Haven’t you pretty much demonstrated what I said way back there? You’re claiming that “processed foods are cheaper” while pointing out that 85% of a typical junk-food item is markup. These things are unbelievably expensive either on caloric content or general nutrition, and fat people eat a lot of them. A typical fat-person eating pattern involves calorie-counted, nutritionally-deficient meals at mealtimes, with about a third of daily calories from snacks.
Taking the example of Twinkies: these are apparently $0.35 each (in a pack of 10) at Walmart. One Twinkie contains about 280kCal, almost all of it from sugar and starch. $0.35 alternatively buys you 30g of butter, which - when used appropriately as part of a meal - gives you almost the same number of calories in a much healthier form. So why would anybody buy the Twinkie? You can make a similar case for all the other shit that people buy regularly - breakfast cereals, microwave meals, canned sauces, etc.
Subsidies occur all the way down the chain. The principal effect of subsidy is at the grower level - without that minimal subsidy, most farmers would simply stop growing grains because, given the present farm-gate prices, they represent a shitload of effort for zero (or less than zero) payback. They are grown entirely on the basis of government making up the loss from taxes. If the subsidy were removed, grains wouldn’t disappear entirely, but farm-gate prices would rise to a level much higher than they are presently because of the more limited supply. This would have knock-on effects all through the agricultural sector - for example, CAFOs would suddenly become less profitable than putting animals on pasture, and animal products are the core of a healthy diet. “Fruits and vegetables” - to the extent that humans need them at all - are an inevitable byproduct of raising animals on pasture.
I first heard of Lizzo due to the weight and health debates that surrounded her, and in the general discussions in the media on the promotion of unhealthy weight.
So, I watched a few videos of her. Then some interviews. Then, her TV show.
I’ve got to say, I’m definitely not a supporter of promotion of unhealthy weight, but as far as Lizzo herself goes? I’m a big fan. I think she’s awesome. What she has achieved is really amazing. I think she’s extremely talented. She’s funny. She’s cool.
Yes, I wish she was of a healthier weight. For her sake, though, not any other reason. It’s up to her anyway. Nothing to do with me.
Just read her Wiki page for a brief summary of what she’s done, and been through.
Do I think celebrating being fat is great? No. That’s not my point. I do like Lizzo though And not in that way.
If one can get past the weight issue and get to the person, she’s inspiring.
I went from first look, “Ooh, that’s gross,” to , “Oh, she’s extremely talented and genuinely inspirational,” pretty quickly.
Can’t help wondering, though, if one reason she’s made it to the top of the promotion tree - and people don’t get selected out in that business only for their talent - is because she’s fat, and can therefore be used to push a certain message. And whether she has “enablers” around her to make sure she stays fat. This is a fairly common scenario with people who are obese (as opposed to just overweight).
Something I really can’t understand is how someone who is clearly highly-motivated still has a cognitive cogwheel jolting out of place when it comes to learning how to eat properly. It’s a really strange thing.
That was sort of what I meant. People really laid into her for having the temerity to stop being fat. I mean, why? Was there some particular reason she had to be fat? Sure she survived, and presumably she’s still making a bit of money, but she certainly dropped out of the public eye at that point.
I was just wondering if, perhaps, she lets her handlers deal with her meals, and they make double-sure to always bring her something that will fatten her up. I personally know someone with a partner like this. She can’t see it.
I’m no psychologist, but no doubt people overeat for a variety of reasons, sometimes due to past trauma. I knew someone who was severely overweight. Reason was, they were raped as a child and the weight was to make themselves unattractive so they wouldn’t be considered a target for men.
And not in that way.
