Welcome to Murica

Double-Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Saturday, August 9th, 2014 3:58pm PDT - doublepromote requested by lurgee.

Or in your case, exoskeleton.

This is a very effective PSA. It really made me have a visceral reaction at the end.

I'm so happy my kids have never tasted juice or candy or chocolate or ice cream before (and I plan on keeping it that way for a very long time). I really hope that just like the habit of bad eating may be dictated by diet during infancy and toddlerhood, good habits can also be ingrained in our children and help guide their food choices for the rest of their lives.

Okay, I feel a rant coming on...

Overweight men = obese
Overweight woman = BBW

Fat on anyone is not attractive and maybe we need to get back to fat shaming. A medical crisis is unfolding because we're too afraid to hurt people's feelings.

@MichaelL
Actually, fat people seem to be one of the few groups these days that can still be made fun of. Shame can be useful but shaming someone who's overeating because of depression or has a poor self image will not help them, it will only make them worse.

@lucky760
Your kids have never had any juice or candy or ice cream before? I can respect your desire for healthy kids, but, wow! I hope it doesn't backfire and they wind up like Rigel from Farscape when they encounter candy for the first time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQzmK670yI

Heheh. At this point I feel confident they won't become candyholics whenever they first taste it because we're effectively cultivating a preference for savory over sweet.

Yep, they have no idea what juice is; they only drink milk and water. They only know that candy is the stuff they pick up and play with at the store, but they put it back before we check out; they know it has lots of sugar and will give them cavities (but they don't actually know the word "candy"). They only know what an ice cream cone is from books and TV, but they've never seen one in person.

Whenever we do give them something very sweet, such as fresh fruit or a taste of our frozen yogurt, they often won't eat it complaining that it's too sweet (just like they are).

My oldest child was like that when he was little. Sadly it didn't last.

Don't panic if they do like sweet things when they're a bit older and exposed to them, the important thing is that they will still learn good (or bad!) food habits from their parents.

well done mate Many people are willing to criticise this as being 'too strict', but fuck the haters I say.

Thanks for that! : )

Yes, you're totally right. We know people who vehemently disagree with us and almost get to the point of explicitly saying we're bad parents because... "kids like candy!" But my feelings about that argument are: So fucking what? That's your idea of good parenting, giving them whatever they enjoy even if it's obviously bad for them, just because you selfishly enjoy the smile on their face?

Kids don't need and shouldn't have everything that they might like in this world. Kids like to not go to school, and if you gave them cocaine they'd probably like that too.

A couple of points in no particular order:

1. Fat shaming is akin to a criminal act in North America. Part of the whole 'abdication of personal responsibility' that has evolved over the past few decades. Ironically, it's okay to hate on skinny models for promoting a body type that often induces eating disorders in those trying to achieve it. What's good for one end of the spectrum is apparently not okay at the other...

2. I agree that overeating leading to obesity can be a symptom of other issues. That said, we're in full blown crisis mode. Obesity isn't just about fat... it's about heart disease, diabetes, and other related medical issues. Health care is going to crumble under the weight of it all - no pun intended.

It's a case of 'the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few'. If fat shaming PREVENTS a new generation of obesity, then the price as a society is worth it.

We should provide programs for those struggling with obesity NOW but we need to adopt a tough love approach.

It's part of my larger belief that by protecting stupid people from themselves we virtually guarantee our eventual extinction.

Rant over... and moving on... thx.

@MichaelL
In regards to fat shaming or what you might call "tough love" as an effective way to help deal with obesity. Just two links of many.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/fat-shaming-weight-gain_n_3670560.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/diet-fitness/fat-shaming-actually-increases-risk-becoming-or-staying-obese-new-f8C10751491

etc..

Yeah, I've seen references like this. It's crap. A quick Google search turned up articles where fat people were motivated to lose their weight because of fat shaming. There was a recent article in our local paper that made a similar point. You can always find a study to support your view. I prefer the evidence of my own eyes.
Obesity has soared in one generation because we now refer to fat women as BBW. Manufacturers of planes and cars, clothing are now designing for heavier people.
Acceptance of fat has led to the current crisis (and I do acknowledge the role of the fast food industry which I compare to the tobacco industry).
Remember how cigarette smoking was once seen as glamourous? Not any more... it was re-branded as a disgusting vice that took its toll on your health, your looks, your breath and people (like me) dropped the habit so that in one generation it's the exception rather than the rule.
Sure, there are hardcore smokers who will never be cured. And some fat people are always going to stay fat rather than develop some willpower. But it should never be accepted or promoted somehow.

I love it...you claim to believe the evidence of your own eyes, and then offer nothing but unsupported opinion and logical fallacy.

Must be nice to just "know" that you have moral superiority over those useless fat slobs, rather than do any actual study or research into causes.

Great reply. Isn't your avatar picture the leprechaun from Frosted Lucky Charms, with something like 35% sugar by weight?

Sorry, could be wrong, not up on my breakfast cereals like I used to be. Just seemed a little ironic...

Of course Lucky Charms, like most every other cereal on the market, is horrible for children, but can you clarify? How does my choice of avatar have any relationship, let alone irony, with the parenting decisions I'm making for my children?

I'm not seeing the connection.

It would be ironic... I don't know... if I said I was teaching them to eat healthy by only eating all the oat pieces in a box of Lucky Charms maybe.

1. That attitude is precisely why fat shaming is still more acceptable than say racism or homophobia, because many people see obesity as being entirely the fault of the fat person. And yeah models take flak for being too skinny but at the end of the day I'd bet they still don't take as much hate as fat people, and eating disorders are just as damaging as obesity.

2. If you agree that overeating and obesity can be symptoms of other problems then how do you imagine shaming everyone into submission will work? It's like going to the doctors office and discovering that he's prescribing penicillin for everything. Shaming can work in some cases but if you've got someone who's up to their eyeballs in shame and self loathing then after piling on more you might as well top it off with a tombstone for all the good it will do.
Obesity is a complex problem and in general people hate complex problems, they want simple 'one size fits all' (ahem) solutions. If you want to PREVENT obesity then you'll have to start thinking outside the box that is fat shaming.
Oh, and America got started down this road long before this generation, this is the culmination of generations of bad eating.

And there is big meat on them big bones.

*dead

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by lucky760.

@MichaelL Thought this might interest you.
http://videosift.com/video/Fat-Shaming-Vs-Fat-Acceptance