[ubercrap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RiverRat', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'R')iverrat it aint that bad.

[KevO]

I found this BBC news statement unbelievable,
"Americans are getting fatter at a rate never seen before, a report shows Currently, about 119 million, or 64.5%, of US adults are either overweight or obese."
64.5% are fat or obese?
that is mind boggling and obscene. No wonder SUV sales are increasing.
Seriously.
That figure means that 64.5% of Americans wouldn't feel comfortable in a smaller, more efficent car as they couldn't fit in it.
So there is no chance of America going into conserving when they 'need', in one meal what would be a weeks supply of food for an African family.
Oil is the secondary problem it seems. They need the big fat cars to lug em around! BBC

[VinceG]

"An estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older are either overweight or obese, defined as having a BMI of 25 or higher." website

That's what you get in a country that has over 300,000 fast food restaurants, where the typical American chows down three burgers and four orders of french fries per week, and 83%(!) of the people do not exercise enough, leading to the shocking statistic that chronic diseases resulting from obesity—heart disease, cancers, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and diabetes—account for more than two-thirds of all deaths in the United States.

When you look at these facts and consider what the average American does to its own body, Americans are probably the dumbest people in the world!

[killJOY]

Larding up for the crash, perhaps?
Be lots of good meat to stick between your teeth.

Roast l'Americaine

[Blueberry]

Well, hopped up on a steady diet of Terror at 6 doesn't help either -- the weight is just a symptom of pain, disconnect, sadness and denial (rationalization, justification, minimization.)

Our current consumption society was formed on the very idea of creating the masses as un-satisfied (satisfied people don't buy very much junk at Wal*mart).

Couple that with "us vs them", overstress, invalidation, cultural poverty -- and a few narcissistic ideals, and voila -- misery ala cauliflower butt.

[realeyz]

Yup - very true.

One of my interests is the observation of American culture in this regard. I consistently see that people have very little real regard for one another - we don't really communicate with each other - we don't look each other in the eyes when we speak, we are always in a hurry, and we are so distracted with video games, reality TV, fast food, and driving from place to place we barely have any clue what it means to have real meaningful relationships with each other. Its just a big disconnect from what really matters. We have developed in all the wrong directions. I am certainly guilty of it myself.

As a result of this we have increasingly disfunctional families who grow up needing to numb the pain in various ways like eating, drinking and a variety of other medicinal addictions.

One of the most fascinating TV shows I have seen recently that deals with this very issue is a PBS series called "Frontier House". Ironically this is also a great series for peak oilers. In case you arent familiar with it, it was an experiment to see how 20th century people would fare if they lived as the settlers did 200 years ago when staking claims for land and raising their families. You can order the series on DVD from pbs.org - I highly recommend it. There is another similar series called "Colonial House" that does almost teh same thing except they set up a new colony instead of just 3 families.

Anyway - on Frontier House they discover some fascinating things about their own values once they experience is over and they move back to their regular lives in modern 20th century America.

- todd

[Ludi]

As I recall, all the families on Frontier House "died."

[rs]

Interesting statistic in The Times yesterday:

"Passengers weight gain caused US airlines to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 than in 1990."

[Leanan]

Oregon might be doing something right: Oregon

[EnemyCombatant]

It's not that europeans diet more or eat less. As a matter of fact, they eat very fattening foods. But their portions are much smaller. You buy coke by the deciliter. Pastrys are the size of your palm. And they don't put a lot of sugar in their food, including deserts. They use more butter and fats versus sugar.
Lastly, they do smoke a lot though. I mean a lot. EVERYBODY smokes and drinks lots of cappuchino. Not coffee, that is almost unheard of.

[hotsacks]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')ne of the most fascinating TV shows I have seen recently that deals with this very issue is a PBS series called "Frontier House". Ironically this is also a great series for peak oilers. In case you arent familiar with it, it was an experiment to see how 20th century people would fare if they lived as the settlers did 200 years ago when staking claims for land and raising their families. You can order the series on DVD from pbs.org - I highly recommend it. There is another similar series called "Colonial House" that does almost teh same thing except they set up a new colony instead of just 3 families.
Anyway - on Frontier House they discover some fascinating things about their own values once they experience is over and they move back to their regular lives in modern 20th century America.

[Leanan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')bout two months ago,in our local Home Depot,,I ran into one of the guys from the series stocking shelves. He looked none too happy.When I asked how things had gone since the show ended,he shrugged and said:"It wasn't worth it."

[VinceG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('EnemyCombatant', 'I')t's not that europeans diet more or eat less. As a matter of fact, they eat very fattening foods. (...) They use more butter and fats versus sugar (...) Lastly, they do smoke a lot though. I mean a lot. EVERYBODY smokes and drinks lots of cappuchino. Not coffee, that is almost unheard of.

[hotsacks]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')id he say why?

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('VinceG', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('EnemyCombatant', 'I')t's not that europeans diet more or eat less. As a matter of fact, they eat very fattening foods. (...) They use more butter and fats versus sugar (...) Lastly, they do smoke a lot though. I mean a lot. ... Reading suggestion -> Jean-Benoit Nadeau, "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France, But Not the French"

[Nomoil]

It just goes to show that the solutions to the many problems imposed by Peak Oil must go beyond simple transportation fixes to include substantial lifestyle changes. The “American way of life"--as unsustainable, unhealthy, and delusional as it is--has become the norm, the standard, even (dare I say) a quasi-constitutional “right.” I don’t see Americans giving up their “rights” to large cars, large houses, and large stomachs very easily. And the real unfortunate thing is that rather than accept reality and implement change we will fight tooth and nail to preserve our perverted lifestyle at any cost.

Cuba, a country that as already undergone a premature oil peak, is the great antithesis of the American lifestyle and a great case study for anyone interested in the social effects of Peak Oil. Did you know that the infant mortality rate in Cuba is less than in America? Did you also know that the life expectancy of Cubans is the same as in the United States? These two facts are incredible considering that Cuba is a very poor (by American standards, at least) third world country. So how do they do it? They treat the cause, not the effects. They employ preventative medicine, i.e. exercise and good nutrition, instead of reactive medicine, i.e. pills for everything.

Cuba, while not a perfect or model society by any means, does offer hope that life after Peak Oil might not be as bad as we think. It might even be better, but only if we stop making thermodynamic whoopee to fossil fuels and gorging ourselves on “freedom” fries first.

If you are interested in Cuba in relation to Peak Oil, I recommend that you read this article in “New Solutions”: http://www.communitysolution.org/pdfs/NS2.pdf

[Leanan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t's not that europeans diet more or eat less. As a matter of fact, they eat very fattening foods. But their portions are much smaller. You buy coke by the deciliter. Pastrys are the size of your palm. And they don't put a lot of sugar in their food, including deserts. They use more butter and fats versus sugar.

[VinceG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'B')ut now that McDonald's are all over Europe, Europeans, too, are having increasing problems with obesity. Even France, long known for their gourmet food served in tiny portions, is suffering the invasion of McDonald's and rising obesity rates.

[hotsacks]

We've talked about the fat but what about the thin?
Those stiletto ladies in their power suits seem like knives poised to tear the gizzard out of anyone in their way.The guy with the 32" waist that costs 2 hours a day and $5000 a year to maintain. Personal trainers,fad diets and foods,health clubs and fitness spas,on and on.This is good?
And no,I'm not fat.Well,not too fat.

[Novus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('VinceG', 'A')n yet, we live longer and have fewer heart problems than Americans, take seven weeks of paid vacation per year, and have the world's highest productivity index.