Hollywood Up in Smoke

FrontPageMag.com ^ | November 30, 2001 | Larry Elder

[Radioheart]

Hollywood Up in Smoke
By Larry Elder

Why have we demonized smoking, while erecting a no-fly zone over obesity? continue…

[Helix]

Thanks for the link. What an interesting comparison.

[Leisler]

Round up the chubbies!

[AzSteven]

What a load of dung. Obesity is not always (not even often) a case of somebody who just eats too much and exercises too little. Chemcial and hormonal imbalances, diabetes and mental problems are far more likely culprits.

Last I checked, tobacco is not something you MUST consume to live, unlike food. Typical cr*p hyperbole.

Disclaimer - This should not be construed to mean I support the war on tobacco. I agree it should not be sold to minors, and I like the concept of non-smoking restaurants, but demonizing smokers is pretty silly overall. The idea of fining people for tobacco smoke emanating from their private property is so ridiculous that I literally laughed when I heard that news report.

[Gabz]

Great Article!!!!

[AzSteven]

How many fat Somalis do you see ? Everything is gray in your life huh. It's pretty simple why people get obese, they eat too much!

No, not all grey, any more than life is all black and white to you. As for fat Somalis, many of the various disorders would not appear in a land without refined sugars, or would cause the person in question to die at a young age without advanced western medical care. How many advanced hospitals do you see in Somalia?

But I am not trying to get into some p*ssing match here. There's more to obesity than just diet and exercise. I do not deny that they are a big part of the problem, but there are other causes just as large, or even larger (no pun intended!).

[js1138]

Have fun as you get older. I was 6'3" with a 28" waist when I got married. I have gained a bit over 2 pounds a year over the last thirty years. That amounts to the equivalent of eating an extra peace of dry toast every day. Or less.

The human body has the most amazing system for regulating our food intake. trouble is, it is designed to put on extra fat just in case there is a food shortage. Not much, but over a lifetime, most people get fat.

[Question_Assumptions]

Refined sugars ? Nice one, my sugar intake is incredible and I am thin as a rail.

Of course. This is why you have no sympathy for people who are overweight. I could do what you do. I used to eat a box of 12 cupcakes a day and never gained weight when I was younger. I'm still not too overweight, though I could afford to lose a few pounds.

But other people can't do that. There are disorders that do mess up a person metabolism such that even a pretty small amount of carbohydrates can turn into fat (which is also why many mainsteam diets and the "food pyramid" that stresses carbohydrate intake is so wrong for many people who simply don't realize it is wrong for them).

So basically you don't have a problem to control so you are critical of people who do have a problem when they have trouble controlling it. Do you laugh at people who have bladder control problems, too? Maybe they should just drink less? Did you ever think that if you don't have the problem, maybe you don't understand how easy or difficult it is to control?

[Question_Assumptions]

Explain to me why you don't see many Asians in Asia who are obese, hint, they eat a lot of rice and vegetables.

Do you eat a lot of rice an vegitables? Would you find it easy eating like someone in Cambodia? You must, since you seem to think that no one should have any problem just eating that way if they want to lose weight. And that isn't even going into the malnutrition that people from other parts of the world that eat these wonderful low calorie diets generally suffer. You'd be amazed at how many tall young Japanese men there are in Tokyo, now that they eat diets higher in protein. Oh, there are fat Japanese, too.

[ohioman]

Most of the Lard Assess I know are fat for one reason-the only exercise they ever get is running for the Frig!

[jrg]

Most of the Lard Assess I know are fat for one reason-the only exercise they ever get is running for the Frig!

Hey! I resemble that opinion!

[101viking]

I'm a FAT-Smoker....this must put right up there with Osama Bin Laden in a popularity contest! On second thought, I'm sure the hollyweird types would be much more accepting of OBL, than me, afterall his existence will make them millions when they start making movies glorifying his life in the near future.

[cgbg]

Tha analogy is an interesting one.

There seem to be two primary objections against smoking:

(1) It is bad for the people who do it and since the government insists on financing health care for poor and old people smoking causes higher taxes.

(2) Allegedly second-hand smoke is bad for (or in some cases just irritates) other people.

Now regardless of why people are fat both of these issues apply to fat people.

Fat people take up too much room on the subway or bus or elevator or plane. If my choice is to be with a smoker or a fat person in those environments I would pick a smoker every time.

The left is very hypocritical on this issue--fat people are politically correct and smokers politically incorrect. It would be very easy for a society to reverse "political correctness" on these issues and it would be equally arbitrary.

[southern rock]

How many fat Somalis do you see ? Everything is gray in your life huh. It's pretty simple why people get obese, they eat too much!

True, but have you ever looked into the eyes of a truly obese person? They are not usually playing with a full deck.

[js1138]

You and many others are thin because your body "thermostat" is set to thin. I would agree that the foods you choose can make a difference, but over a thirty year period, your body counts effective calories.