calories in energy use as he/she takes in through diet.

In extreme south Texas, where Food Stamps are utilized by at least 1/3 of the population, most of those in grocery store lines using government programs appear grossly overweight.  Invariably, the children who accompany them are also badly overweight.  By acceptable discourse these days, they are no longer "fat people," but should be referred to by the gentler politically-correct words of "plus-sized" or even "metabolic-challenged."  As a courtesy, most large stores provide electrically-charged carts for the handicapped to ambulate and make their purchases.  However, those making the greatest use of these carts are the plus-sized people who, by dint of their dietary habits, have apparently placed great stress on their joints and, in effect, have made cripples of themselves.

Looking back, I cannot recall any childhood friends being fat.  I do recall most women of that era having waist-lines; and, these days, I would imagine that there would be many of the female population who would have a difficult time climbing into vintage clothing from the 50s and 60s.  Just think June Cleaver, and you'll get the idea.

Never in history has there been a society with more information about nutrition and health.  Never has there been a society with as many options for wholesome exercise.  Could it be that, out of sheer sloth and ignorance, we are trading our heritage for a mess of pottage and condemning future generations to painful lives and early death?  For shame!