just something I've noticed
Sep. 16th, 2003 01:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dotintheskyI had to go to Camden Town this morning, to drop more handouts at the printer. It's beautiful outside but I had to go underground and take the Tube.
The seats were full so I had to stand. I stood near a woman holding a little girl. The woman said to another woman, in an american accent, "mom, we get off the next stop." The train stopped, they stood up and left. They were huge.
Now, there's something I've been noticing lately which I find quite strange: everytime I see a morbidly obese person, they always turn out to be American. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans visiting London, and they come in all shapes and sizes. But, but, but... I've never seen a morbidly obese person who was not American.
You might be wondering why I find it strange. If someone is fat, who cares except that person? It's nobody's business. I know that, and I agree with that. But, just out of curiosity, I'm interested in this phenomenon (and it is a phenomenon - there are even books about it) because it does represent, maybe symbolically, the dark side of America's culture: on one hand, excess, indulgence, lack of control; on the other hand, hopelessness, the individual as a freak show, sadness. In one way or another, those are feelings and notions which I attach to America nowadays. Could it be that unhealthy lifestyles and a drift away from a more integrated life with nature is the result of this - the ultimate result of industrialization? Is it an example of what can happen to capitalist cultures that have strayed too far away from a point where care for the individual is a priority? Or is it just an example of a society where creature comforts are more valued than simple things like exercise and healthy eating?
I've been to a few cities in America (Athens Georgia, New York City, various parts of Florida, Buffalo New York, Hampstead Massachussets) and I know they are all very distinct from each other... still, some cultural similarities can be drawn which hold the American people together and make them stand out from the rest of the world. Morbid obesity just might be one of the most glaring ones , something that is becoming more noticeable to the rest of the world.
The seats were full so I had to stand. I stood near a woman holding a little girl. The woman said to another woman, in an american accent, "mom, we get off the next stop." The train stopped, they stood up and left. They were huge.
Now, there's something I've been noticing lately which I find quite strange: everytime I see a morbidly obese person, they always turn out to be American. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans visiting London, and they come in all shapes and sizes. But, but, but... I've never seen a morbidly obese person who was not American.
You might be wondering why I find it strange. If someone is fat, who cares except that person? It's nobody's business. I know that, and I agree with that. But, just out of curiosity, I'm interested in this phenomenon (and it is a phenomenon - there are even books about it) because it does represent, maybe symbolically, the dark side of America's culture: on one hand, excess, indulgence, lack of control; on the other hand, hopelessness, the individual as a freak show, sadness. In one way or another, those are feelings and notions which I attach to America nowadays. Could it be that unhealthy lifestyles and a drift away from a more integrated life with nature is the result of this - the ultimate result of industrialization? Is it an example of what can happen to capitalist cultures that have strayed too far away from a point where care for the individual is a priority? Or is it just an example of a society where creature comforts are more valued than simple things like exercise and healthy eating?
I've been to a few cities in America (Athens Georgia, New York City, various parts of Florida, Buffalo New York, Hampstead Massachussets) and I know they are all very distinct from each other... still, some cultural similarities can be drawn which hold the American people together and make them stand out from the rest of the world. Morbid obesity just might be one of the most glaring ones , something that is becoming more noticeable to the rest of the world.
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no subject
on 2003-09-17 01:53 am (UTC)I agree with your statement: "The primary health concern of society should be obesity because of the predominance of heart disease in modern society"... and also that people need to get exercise. But, as for food being cheap, it's not true for the 3rd world! I come from Brasil, and my family lives in a fairly small countryside city (500,000). The majority of the population is working class - they work long hours, long shifts, they don't have the time to eat healthyly everyday. When it comes to fatty rich food, they are a quick and cheap alternative that people in Brasil find for their meals. I take walks through my city and I see so many unhealthy looking people, with awful skin, and in many ways they are becoming like the U.S. There's also the question of people having lost the tradition of cooking together, of passing down to younger generations the recipes for good dishes. If you ask any teenager what they like eating (irrespective of their class) they'll tell you that it's junk food.
no subject
on 2003-09-17 09:19 am (UTC)My mom's family comes from this small village (not the city I mentioned earlied), very agrarian. They eat everything fried in pig's fat, which is very bad! But before, they used to climb a mountain in the morning, taking the cows, etc, and climb it down in the evening... they were like stick figures. Now, because the culture of the area is changing, they don't execise anymore but still eat everything in pig's fat. Result: everyone dropping dead from heart attacks in their early 50s.
no subject
on 2003-09-19 01:10 am (UTC)do you exercise or practice any sport?
no subject
on 2003-09-21 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-22 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-22 08:19 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-23 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-24 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-24 08:15 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-25 01:27 am (UTC)pull your trousers down and bend over.
no subject
on 2003-09-26 01:29 am (UTC)I sure will
WACK
no subject
on 2003-09-26 08:00 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-26 09:28 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-09-26 09:33 am (UTC)and jimbo jimbo jimbo
*sticks tongue out*