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Bill Maher: New Rule: The Fudge Report, or "Fat shaming needs to come back."

Captain Adverse

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I found this Video tonight from 09/06/19.

Bill Maher is discussing American healthcare, and how people want universal coverage for pre-existing conditions.

He agrees that some pre-existing conditions should be covered, but argues in his satirical way that many ills people want covered are caused by being overweight.



I've been thinking about this for a while, as I grew up during the era, being a teen around the time of the photo he shows at time stamp 2:50 in the video. It's of people celebrating the Apollo 11 moon landing back on 06/12/69. Amazingly, yes I recall most people did look like that.

I also remember it was sometime in the mid-90's when I actually started noticing an increase in the number of overweight, and obese citizens. I can also recall it was also around the 70's and 80's when fast food became a major source of meals. About that same time we saw sugar (including corn fructose) being added to more and more processed foods.

Now I have been wanting to bring this up because these days, even in a small city environment where I currently live, I see the majority of people are either overweight or obese. This includes children as young as eight to ten years old.

As Maher points out, there are MANY ills that result from being overweight. Not just the one's people normally associate, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, but also joint, muscular, bone, eyesight, depression, and pain problems.

Can fat be beautiful, he asks? That's in the eye of the beholder. But is it healthy? NO!

He admits it's a controversial thing to say these days, but we should not be accepting of obesity. He does not call for "taunting," but he does call for talking about getting healthy. Not letting it go, but instead advise and encourage people to eat less and have more active lives. Don't play up "fat acceptance." Instead go back to showing what healthy physiques look like, and push diet and exercise.

I agree. IMO we should also address the food industry. I think I may even have talked about this in some ancient Forum post. But I think there should be regulations against adding sugar and fructose to foods during processing. If the item has naturally existing sugars, fine. But no more adding this as "flavoring." Leave that to the consumer to control at home.

If our society ate healthier, IMO we would see far fewer "pre-existing conditions" to worry about, and maybe healthcare would be less of a burden. That's how I see it anyway.
 
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I found this Video tonight from 09/06/19.

Bill Maher is discussing American healthcare, and how people want universal coverage for pre-existing conditions.

He agrees that some pre-existing conditions should be covered, but argues in his satirical way that many ills people want covered are caused by being overweight.



I've been thinking about this for a while, as I grew up during the era, being a teen around the time of the photo he shows at time stamp 2:50 in the video. It's of people celebrating the Apollo 11 moon landing back on 06/12/69. Amazingly, yes I recall most people did look like that.

I also remember it was sometime in the mid-90's when I actually started noticing an increase in the number of overweight, and obese citizens. I can also recall it was also around the 70's and 80's when fast food became a major source of meals. About that same time we saw sugar (including corn fructose) being added to more and more processed foods.

Now I have been wanting to bring this up because these days, even in a small city environment where I currently live, I see the majority of people are either overweight or obese. This includes children as young as eight to ten years old.

As Maher points out, there are MANY ills that result from being overweight. Not just the one's people normally associate, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, but also joint, muscular, bone, eyesight, depression, and pain problems.

Can fat be beautiful, he asks? That's in the eye of the beholder. But is it healthy? NO!

He admits it's a controversial thing to say these days, but we should not be accepting of obesity. He does not call for "taunting," but he does call for talking about getting healthy. Not letting it go, but instead advise and encourage people to eat less and have more active lives. Don't play up "fat acceptance." Instead go back to showing what healthy physiques look like, and push diet and exercise.

I agree. IMO we should also address the food industry. I think I may even have talked about this in some ancient Forum post. But I think there should be regulations against adding sugar and fructose to foods during processing. If the item has naturally existing sugars, fine. But no more adding this as "flavoring." Leave that to the consumer to control at home.

If our society ate healthier, IMO we would see far fewer "pre-existing conditions" to worry about, and maybe healthcare would be less of a burden. That's how I see it anyway.


I will not lie, some are grossly over weight, and their health problems are by their chose. Ever went to a grocery store and seen a car circle the parking lot over and over waiting for the spot next to the store like walking an extra 100 feet will kill them? Or watching fat people in those rascals who have no health condition other than being fat and lazy?

I will admit many are too lazy or fat and lazy to do anything, it is to the point americans consider walking 10-20 feet a punishment, while I met a scandinavian who was stationed at fort hood gripe about it, he was there to train his countries soldiers using military grounds. His daughter wanted a car after getting her license, he cold not understand why, she only had 2 miles to school and considered it a light walk, while he had a ford explorer and had to drive 20-50 miles a day for his job.
 
Obesity is huge problem. I talked with one man at my work place around 2 weeks ago who lost 100 pounds in a year by eating less - he also quit eating any fast food and candy. He told that changing eating habits was main factor and walking, running and gym are just secondary when losing weight at that rate. Funny thing about candy is that only good thing what you get by eating candy is that you have sweetness in your mouth some time causing really short term positive feelings. Most unhealthy habits are like drugs, you can live without them, but when you get addicted it's hard to stop.

My body mass index is 20,10 now, meaning if I lost any weight now I'm in deep trouble.. I'm not eating always just healthy food, but I know when it's enough. Sometimes I'm eating at buffet, those places where you can eat as much as you can. Some people can't stop, so they can eat like 4 full plates of food, like they have need to fill up to neck. If I'm going for second round, getting something after finishing my first plate, I think my real needs - if I'm going to work harder later on, I eat a bit more - if I eat too much I'm just too tired. So there's multiple reasons to adjust how much I should eat. Not just sitting and eating mindlessly as long as it's possible to swallow.
 
I found this Video tonight from 09/06/19.

Bill Maher is discussing American healthcare, and how people want universal coverage for pre-existing conditions.

He agrees that some pre-existing conditions should be covered, but argues in his satirical way that many ills people want covered are caused by being overweight.



I've been thinking about this for a while, as I grew up during the era, being a teen around the time of the photo he shows at time stamp 2:50 in the video. It's of people celebrating the Apollo 11 moon landing back on 06/12/69. Amazingly, yes I recall most people did look like that.

I also remember it was sometime in the mid-90's when I actually started noticing an increase in the number of overweight, and obese citizens. I can also recall it was also around the 70's and 80's when fast food became a major source of meals. About that same time we saw sugar (including corn fructose) being added to more and more processed foods.

Now I have been wanting to bring this up because these days, even in a small city environment where I currently live, I see the majority of people are either overweight or obese. This includes children as young as eight to ten years old.

As Maher points out, there are MANY ills that result from being overweight. Not just the one's people normally associate, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, but also joint, muscular, bone, eyesight, depression, and pain problems.

Can fat be beautiful, he asks? That's in the eye of the beholder. But is it healthy? NO!

He admits it's a controversial thing to say these days, but we should not be accepting of obesity. He does not call for "taunting," but he does call for talking about getting healthy. Not letting it go, but instead advise and encourage people to eat less and have more active lives. Don't play up "fat acceptance." Instead go back to showing what healthy physiques look like, and push diet and exercise.

I agree. IMO we should also address the food industry. I think I may even have talked about this in some ancient Forum post. But I think there should be regulations against adding sugar and fructose to foods during processing. If the item has naturally existing sugars, fine. But no more adding this as "flavoring." Leave that to the consumer to control at home.

If our society ate healthier, IMO we would see far fewer "pre-existing conditions" to worry about, and maybe healthcare would be less of a burden. That's how I see it anyway.


I almost didn't read this because...well, because it's u. But I'm glad I did and I must say you made some thoughtful and intelligent points. Good post, CA.

I remember when Michelle Obama had a Nutrition Campaign that promoted healthier diets and exercise and even growing your own food ...but she was savagely ridiculed by the right for it.

America's Move to Raise A Healthier Generation of Kids | Let's Move!

And now Trump is trying to destroy all her hard work...

Michelle Obama's School Lunch Rules Rolled Back By White House : NPR

FDA Versus Michelle Obama: The Curious Battle Over The Nutrition Label


So while Bill was busy blaming the left...as you can see there's plenty of blame to go around for America's obesity problem.


"The NRA of mayonnaise." lol
 
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I think one of the disadvantages of the American style healthcare system is that there are few if any incentives for healthcare providers to promote general good health and preventative care in the first place. It’s the distinction between treating illnesses and injuries and treating patients.
 
In this case Bill Maher is right, on all counts.
 
As he does way too often, Maher sees the trees but misses the forest. Yes, obesity is a *ahem* growing problem in America today. ;)

It contributes to higher costs of our healthcare system that is already way, way too costly.

However, fat-shaming does not work. Period. You can't shame someone out of bad personal habits. That's been tried with smoking addicts and it does not work. Instead, we need to start by recognizing that this isn't just a personal issue, but also economic disincentives to eat healthily and more chemicals in our food that signal to our brain, "Keep eating, keep eating." Then take a multi-pronged approach to solve the problem.
 
I found this Video tonight from 09/06/19.

~snip~

Don't forget the North American car culture of driving everywhere is not helping either, encouraging urban design that promotes walking and biking would also yield major improvements for health. Of course you will not get much exercise when you have to get in your car to get literally anything done.

I am have to say I am surprised a Libertarian is supporting regulation of the food industry.
 
Don't forget the North American car culture of driving everywhere is not helping either, encouraging urban design that promotes walking and biking would also yield major improvements for health. Of course you will not get much exercise when you have to get in your car to get literally anything done.

I am have to say I am surprised a Libertarian is supporting regulation of the food industry.

I like the idea of urban design. Where I live, I've seen increased building of "mixed use" structures, which encompass residence, shopping, restaurants, etc., to decrease the need for a car. That said, exercise by choice is important. I have to get in my car to get anywhere, really. However, my neighborhood is great for walking and I take advantage of it just about every day.
I think we've been raising generations of kids who aren't growing up being outside as much as possible, like when I grew up. Screen time is sedentary, and kids have way too much of it.
School programs involving physical exercise need to be preserved and protected.
 
When my wife and I get a parking place near the door, we refer to those as “400 pounders”, if its literally right next to the door, its a “500 pounder!”

Seriously. Processed foods taste good. They are at our fingertips in quantities we rarely choose. Its a “Big Carl” with supersized fries and a bucket of sugar cola. Then a nice burp and a nap.

BUT. If there is a famine, the obese will live longest and survive in food niches and create a new humanoid branch called “Homo corpulous”
 
Don't forget the North American car culture of driving everywhere is not helping either, encouraging urban design that promotes walking and biking would also yield major improvements for health. Of course you will not get much exercise when you have to get in your car to get literally anything done.

I am have to say I am surprised a Libertarian is supporting regulation of the food industry.

This is one of those examples where the "left" lean occurs in my self-identification. ;)

Let me ask a question. If it was discovered that the Food Industry was including opioids in food processing in order to addict people to their product, would you be agreeable to that? One would hope not.

IMO that is what the Food Industry has been doing with various "additives," most especially sugars including the deceptively named "high fructose corn syrup" labeling. Sugars encourage people to eat more of something; to not feel satisfied unless one continues to eat whatever the sugar contains.

Mr. Maher uses the example of the cigarette industry, which I recall lied to consumers for years about the harms related, while also increasing the amounts of nicotine in their product to induce addiction. A vigorous campaign against cigarettes coupled with regulations has reduced smoking, if not out of existence, then at least to tolerable levels. I see nothing wrong with similar activities when it comes to food.
 
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Don't forget the North American car culture of driving everywhere is not helping either, encouraging urban design that promotes walking and biking would also yield major improvements for health. Of course you will not get much exercise when you have to get in your car to get literally anything done.

I am have to say I am surprised a Libertarian is supporting regulation of the food industry.

Trying to keep folks from growing overweight by doing the same to our federal government is not my preferred solution. There is plenty of information on food labels, exercise recommendations and ideal weights/BMIs available as it is.

Some odd things that I have noticed:

Corn flakes and sugar frosted flakes have exactly the same calories per serving because serving size is given by weight on the product label while most use volume (a bowl full) as their serving size.

A can of vegetables with added salt (often) costs less than a can of vegetables without added salt. The reason is that it requires higher quality vegetables to withstand the canning process and still taste OK without adding the salt.
 
I like the idea of urban design. Where I live, I've seen increased building of "mixed use" structures, which encompass residence, shopping, restaurants, etc., to decrease the need for a car. That said, exercise by choice is important. I have to get in my car to get anywhere, really. However, my neighborhood is great for walking and I take advantage of it just about every day.
I think we've been raising generations of kids who aren't growing up being outside as much as possible, like when I grew up. Screen time is sedentary, and kids have way too much of it.
School programs involving physical exercise need to be preserved and protected.

It also increases the availability of affordable housing. Most of European city centres are mixed-use development, it just makes the most sense unless NIMBYs get involved.

Calories and diet play the biggest role in controlling weight, that is something that needs to be taught in school. When I was a kid I did not do much physical activity as there was nothing to do, if you wanted to do anything you had to drive somewhere. Now that I live in a city I at least have to walk everywhere.
 
Don't forget the North American car culture of driving everywhere is not helping either, encouraging urban design that promotes walking and biking would also yield major improvements for health. Of course you will not get much exercise when you have to get in your car to get literally anything done.

Some really old things like sideways for biking and walking are "amaze factors" for people from US here - and it's funny :) Those are also reason why children bike/walk to school and back - we don't have any school buses here, everyone using public transportation for school trips (mostly when it's winter and/or distance is too long for biking/walking).

Some people bike to work even when it's winter and we have snow everywhere. Like this guy:



You stay fit that way for sure... but winter and biking don't mix well. I'm biking only in summer, distance is about 7,5 miles from home to work, it takes about 40 minutes.
 
Trying to keep folks from growing overweight by doing the same to our federal government is not my preferred solution. There is plenty of information on food labels, exercise recommendations and ideal weights/BMIs available as it is.

Some odd things that I have noticed:

Corn flakes and sugar frosted flakes have exactly the same calories per serving because serving size is given by weight on the product label while most use volume (a bowl full) as their serving size.

A can of vegetables with added salt (often) costs less than a can of vegetables without added salt. The reason is that it requires higher quality vegetables to withstand the canning process and still taste OK without adding the salt.

I see it as clearly something needs to be done and the market is not doing it. See at least with the corn flakes issue that is where more regulation could help, serving sizes, actually have to be what most people would constitute as a serving, not just what arbitrary amount the manufacturer decides. I notice it with soup too, people will have a bowl of soup (usually the whole can) not exactly 47.6% of a can.
 
Some really old things like sideways for biking and walking are "amaze factors" for people from US here - and it's funny :) Those are also reason why children bike/walk to school and back - we don't have any school buses here, everyone using public transportation for school trips (mostly when it's winter and/or distance is too long for biking/walking).

Some people bike to work even when it's winter and we have snow everywhere. Like this guy:



You stay fit that way for sure... but winter and biking don't mix well. I'm biking only in summer, distance is about 7,5 miles from home to work, it takes about 40 minutes.


Well in North America you need buses especially in rural areas, I had some friends who would need to bike for well over an hour to get to my high school and that is in good weather so only like a month or two of the school year. My town had no sidewalks either.
 
Well in North America you need buses especially in rural areas, I had some friends who would need to bike for well over an hour to get to my high school and that is in good weather so only like a month or two of the school year. My town had no sidewalks either.

Sidewalk is right word for it, always learning more.. damn, I have long way to go when it's about english :) I know it's really rare in US. Car focused country, big wide roads everywhere? There must be good reason why it's like that.
 
A newish "thing" where I live is young, overweight teens/twentysomethings using the motorized carts to do their shopping. I guess that walk to the cookie aisle can get pretty tiring.
 
Sidewalk is right word for it, always learning more.. damn, I have long way to go when it's about english :) I know it's really rare in US. Car focused country, big wide roads everywhere? There must be good reason why it's like that.
It depends on where you live. In Colorado there are sidewalks and dedicated parks/greenspace everywhere. In Georgia where I live, there are local politicians who literally campaign on stopping sidewalk development as a waste of money.
 
I found this Video tonight from 09/06/19.

If our society ate healthier, IMO we would see far fewer "pre-existing conditions" to worry about, and maybe healthcare would be less of a burden. That's how I see it anyway.

I agree with this Cap'n. But of course, finding the solution is always trickier than identifying the problem.

The cost of good food has gone up significantly, outpacing wages. So, after you tackle the cultural issues we have with eating (HUGE portions, ALL YOU CAN EAT, 99 cent any size soda!!, Baconators, deep fried Mars bars, etc), you need to address the fact that rich people will be able to eat better, be healthier, live longer, etc. If a single mom can only afford to feed her family a box of mac n cheese, rather than a roast beef dinner, well...how do we address that? I mean, if keeping people healthier costs the country less in the long run, doesn't that make a good conservative case for ensuring that folks eat healthy, whether they can afford to or not? What subsidy options accompany this challenge? How do you actually make it happen?
 
I agree with this Cap'n. But of course, finding the solution is always trickier than identifying the problem.

The cost of good food has gone up significantly, outpacing wages. So, after you tackle the cultural issues we have with eating (HUGE portions, ALL YOU CAN EAT, 99 cent any size soda!!, Baconators, deep fried Mars bars, etc), you need to address the fact that rich people will be able to eat better, be healthier, live longer, etc. If a single mom can only afford to feed her family a box of mac n cheese, rather than a roast beef dinner, well...how do we address that? I mean, if keeping people healthier costs the country less in the long run, doesn't that make a good conservative case for ensuring that folks eat healthy, whether they can afford to or not? What subsidy options accompany this challenge? How do you actually make it happen?

Fresh food, i.e. food one has to cook themselves, is not that expensive. It does take an effort to locate and then cook it yourself though.

True, one may not be able to afford steak, and other "fine" foods on a regular basis...so what's wrong with eating liver, chicken, hamburger meat, fresh vegetables, etc.?

Most of the expense is buying packaged foods, and thinking food from a fast food outlet is "cheaper" and better than just buying the stuff raw and preparing it yourself. In fact, the mere effort of going shopping regularly helps keep one healthy and active.

Yes, you actually have to use pots and pans and then clean them. Yes, you have to store, clean, and prepare the food yourself. To have a good eye for bargains and to avoid "bad" foods. But they are still available.

I haven't been to NYC lately, so I don't know if this is still true in that overly expensive "hive." But at least up in Harlem there were lots of little grocery stores where one could get fresh foods, or go to a butcher-shop for fresh meats. Even the larger stores still have butchers and fresh food aisles.

So no, you can't "pig-out" at McDonalds on Happy Meals, you have to stay within a budget and cook fresh foods you can afford. BIMHO, eating more salads would do a world of good for some people. ;)
 
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Sidewalk is right word for it, always learning more.. damn, I have long way to go when it's about english :) I know it's really rare in US. Car focused country, big wide roads everywhere? There must be good reason why it's like that.
Mostly because America was huge and the people and borders were -well few. Vast wide spaces filled with acres of prairie, forest, snow, desert. If you ran out of land, you moved west, knocked the trees and the natives aside, and voila more land! We even occasionally bribed people to emigrate with guess what? Acres of land! Cities and towns just stretched their boundaries, annexed new land, incorporated the suburbs. Building 'big' and wealth were synonymous The notion of 'land use planning' came very very late to the party over here compared to Europe.

The automobile binge was the same. There never a disincentive to making more, selling more, building wider roads ( Trucks soon eclipsed trains as the main method to move products both in the cities and between them) , more parking, more gas stations. Everything about the car, bus, and truck represented modernization, wealth and steady jobs and more than almost any other invention except maybe the telephone, it facilitated our immense economic productivity both in rural and urban centers through the end of the twentieth century . 'More' was always better than less for 200 plus years.
 
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Fresh food, i.e. food one has to cook themselves, is not that expensive. It does take an effort to locate and then cook it yourself though.

True, one may not be able to afford steak, and other "fine" foods on a regular basis...so what's wrong with eating liver, chicken, hamburger meat, fresh vegetables, etc.?

Most of the expense is buying packaged foods, and thinking food from a fast food outlet is "cheaper" and better than just buying the stuff raw and preparing it yourself. In fact, the mere effort of going shopping regularly helps keep one healthy and active.

Yes, you actually have to use pots and pans and then clean them. Yes, you have to store, clean, and prepare the food yourself. To have a good eye for bargains and to avoid "bad" foods. But they are still available.

I haven't been to NYC lately, so I don't know if this is still true in that overly expensive "hive." But at least up in Harlem there were lots of little grocery stores where one could get fresh foods, or go to a butcher-shop for fresh meats. Even the larger stores still have butchers and fresh food aisles.

So no, you can't "pig-out" at McDonalds on Happy Meals, you have to stay within a budget and cook fresh foods you can afford. BIMHO, eating more salads would do a world of good for some people. ;)

I hear you... :) But:

USDA Defines Food Deserts | American Nutrition Association

What groceries are driving up your food bills? A look at the Top 20

Understand, I agree with you, we should be aiming to make people healthier, in both our countries. Talking how to overcome obstacles is part of how to get there. There does appear to be a correlation between the rise in prices over the years, the rise of food deserts, and obesity. But if that's a result of poor social planning, which ultimately appears to be a root cause, if not the root cause, then that's where the work needs to start. After it is demonstrable that there are no barriers to healthy eating, irrespective of address or class, then we can pick on the fatties... ;) :)
 
1. This is 2019. We as a society have agreed that there should be NO shaming of any gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality -- or people who are plus-sized.

2. We should, however, continue an educational campaign to educate people about being excessively overweight.

a. I have read that actually being TOO skinny may be dangerous while undergoing a medical procedure, for example.


3. Personally, I have learned that if a person truly wants to lose weight without too much effort, do a few things: Knock off too much ice cream, soda, cakes, pies; get a little more exercise (can't you walk up two flights of stairs instead of taking an elevator?); cut back on the junk food such as potato chips. That's about it.

4. Within a few months, you will be as pleased as punch with your weight. And you will start getting verbal compliments or at least admiring looks from other people.

5. Above all, a person will like him-, herself better. (Or more accurately, s/he will dislike her-, himself less.)
 
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It also increases the availability of affordable housing. Most of European city centres are mixed-use development, it just makes the most sense unless NIMBYs get involved.

Calories and diet play the biggest role in controlling weight, that is something that needs to be taught in school. When I was a kid I did not do much physical activity as there was nothing to do, if you wanted to do anything you had to drive somewhere. Now that I live in a city I at least have to walk everywhere.

When I was a kid, I was always outside playing and running around. didn't need to drive anywhere, although we did for more sports and activities.
Mixed housing to make affordable units available is a big problem to tackle, with wealth gaps increasing.
 
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