Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Dinklemeier t1_j4q2knv wrote

Reply to comment by 2017hayden in New study shows: Black Adults Experienced Early Signs of Brain Aging Faster Than Other Ethnic Minority Groups by PaulHasselbaink

Why is obesity seen historically as a sign of wealth in india then? Billions of poor people around the globe are not fat. Im solidly upper middle class and slowly getting fatter. Am i the victim somehow of racism in not aware of making me fat? Or is it the highly unlikely combination of me eating more calories than i burn while having a sedentary lifestyle?

I'm going with racism. That way i can blame someone else for my slow slide into obesity.

−7

2017hayden t1_j4q8568 wrote

Obesity was always seen as a sign of wealth historically because in those times rich people were the only ones who could afford to eat enough to get fat and didn’t have to work in hard labor for a living. That’s no longer the case. There are plenty of very poor people who can still afford food just not good food and very few people work hard labor like those in medieval or renaissance societies did. Historical circumstances and reasoning don’t really apply here as societal norms have changed so much since that time.

10

chicagotodetroit t1_j4qfe8o wrote

>Billions of poor people around the globe are not fat.

Is it possible that it's because those people don't have the same highly-processed junk food that is prevalent in the US?

Seems like if you're poor in other countries, you eat things like beans, rice, and whatever grows locally, but if you're poor in the US, you eat things like McDonalds and food with high fructose corn syrup, excess sugar and salt, dyes, and cheap additives and fillers.

9

Dinklemeier t1_j4qftd6 wrote

So.. in other words.. not racism?

−2

ChrysMYO t1_j4qhj90 wrote

Access to those foods is due to racism. Zoning laws for where convience stores are located vs groceries vs fast foods. Transportation hubs vs walkability access to food sources.

Subsidized food programs that priorize certain sugars and carbs that conflict with modern recommended health trends.

7

Dinklemeier t1_j4qsbvi wrote

And the families that are still obese that shop at the same stores as me? Obviously they live close enough to shop there. Are the white ones obese because of poor choices but the black ones because of racism? At some point one should take responsibility for what you stick in your body. There are plenty of skinny minorites too. Thru just eat less or burn more than they take in.

2

Altima-OG t1_j4qeol1 wrote

Depends on who you ask, but in olden times, and India has a lot of antiquated values, but again, depends who you ask.

If you're upper middle class and fat in America, you usually are actually lax in your dietary habits. However, you can also be a poor or lower/lower middle class person who has issues with maintaining preventive care, like working receiving in retail or two jobs in the service industry and work hard, but have no knowledge of good dietary practices, and/or time to prepare good food, and that shows as obesity. The high cost of inflation from greedy corporations and lack of basic food items due to logistical issues not helping poorer Americans.

2

Tearakan t1_j4qhc5k wrote

Because in the past food was much harder to come by. It was seen as a sign of wealth in western countries too in the past.

2