# Stop feeding your kid!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157 "2006-08-03T05:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/241 "2006-08-05T13:46:10Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Well, in the case of your family, i’m sure you’re right. They do share your genes, after all. Hardy har har. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/242 "2006-08-05T16:08:52Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The liberal elite believe poor people are “disadvantaged,” and are poor through no fault of their own. They’re “victims” of discrimination, Big Business, Evil Republicans, or whatever. But based on my observations of family and acquaintances who have been chronically poor, _ **all** _ of them were lazy, irresponsible, and immature. IMO it is 100% their own fault that they are chronically poor. Sorry, dude, but you sound like a freakin’ moron. Just like your thin compatriots, Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Fowlhell. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/243 "2006-08-05T16:26:10Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Sorry, dude, but you sound like a freakin’ moron. Just like your thin compatriots, Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Fowlhell. Bad assumption, dude. Can’t stand either of them. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/244 "2006-08-05T16:26:42Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > **Klaatu** : > > The liberal elite believe poor people are “disadvantaged,” and are poor through no fault of their own. They’re “victims” of discrimination, Big Business, Evil Republicans, or whatever. But based on my observations of family and acquaintances who have been chronically poor, _ **all** _ of them were lazy, irresponsible, and immature. IMO it is 100% their own fault that they are chronically poor. I guess we can then conclude that you are a complete anal-retentive asshole by your own fault? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/245 "2006-08-05T16:28:14Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Food is the only thing that makes me high. It’s the only thing that has any glow about it, any life or excitement or anticipation. Without it, I have nothing. Pretty sad, but not uncommon. You’ve identified the problem, which is a great first step. The second step is to develop a desire to change. It’s a difficult one, and maybe one that you’re unwilling to take. That’s understandable, if not healthy. But if you want to get over that, then do so. It’s hard, but rewarding. The third step is to understand that you can empower yourself to enact changes. People do it every day. No, it’s not easy at all, despite what the “simple” folk tell you. But it’s possible, and probably easier than you think. You just have to be willing to take baby steps. The fourth step is to avail yourself of the many resources out there. It’s like digging through a pile of shit to find a diamond, but the diamonds are in there. You just have to recognize shit for the shit that it is. Consider psychological help (in whichthere is no shame), your local hospital (which likely has affordable weightloss programs), and me. My e-mail address should be in my profile, and I’m free. 😃 Many more steps follow, but here is the final one: Ignore the voices of unreason. **Crafter\_Man** is one. He may think he’s a voice of wisdom, but he’s really a voice of destruction. Ignore him. He’s a moron. Ignore the voices of morons. They only do harm. I honestly hope to hear from you personally, though I suspect I won’t. But I’d love to try to help. It’ll do me as much good as I hope it’ll do you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/246 "2006-08-05T16:29:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Bad assumption, dude. Can’t stand either of them. Funny, you sound like both of them. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/247 "2006-08-05T16:43:05Z")
[QUOTE=Little Plastic Ninja Add to that the fact that most people never actually learned to cook. Boys tend to think it’s sissy and girl’s work, and a girl will often only learn to cook if her mother is capable and feels like teaching her. You can live very well on beans and rice and corn and green peppers and tomatoes, major staples for poor people down here, but only if you know what to do with them. And unless you’re a good cook – and you can’t be a good cook without practice – the stuff you get from McDonalds and everywhere else just tastes so much better. [/QUOTE] Also, poor people are often steep into the tradition of “quantity over quality”. Poorer people tend to excentuate how much they have. If you go over their house for dinner, they will pile your plate high…and you bet your bottom dollar that little of the offerings will be mistaken for “rabbit food”. The food will all be heavy and rich, covered in cheese and dripping with grease. You will be offered beer or soda. The hosts will encourage you to take seconds and insist you take food home. If you eat dinner at a rich friend’s house, though, you will see that the effort has been diverted into appearance and quality. The salad will be colorful, the entree will be delicately arranged, perhaps served with exotic sauce or seasoning, and the dessert will be more refreshing than filling (gelatin instead of pudding…Italian cookies instead of a big slab of chocolate cake.) There won’t be a lot of left-overs. You will be offered tea or wine. The way you were raised has a big impact on what you eat as an adult. Both of my parents grew up in poor/working-class, and the result is that as adults, they served only canned vegetables with dinner To this day, I’m wary of vegetables, and I blame years of canned spinach, canned asparagus (ugh!), canned peas, and canned green beans. I’m trying to change this aversion by eating fresh or frozen, but it’s been hard. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/248 "2006-08-05T16:44:24Z")
> [@Little Plastic Ninja](#): > > Add to that the fact that most people never actually learned to cook. Boys tend to think it’s sissy and girl’s work, and a girl will often only learn to cook if her mother is capable and feels like teaching her. You can live very well on beans and rice and corn and green peppers and tomatoes, major staples for poor people down here, but only if you know what to do with them. And unless you’re a good cook – and you can’t be a good cook without practice – the stuff you get from McDonalds and everywhere else just tastes so much better. Also, poor people are often steeped in the tradition of “quantity over quality”. Poorer people tend to excentuate how much they have. If you go over their house for dinner, they will pile your plate high…and you bet your bottom dollar that little of the offerings will be mistaken for “rabbit food”. The food will all be heavy and rich, covered in cheese and dripping with grease. You will be offered beer or soda. The hosts will encourage you to take seconds and insist you take food home. If you eat dinner at a rich friend’s house, though, you will see that the effort has been diverted into appearance and quality. The salad will be colorful, the entree will be delicately arranged, perhaps served with exotic sauce or seasoning, and the dessert will be more refreshing than filling (gelatin instead of pudding…Italian cookies instead of a big slab of chocolate cake.) There won’t be a lot of left-overs. You will be offered tea or wine. The way you were raised has a big impact on what you eat as an adult. Both of my parents grew up in poor/working-class, and the result is that as adults, they served only canned vegetables with dinner To this day, I’m wary of vegetables, and I blame years of canned spinach, canned asparagus (ugh!), canned peas, and canned green beans. I’m trying to change this aversion by eating fresh or frozen, but it’s been hard. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/249 "2006-08-05T16:58:39Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The way you were raised has a big impact on what you eat as an adult. Both of my parents grew up in poor/working-class, and the result is that as adults, they served only canned vegetables with dinner To this day, I’m wary of vegetables, and I blame years of canned spinach, canned asparagus (ugh!), canned peas, and canned green beans. I’m trying to change this aversion by eating fresh or frozen, but it’s been hard. I agree. My mother would feed me canned spinach when I was young. I learned to absolutely \*hate \* spinach. It wasn’t until I was in my early 30s that I began to eat it again, primarily because I learned that spinach tastes great if it is fresh and properly prepared. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/250 "2006-08-05T17:01:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I guess we can then conclude that you are a complete anal-retentive asshole by your own fault? Mmm. And I attacked you _how_, Guin? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/251 "2006-08-05T17:04:49Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Also, poor people are often (big snip) Sorry to stop you there, but something has been bugging me in this thread. Yes, I believe that poverty plays a big part (har!) in the obesity epidemic, but it isn’t the be all and end all of the problem. Yes, I see a lot of morbidly obese people in my job, and the poor and poorly educated are overly represented. But I’d hate to see obesity misrepresented as a class issue, or a partisan issue, or of course a moral issue. It cuts across all boundries. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/252 "2006-08-05T17:04:59Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > And with enough “determination” people should just be able to “snap out of” depression too right? > > **Diosmo** started getting a light bulb moment when she nicely asked another poster about her relationship with food. I wish I could find the post that **Manda Jo** wrote about pain and the lengths people will go to to avoid it. > > NO one is saying “oh, these other factors exist, and therefore it is impossible to lose weight”. We’re saying "if it is as simple as eat less/exercise more (the most useless mantra on earth) then 60% of our country would NOT be overweight. Therefore, there are factors in this obesity epidemic that are NOT being addressed. > > If they were, we would not be having this problem. And telling America’s obese “get off your ass and stop eating” obviously is not WORKING. You all know what the definition of insanity is right? If you keep doing the same thing, expecting a different result. Well, the shaming, the blaming and the judging are NOT working to cure this problem. > > Talk about simple! This is far more easily (or SHOULD be) understood than the stupid “eat less” mantra. > > People! We’ve been villifying fat people and telling them what to do to “get over it and lose weight” for several decades now. And is it working? NO! > > Is it not yet piercing the void that perhaps there needs to be SOME other method of curing this problem? We obviously are NOT doing what works (and no, constantly spouting “Damn fat people, it really IS as simple as eat less/exercise more” is not WORKING). > > So, do we want to fix it? Or do you just want to be right? If you really and truly want it fixed, open your minds a bit and start understanding that it is much more complicated than simple calories in=calories out. > > If you were talking about a machine yeah. We’re not, we’re talking about humans with human emotions and human failings. You can scream “yeah butt!!! they are fat and disgusting and need to stop EATING” until you are blue in the face, and you’ll be technically correct (oh yay :rolleyes: ). > > But. > > This does not, and WILL not solve the problem. > PERIOD. Okay, so what do you suggest? I’m willing to listen. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/253 "2006-08-05T17:10:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I agree. My mother would feed me canned spinach when I was young. I learned to absolutely \*hate \* spinach. It wasn’t until I was in my early 30s that I began to eat it again, primarily because I learned that spinach tastes great if it is fresh and properly prepared. I was prepared to ignore your ignorant ranting in the rest of this thread, but you have at long last said something intelligent. I loves me some fresh spinach! I’m not so keen on the raw stuff, but wilted in a little olive oil, it’s great food. A little lemon juice or balsamic vinegar spices it up just right. For an unhealthy treat (once in a great while), I add a sprinkle of (non-canned) parm and some slivered almonds. Food of the gods! And how about that saag paneer, eh? It doesn’t get much better than that. I loves me some yum. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/254 "2006-08-05T17:19:00Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Okay, so what do you suggest? I’m willing to listen. Not that I can improve on her excellent post, but I’ll give it a shot. How about recognizing that the fat problem is more complex than “eat less, exercise more”? Then learning the facts and ignoring the garbage? Then ignoring the naysayers? And finally tying these things to actions? Seriously, dude, I owe you a great deal of gratitude – you gave me the push over the edge to take action. I can’t thank you enough for that. Take pride in the fact that you’ve pushed at least one Doper to get healthy. That’s a great thing. 🆒 But also realize that part of my taking action was to educate myself on the issue, and it’s been a long road. And one of the things I learned was that there is a whole lot more to it than “eat less, exercise more.” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/255 "2006-08-05T18:27:09Z")
Funny enough, as a child, I loved canned spinach with butter. But I hated canned peas or canned corn-still do. Now I prefer my spinach raw. My point, **Crafter Man** , is that you keep standing there, looking down on everyone else, and saying, “Well, I did it, so it’s easy!” No. The formula for losing weight is simple, as in uncomplicated-less calories, more exercise, etc. BUT, just because something is simple doesn’t mean that it’s _easy_. People need to work at it. Perhaps you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you immediately dismiss them as lazy/stupid/whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/256 "2006-08-05T19:01:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > My point, **Crafter Man** , is… **Guin** : you didn’t answer my question. You called me an “asshole”. Why? Because \*my \* opinion happens to be different from \*your \* opinion? So you’re saying it’s O.K. for me to call you a !@#$% idiot because \*my \* opinion happens to be different from \*your \* opinion? Yea yea, I \*know \* this is The Pit, and such behavior is allowed. But just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s necessary. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/257 "2006-08-05T19:14:59Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Sorry to stop you there, but something has been bugging me in this thread. Yes, I believe that poverty plays a big part (har!) in the obesity epidemic, but it isn’t the be all and end all of the problem… . > > But I’d hate to see obesity misrepresented as a class issue, or a partisan issue, or of course a moral issue. It cuts across all boundries. That’s true, but I do think that the reasons behind poor people’s fatness explains much of American obesity in general. Most of us come from poor/working class backgrounds. “Middle America”, if it exists, comes from more of a commoner background than elite. And the “quantity over quality” ethos is exhibited not only in our diets, but in our overconsumption in general. Perhaps this is a manifestation of a collective insecurity? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/258 "2006-08-05T19:30:16Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > You called me an “asshole”. Why? Because \*my \* opinion happens to be different from \*your \* opinion? Oh, come on. You’ve gone on and on calling people lazy and stupid, and when someone calls you on it, suddenly you’re not allowed to express your opinion? Oh, poor you. You might want to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps instead of playing the “pity poor me” card. But I do respect your opinion on spinach. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/259 "2006-08-05T19:44:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > That’s true, but I do think that the reasons behind poor people’s fatness explains much of American obesity in general. Most of us come from poor/working class backgrounds. “Middle America”, if it exists, comes from more of a commoner background than elite. And the “quantity over quality” ethos is exhibited not only in our diets, but in our overconsumption in general. I think you’re onto something here, but I wouldn’t rule out that there’s more to it than that. I think a huge part of it is because of our busy lifestyles. Despite all of our modern conveniences, we have less free time than ever before. Less time to exercise, less time to food shop, and less time to cook. And we’re surrounded by low energy and high calorie solutions to these problems. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/260 "2006-08-05T20:33:11Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Oh, come on. You’ve gone on and on calling people lazy and stupid, and when someone calls you on it, suddenly you’re not allowed to express your opinion? Oh, poor you. Um, see if you can follow me here. It’s my \*opinion \* that most (not _all_) chronically poor people are lazy and irresponsible. Your opinion may be different. It may be the complete opposite. _Fine_. But note I have made no personal attacks… I have not called anyone in this thread an asshole, cunt, or whore because their opinion is different from mine. But according to the Rules of Guin, any opinion that is different from hers must be immediately countered with personal attacks w/ vulgarities. Carry on… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157.md?page=14)