Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization

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TreSwank -> Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 1:34:29 PM)
In a quaint little Uzbekistan village, just a smidgeon south of the Aral Sea, a young, swarthy-faced boy named Shebani washes his face out of an old, leaky well-bucket. Shebani's life is arduous, living in such a socio-economically depressed shithole of a nation, but he manages to make it through the days with a blue-ribbon smile and a Ward Cleaver optimism that could melt almost anyone's heart. The boy is lean and almost devoid of excess body fat, owing to his days of physical labor - and he's pretty damn happy when there's work to be had in his homeland. Shebani always manages to take in a couple decent meals a day; lots of vegetable and stews, with a little bit of meat and bread to give him that kick of energy he needs to plow any arable land. Thousands of miles away, in the heart of Rosewood, Indiana, Jeanine Johnson sits at home, enamored by the velvet rope crowd on Entertainment Tonight, wondering how that tawdry bitch, Angelina Jolie, can keep such a traffic-stopping, sexpot figure. By now, Jeanine has finished her seventh glass of Diet Pepsi. She's been on her Lean Cuisine diet for four weeks, but still, those extra eighty pounds seem to be turning their middle-aged sojourn into a permanent residency. Jeanine thinks that all of the circumambulation she does as a Wal-Mart customer service representative SHOULD have burnt those stubborn calories away by now. Hell, she's even considered going to the doctor, because that extra pudge COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE HER OWN DOING. It's "obviously" her metabolism or an undiagnosed thyroid condition. Here we can sit and watch yet another example of America's Kaleidoscope vision. Over here, in the U.S., "responsibility for one's self" is an empty phrase.............a banality, in the same annals as, "How's the weather?", or "Have a good one!". Rationalization and neurosis are the rules of thumb for the average, bovine citizen of these "great states". Your weight isn't your own fault, Mrs. Johnson - it's a glandular disorder!!! Cardiovascular fitness? Overrated! Depressed, are we? Hand me my prescription pad!!!!! And the march of the blind goes on and on. How can we make any rational decisions regarding a war, when your individual, autonomous American can't even get their shit together?

newsub111 -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 1:42:48 PM)
Wow, have you had a bad day, or what?? Having said that I do agree with most of what you have said here, and I'm glad that you, as an american have said it, because if I, a brit had said it, we would probably be next on Mr Bush's visiting list!! Hope you have a nicer day tomorrow!

TreSwank -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 1:43:43 PM)
No............I'm always like this, with the exception of those cocktail-heavy nights out. Too much status quo, too much T.V., too many yuppies, too many rednecks, too many Starbucks, too many Wal-Marts, too much nasty food, too much American Idol, too much manufactured pop music; the list can go for decades.

topcat -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 3:22:39 PM)
Dear Swankster- on this one, science is on your side: http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2006/08/02/obese_americans_claim_to_eat_healthy.php Stay warm, Lawrence

LadyEllen -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 3:24:42 PM)
I take it your including yourself in the description "cant even get their shit together"? Well, at least thats what I understood to be the case from your recent health Seriously though, I always wondered (maybe there's a doc in the house who can answer this?) why not implant those wanting to (needing to) lose weight with worms? You know, the little (and sometimes large) worms that attach to the digestive tract and consume the host's food. They are responsible for malnutrition and so on in third world countries where they are rife, so they could surely work. Once the host has lost weight by dint of said worms, the worms can be expelled by way of the medicine they use to cure natural infestations. Daft? Or an idea worth millions? E

MsOpal -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 3:31:03 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyEllen I take it your including yourself in the description "cant even get their shit together"? Well, at least thats what I understood to be the case from your recent health Seriously though, I always wondered (maybe there's a doc in the house who can answer this?) why not implant those wanting to (needing to) lose weight with worms? You know, the little (and sometimes large) worms that attach to the digestive tract and consume the host's food. They are responsible for malnutrition and so on in third world countries where they are rife, so they could surely work. Once the host has lost weight by dint of said worms, the worms can be expelled by way of the medicine they use to cure natural infestations. Daft? Or an idea worth millions? E An idea actually whose time has come and gone. My grandmother who was a young adult in The Great Depression (so you get an idea of the era) actually told me about remembering when tapeworms were sold in pharmacies and ladies took them regularly to assist in weight control. After a month or whenever the pharmacist recommended she shold take a break, the lady would consume olive oil and mineral iol until said worm was uncerimoniously ejected (I never did ask just how the lady was sure it was out). MsOpal

LadyEllen -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 3:34:12 PM)
MsOpal - interesting! With all the genetic engineering we can do now, I wonder if we'll see a return of this, but with improvements? Mind you, it would have to get past the authorities I suppose, because these worms reproduce I understand, by way of breaking off and being expelled with faeces to be picked up by another host (human/animal). I guess this would have to be dealt with somehow as otherwise the water system could be rife with them! E

HydroMaster -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 4:08:33 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: newsub111 Wow, have you had a bad day, or what?? Having said that I do agree with most of what you have said here, and I'm glad that you, as an american have said it, because if I, a brit had said it, we would probably be next on Mr Bush's visiting list!! Hope you have a nicer day tomorrow! Hmm, showed interest in saying the original post....Can that be considered grounds for invasion...tempting. Well as a fat ass American, weighing in at a hefty 240, I have to agree that 90% of the overweight are that way due to lack of activity. But not me of course I have a underactive thyriod...lol...no. Personally I sit in an office 10-12 hours a day and once I get out exercise just isn't high in priority...rest, for the most far, is my happy place. The only thing that keeps me from ballooning into the visage of a certain well known troll is my diet....which closely resembles our Eastern European example. Want to eat healthy?...Come to West Virginia. Deer(venison, if you like) is some of the leanest meat there is, quite healthy, and it makes a tasty stew. Please take some of them off our hands....they're everywhere....throw a rock and you'll probably take one down. Walmart...shudders, that teeming mass of stupidity is definitely not a place to exercise.

athenaruls -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 4:18:38 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TreSwank Here we can sit and watch yet another example of America's Kaleidoscope vision. Over here, in the U.S., "responsibility for one's self" is an empty phrase.............a banality, in the same annals as, "How's the weather?", or "Have a good one!". Rationalization and neurosis are the rules of thumb for the average, bovine citizen of these "great states". And the march of the blind goes on and on. How can we make any rational decisions regarding a war, when your individual, autonomous American can't even get their shit together? I have to agree with TreSwank. But this isn't just about overweight people blaming their thyroid problem for their heftyness. It's about taking responsibilty for one's actions. Finding a scapegoat has almost become the norm. It's so and so's fault that I have a bad life. Boo hoo hoo. Then change it. People want pity, but they don't want to own up to their actions. TreSwank made a good point, though didn't use the greatest example.

cjenny -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 4:20:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MsOpal quote: ORIGINAL: LadyEllen I take it your including yourself in the description "cant even get their shit together"? Well, at least thats what I understood to be the case from your recent health Seriously though, I always wondered (maybe there's a doc in the house who can answer this?) why not implant those wanting to (needing to) lose weight with worms? You know, the little (and sometimes large) worms that attach to the digestive tract and consume the host's food. They are responsible for malnutrition and so on in third world countries where they are rife, so they could surely work. Once the host has lost weight by dint of said worms, the worms can be expelled by way of the medicine they use to cure natural infestations. Daft? Or an idea worth millions? E An idea actually whose time has come and gone. My grandmother who was a young adult in The Great Depression (so you get an idea of the era) actually told me about remembering when tapeworms were sold in pharmacies and ladies took them regularly to assist in weight control. After a month or whenever the pharmacist recommended she shold take a break, the lady would consume olive oil and mineral iol until said worm was uncerimoniously ejected (I never did ask just how the lady was sure it was out). MsOpal Squick squick. Squawk even. Squirmy but that makes me think wormy. I don't want dinner now lol. Hey new diet, just the threat of worms.. TS, that example you used made me realise just how happy everyone in Uzbekistan must be! Maybe all that happiness will help it become a tourist area where flabby americans with cameras around their necks can spend their annual 1 week vacation. Can't you just imagine Janine Johnson and hubby Brad scooping up handmade knicknacks for the Millers next door?

bludemonn -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 4:37:56 PM)
Actually Tres it was a great example but also an example of contrasting one society to yours, it dosent really work, abit like a Russian trying to translate into English, there is an understanding element missing. Some one from the states would never comprehend life in uzbekistan much the same the other way round a big problem when we see those charity commercials on TV designed to make us feel bad about our own society and it feeds off the basic emotions which is irresponsible to begin with. That expression springs to mind 'when in Rome do as Romans do' not 'when in Rome expect them to understand you cos they are people to arent they'. If i grew up in the U.S. say in the ghettos and all i knew was how to blast someone for being on my street would you expect me to comprehend another states way of life let alone another countries way of life? I dont think so.

juliaoceania -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 4:51:27 PM)
It is more complex than that. Most people do not understand that processed foods are killing them and if they ate whole natural foods and walked more they would lose weight We eat food devoid of nutritional value most of the time in this country. The South Beach diet talks about our addiction to carbs and the vicious cycle that happens because we are eating in an attempt to regulate our blood sugar. Now we as a nation were told not to eat "fat" for over a decade.. eat more carbs! They said... that advice got us nothing but fatter and fatter. It is not that we have character flaws, it is that we are being poisoned, and we do not even know it

HydroMaster -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 5:09:30 PM)
Nope, gonna have to disagree there. I eat very well. I do eat organic foods and avoid most anything processed. My issue is the lack of exercise...which is caused more by long work hours than bad habits. Hmm, new point. I think each of our arguements is oversimplifying the matter. It looks like each point has some validity but is only a piece of the pie...excuse the food reference.

sexyone4you -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 5:23:24 PM)
I think poisoned may be too strong a word here. Added preservatives certainly aren't the same as a healthy dose of arsenic. Anyone over the age ove 25 was raised with a shit ton of preservatives: mac & cheese, hot dogs, mcdonal's, and the list goes on. Some people are slender, some are more curvy. Sure metabolism has a lot to do with it. What some fail to realize is that many can increase their metabolism through diet & exercise. What struck me about your post, treswank, was about people taking responsibility for their actions. As an opinionated, overweight American, I have a hard time with anyone telling me how to live my life. Isn't that what you are doing here? And by telling me that I should try to lose weight, aren't you taking the responsibility from me? You would be my motivation, if I had a stake in what you said. By allowing you to decide I need to lose weight, then because of your words try to lose weight, I am a mindless drone. LOL, not a very good idea on your part there.

dcnovice -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 5:37:09 PM)
I was just thinking we really needed a new "fat" thread. It's been hours, at least, since the last one. They all have the same effect on me, which is to remind me of a bit of Native American wisdom: Walk a mile in someone's shoes before condemning him or her. When tempted to hold forth on the idiocy of, say, smoking (to pick a not-quite-random example), knowledge of my weight struggles reminds that many of us have demons and mental twists that cloud our decision-making.

pahunkboy -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 5:38:52 PM)
I vote the OP to get a 24 sex marathon! May his deepest climaxes shake and may he cum like a vulcano. We are fat due to processed foods and gluttony. We are fat- due to the fact that we are dehydrated- do not consume 90 oz of water a day. Not to worry- we are spreading our fatness around the world, so others can make mmoney for the pharma industry.

bludemonn -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 5:46:38 PM)
Also to be honest the U.S, is WAY too diverse to generalise, on one end of the scale you have the fat, lazy, un-motivated, un-educated, ignorant, self-opinionated, useless sack of shit (no offence to anyone out there) and at the opposite end you have the university grad, Marine type, industry growing, all sports, win win win ultra self motivated money orientated self-preserving, multi talented but all consuming character, its not fair to say say that the autonomous American cant get their shit together, perhaps having too much freedom will always allow this to happen, without regime you can 'choose' to be or do what you wish, you are taught to be proud of what you want and answer to no one, this will always be the type of philosophy that will produce the generation which you detest so much.

petdave -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 6:11:35 PM)
Again... medical degree, refund [8D] If someone has been tested for an obesity-related medical disorder, found to be "clean", and still insists that they have a medical disorder, they are not rationalizing, they are in denial. If they are diagnosed, then they have a problem. Having seen my wife gaining weight on roughly 700 calories and an hour of aerobic exercise per day (becoming slower and slower, because she was actually shaking from the exertion) before she finally went to the doctor and went on medication, i'm not impressed by your casual dismissal of thyroid problems. HERE is a rationalization for you. i've had it with getting shit over being fat. i'm a submissive male fetishist, so obviously 99% of my life is spent in a state of sexual frustration. i work 50-odd hours a week behind a desk, and ALL of the responsibility of home, land, vehicles, and pets are mine and mine alone, so i've got a "to-do" list from here to the end of the world. FOOD is the only simple pleasure i get, i despise exercise, and to hell with anyone that thinks i'm less of a person for it. Anyone who thinks i should panic over heart disease and whatnot obviously hasn't seen my retirement account or the way i ride my Suzuki, and if my pendulous gut offends thee, then feel free to pluck out thine eyes. Skinny bastids. [:@] ...dave P.S. And if Shebani had REAL work ethic, he'd get his skinny native-boy ass to Thailand or the States, rent it out to some older pervs, and buy himself a Playstation and some indoor plumbing.

pahunkboy -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/14/2007 6:18:12 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: juliaoceania It is more complex than that. Most people do not understand that processed foods are killing them and if they ate whole natural foods and walked more they would lose weight We eat food devoid of nutritional value most of the time in this country. The South Beach diet talks about our addiction to carbs and the vicious cycle that happens because we are eating in an attempt to regulate our blood sugar. Now we as a nation were told not to eat "fat" for over a decade.. eat more carbs! They said... that advice got us nothing but fatter and fatter. It is not that we have character flaws, it is that we are being poisoned, and we do not even know it Processed foods are in fact -- bad. When possible eat fresher foods. Most of all CHUG WATER all day long- and flush the toxins. The food industry wants you to reach for a coke-pepsi. 70% of ppl are dehydrated. 5-40 lbs of you is crud in the colon. shtt. a colon clense 2x a year is a must. Jesus Christ did not eat at McDonalds nor did he drink Pepsi. Case proved.

MsStick -> RE: Overweight Americans: Masters of Rationalization (2/15/2007 4:53:46 AM)
Don't feckin kid yourself - if Shebani was handed the twinkies and fizzies and McRot that Jeanine consumes on an hourly basis he'd be lapping it up in no time. It's not just America, obesity in Irish kids is an ever growing problem: though US citizens are truly leading the world in phenomenal-fat-assed-over-indulgence-with-blind-justification-blinkers-on tendencies. Isn't it just giggly great how Ireland, UK, Europe, Japan, and far too many more are dropping their traditional cultures, diets, and even languages and fast following suit into the hamburger fuelled highway that is American life?!

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