tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3862216000300765627.post314853790551650979..comments2024-01-16T03:42:46.705-05:00Comments on The Downward Spiral: Being Poor is Killing Off White Americans--ReallyBill Hickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551954408189665078noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3862216000300765627.post-16218049811512619242012-09-23T11:48:43.879-04:002012-09-23T11:48:43.879-04:00All the 'contributing factors' mentioned c...All the 'contributing factors' mentioned can be blamed on the poor. It's written that they die earlier because they take drugs, they smoke, they're fat, and they can't afford health care.<br /><br />These do play into it, definitely. But the big smoking gun is diet, and this is well-known. It's not really how much they eat, but what they eat. And that is getting to a systems issue - not a personal choice issue. Even 'liberal' rags like the NYT are completely devoted to the corporate industrial monstrosity we've created. Deep-rooted systemic issues are conveniently forgotten, because to do so is to question the economic structure that everyone relies on (not to mention the ad revenues of specific clients).<br /><br />But here's the deal: we create sheety food that is completely foreign to the Earth except in the past 50 years, we market the pea-huck out of it 24/7, and we foist it on the most vulnerable both economically and intellectually. All the while, some of our largest corporations (and their shareholders) rake in obscene profits off of this system.<br /><br />The fact that the poorest inevitably develop health issues because of it isn't even a concern. The system can figure out ways to sell the masses pharmaceuticals. Maybe they can force them to buy into the health insurance industry when they're healthy and young by governmental regulation, and then cover the ridiculously high pharma prices when they're older by governmental subsidies.<br /><br />And after all, it's their own fault for being fat, stupid, and poor - the classic American mythos. And the industrial system is providing what they want, anyway - cheap food, all because of the wonders of capitalism.<br /><br />Now here's a TV program featuring Bill Cosby doing the voice of Fat Albert, brought to you by Coke.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3862216000300765627.post-57353279112215812412012-09-23T09:55:56.275-04:002012-09-23T09:55:56.275-04:00The did sort of hint at it by mentioning "ris...The did sort of hint at it by mentioning "rising obesity," but you're right, they didn't explain the biggest reason WHY obesity is so prevalent among the poor.Bill Hickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17551954408189665078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3862216000300765627.post-17490151005171851732012-09-22T18:39:28.103-04:002012-09-22T18:39:28.103-04:00It's our diet. Cheaper foods are highly proces...It's our diet. Cheaper foods are highly processed. It's little better than poison, and with GMOs it's only getting worse.<br /><br />To eat the healthy, organic whole foods that we evolved on requires the means to do so. Or, one can go to the 7-11 and buy a Coke and a bag of chips. <br /><br />The rise in obesity is only a part of it. These foods create nutrient deficiencies as well, and the chemical herbicides and pesticides play havoc in the body over time, too.<br /><br />GMOS are worse. We're engaged in a nationwide experiment on a genetic level:<br />http://geneticroulettemovie.com/<br /><br />Our industrial-agricultural system is the cause. The 1970s saw a dramatic shift in the way we produce food (Earl Butz) with policies which were a weird mix of free market ideology and heavy government subsidization. One (and the intended) result was a dramatic drop in the cost of food. But over time, it has also led to increasing cases of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and so on.<br /><br />People that are poor buy the cheapest (and worst) food, therefore they have shortened lifespans. It's a shame the article didn't mention that - but I'm not surprised. The media is simply the propagandizer of the industrial system, and the New York Times has a leading role in that function.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com