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Mainly, I want to address the anti-American sentiment I’m seeing in webmastr’s posts.
First off, webmastr presents himself as some kind of “citizen of the world” by virtue of his travels, thus qualifying him to judge all the nations of the world. “Fat Americans” seem particularly hideous in his eyes.
I’ve traveled around quite a bit too. A lot of my traveling was while I was in the military, which meant I was often on American bases while abroad; but I also got off base and into society, observed, and even lived in the local societies in some cases. And in some cases I went abroad on business trips or as part of cultural exchanges. I spent six-month tours in each of the following: Japan, Korea, Okinawa, and Germany. I spent shorter times (six weeks to two months) in the Philippines, Australia, and the old Soviet Union. I’ve also traveled on short trips around other parts of the Far East, the central part of Western Europe, and Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
What are my own observations? Yes, I agree that there’s a stereotype that Americans are generally a bit beefier, stockier, and broader than citizens most other nations. Big deal. That’s on a par with the stereotype that Europeans are jaded, don’t shower enough, and have bad teeth. There’s more than a kernel of truth to both stereotypes, but those stereotypes shouldn’t define a country or give anyone reason to dislike their people abroad.
Okay, so the U.S. is in the lead of most industrialized nations in terms of percentage of citizens who are obese. (Although, for example, West Germany is close behind, and East Germany is ahead of us - here are some stats: http://www.obesite.chaire.ulaval.ca/IOTF.htm – see the tables mid-way down the page).
Nonetheless, having traveled quite a bit, I’m much less concerned by obesity in America than I am by some cultural manifestations I’ve seen outside America: Cultural homogeneity and collective mentalities; lack of regard for individual rights and minorities; lackluster economic structures which artificially keep citizens poorer, and so on. All told, I think that focusing on obesity as a reason to dislike America is a red herring. webmastr, if you intend to express your dislike for America, then I would think you could find a better reason.
And is obesity such a sin? It’s true that it’s an accelerating problem, especially among children. Kids are spending more and more time in sedentary pursuits (TV, video games, and surfing the net) at the expense of sports. It’s also true that there are financial and health costs related to rising obesity. On the other hand, obesity is still not a national crisis by a long shot. At the national level, life expectancies continue to rise in America due to better eating habits overall (even among the obese) and medical advances. Obesity is a quality-of-life issue for the individual, but it’s not a national crisis.
Should it become a national crisis, there are remedies. In the sixties, the American government pushed for more exercise and better health in schools and other venues, and it resulted in improved health (universal phys-ed classes in schools, fitness councils, etc.). In the eighties, the government pushed for improvements in geriatric health, and there were improvements there as well (increased awareness that old people could maintain their health into their later years, malls opening early so that old folks can do group walks in them in inclement weather, and so on). Should obesity eventually be deemed a national crisis, there are a number of ways to address the problem on multiple levels—individually, socially, and through the government.
webmastr, you say that you don’t like obese people who whine about being obese and then do nothing about it. Fine, neither do I. However, people all over the world whine about lots of things and do nothing about them. Why focus on obesity? And why put down all of America because of that one aspect?
I can understand that you are struck by the difference in the weights of citizens when you travel from the Far East (with a low incidence of obesity) to America (with one of the higher percentages in the world). But when I travel the reverse route, I too am struck by a number of cultural and social aspects of life in the Far East which I perceive as negative and even harmful. But at least I have the good sense not to make a fool of myself ranting about them publicly and taking the problems personally. I take each country as it comes (when in Rome, make like a Roman), and I don’t expect those countries to be and act and live like Americans.
Meantime, I’m an American. I’m a big, strong, beefy, healthy, solid bastard myself, and I LIKE “excess, waste, and gluttony.” Yes, we have a higher percentage of obese people here then elsewhere, and some of them even whine about it a bit. But I don’t consider it a major inconvenience or a reason to dislike America.
If you are having such an unpleasant experience in America due to the minor cultural aspect of weight differences between countries, then you can solve the problem yourself: Please limit your travels to destinations outside our borders.