I find that this creates sort of a trickle-down denial as well. People who are of height-weight proportion suddenly seem to be stick figures and I think those people (of which I am one) are at risk for thinking they have more leeway than they do. Hey, I wear a size 2 or 4; I must be pretty thin and a few pounds won’t make that much difference. The reality, on the other hand, is that I have about a 5-pound margin before I become overweight. I know enough about what I want for myself and what I am comfortable with to ignore the whole “Hey, doing better than the average American” aspect of it and keep my weight where I want it, but not everyone has those same priorities.
Based on my work with homeless families, I also think that part of the rationale behind fast food is that it’s a relatively low-cost way to provide a treat for the family that makes being poor sting less. I remember working with one family who consistently ran out of food towards the end of the month, but when they could afford it, they got some coupons for KFC and bought the Family Feast or whatever it was called. Yes, that $12.99 (pulling that figure out of the air) would have served them much better if they saved it up, but the instant gratification of both tasty food and happy kids won out over the long-term goals.
I’m not sure about your first question, but they’re probably well labeled and the staff at the exit areas keeps an eye out for them. Also they do take info from you when you rent (look at ID, etc(.
As to your own chair, it’s behind a fenced off area in the separate line area, and away from the general public. There aren’t usually too many chair riders on any given ride at any specific time, so you may only have one or two people go by that area while you’re on the ride.
At least that’s my memory of it. It’s been a while.
Another thing I’ve noticed in recent years is more of the extra-wide wheelchairs at airports.
Btw, the obesity levels around the world… is there a chance that, say, Scotland has more people with a BMI of 30, but the US has more with BMIs greatly higher than that? So while they’d technically have a “higher rate of obesity” we’d still be the fatter country?
Why does seeing a lot of fat people at the mall make you want to shoot yourself in the head? I realize you’re being metaphorical but…is seeing a bunch of fat people in one place the worst thing that can ever happen in your life?
I can see it maybe making you want to shake your head or point and laugh but…really?
Like anything else, it’s an excuse perpetrated by the fat-apologists. The cold, hard reality is that most fat people actively shun healthy foods. Given a choice, most fat people will choose a half-pound bacon cheeseburger & large fries over a grilled chicken salad, even if the latter was free.
I feel like that’s part of a mentality of asking themselves “Where am I already?” and “How much more harm could I do?” so they have a strong urge to just say “Fuck it” and eat what they want because hey, they’re already fat.
There’s two large institutions of higher learning in the small town where I live; Cornell University and Ithaca College. It seems like there’s fewer overweight and obese students at Cornell compared to IC. A friend has a theory that its because if students had the mental discipline it takes to be accepted into an Ivy, they’re more likely to have the discipline to control their diet and stay fit.
Here in Ithaca, where the demographics are very similar to pre-gentrification Boulder, overweight people are uncommon. Two exceptions: African-American women and lesbians. Ithaca has one of the largest lesbian populations for a community its size in the United States, and pear-shaped butch women are as much a part of the landscape as vineyards, Cayuga Lake, and head shops.
Well, hopefully if someone swiped my rentascooter there would be a bench I can sit on while someone gets me a replacement … with the joint issues, I just don’t walk more than a few feet at a time normally. With my crutches on a good day I can do about 10 minutes of walking, then my body is thrashed for the next couple days.
I prefer good food, as an ex chef. unfortunately the Navy doctors decided that I was the typical navy wife looking for attention and pretty much refused to diagnose and treat me in the 3 years I was gaining 150 pounds, when it would have actually done me good … and my health went to hell until we found a civillian doc who actually listened and gave a shit.
I detest fast food, my breakfast is almost always oatmeal, my lunch is almost always a specific salad, dinner is my only wild card meal. Travel disrupts my food plan horribly =(
I’ve always been an extremely picky eater (Extremely) - and I never have any problem saying no to food. People get all kinds of bent out of shape about it, you’re right. I think it would be easier to lie, and say it’s a medical issue or an allergy or something like that.
Heh. So I was engaging in a bit of drunken over-the-topness, but seriously, it is sad to me when 80% of the people around you are morbidly obese and slow-moving. A few fat people? Whatever, I probably don’t even notice. When pretty much everyone is very, veryfat, children included, it really is sad and bothersome to me.
The obesity issue in America was well underway before the economy went into the tank in 2008. It might be a contributing factor, but I very much doubt it’s the primary factor.
I’ve always assumed I think New Yorkers aren’t fat because I only see the ones who are walking. The fat ones are probably taking cabs or cars or something.
It depends so much on where you are. I work at a Whole Foods in suburban Philadelphia (Phil. is one of the fattest cities in the nation); a majority of our customers are overweight to obese, which is typical for the general area. Plenty drive around the store on those scooters. The workers are a different story; we’re mostly fit, and many of us are usually slender (and most of us tend to be the type of hyperactive/energetic people who prefer to work an incessantly active job - I am a failed office worker, as are many of my co-workers I’ve discussed this with). But the fat ones are REALLY fat.
However if you go downtown to the Whole Foods on South Street (trendy hipster area) almost everyone who works there, and a huge majority of the clientele, is thin and very fit-looking.
