ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

This. Fat people bolster our capitalist society!

this will be fun.

/settles in with her (94% fat free) popcorn.

I'd like to see a new American tradition, The Running of the Fatties. Every major city would drive their fat people into the streets for a mini-marathon. It could be a national holiday.

ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

I have long suspected this, and when I become dictator after our inevitable econimic/social/political collapse, I will use this research as a reason to quiarantine and euthanize fatties. Additionally, I will authorize experiemetal research that may be cruel, but as long as it is for the greater good, and lets face it, they're not real people anyway.

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo: I'd like to see a new American tradition, The Running of the Fatties. Every major city would drive their fat people into the streets for a mini-marathon. It could be a national holiday.

I guess we should find someone fast, tape corn dogs to their back, and tell them to get going, before they get eaten.

Funny, I just read an article right below this one that said fatties were helping at least one sector of the economy

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo: I'd like to see a new American tradition, The Running of the Fatties. Every major city would drive their fat people into the streets for a mini-marathon. It could be a national holiday.

Drive them to centrally-located liposuction markets, where their fat would be extracted, rendered, graded, and sold as biodiesel and specialized machine lubricants.

Katie98_KT: this will be fun.

/settles in with her (94% fat free) popcorn.

You mean your 6% fat popcorn?

Brontes: I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

A while ago I read a study (well, a summary of a study) from the UK looking at lifetime healthcare costs. Basically fat people and smokers had lower lifetime health costs, largely because they die sooner and are less likely to survive major operations / medical treatments. As a bonus they pay into the pension system all their lives then die before taking much of it out.

ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-11-17-future-obes i ty-costs_N.htm

On a global scale, the World Economic Forum reports that the world's most competitive nations are Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, the U.S. and Germany. With the exception of the U.S., all of these nations are not exactly known as being friendly to obesity.

What exactly does "not exactly known as being friendly to obesity" mean?

"Go be fat somewhere else"

Is subby suggesting deporting the obese?

I'm a big fat slob. I've got bigger titties than you do. I've got more chins than a Chinese phonebook. I've not seen my willie in two years, which is long enough to declare it legally dead. I tried going on a diet, you know. The Zone, you know, "Carbs are the enemy," eh? But the portions were so wee I ate the delivery man.

Brontes: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

But increased medical costs also put money into businesses.

Just re-read the first sentence of TFA: It's not just the U.S. economy that's sick and overweight, apparently it's the workers, too.

I can understand "sick," but how is the U.S. economy "overweight"?

Independent as Fark: Just re-read the first sentence of TFA: It's not just the U.S. economy that's sick and overweight, apparently it's the workers, too.

I can understand "sick," but how is the U.S. economy "overweight"?

Unemployment has not yet reached 100%?

Independent as Fark: On a global scale, the World Economic Forum reports that the world's most competitive nations are Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, the U.S. and Germany. With the exception of the U.S., all of these nations are not exactly known as being friendly to obesity.

What exactly does "not exactly known as being friendly to obesity" mean?

I think it means they have cities with decent public transit.

I have nothing to add to this article other than the juxtaposition between this article and the McDonald's article directly below.

Independent as Fark: Brontes: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

But increased medical costs also put money into businesses.

I'm not an economist, so grain of salt and all that. An economy has a certain number of resources (time, man-power, money, labor) over a time period; there is a difference between resources spent on a person if they were obese vs. it they weren't. It is very dependent on the person, but it could be argued that that difference is wasted and could be better used elsewhere.

taxandspend: Funny, I just read an article right below this one that said fatties were helping at least one sector of the economy

Yup, those Big Macs didn't eat themselves.

Obese people spend more time sick than non-obese.
Obese people have higher medical bills than non-obese people.

They *probably* do spend more on food; but I'm pretty sure the net-effect is a negative.

Of course, we're talking about an 'opportunity cost'; there are obese people who have a positive net impact on the economy; it's just that, if they weren't obese, we'd expect them to have an even more positive effect.

Then again, on the flip side; you've got the morbidly obese who collect disability who provide nothing of value to society while existing off of tax-payer dollars. Those people aren't helping the cause any.

Bagelox-99: Independent as Fark: Just re-read the first sentence of TFA: It's not just the U.S. economy that's sick and overweight, apparently it's the workers, too.

I can understand "sick," but how is the U.S. economy "overweight"?

Unemployment has not yet reached 100%?

That might be it. I can easily imagine the Post, or Slate, or the Atlantic running an article with a title like "We Need to Do Something about the Jobless Rate: It's Too Low."

I've been fat for 10 years or so and haven't been to the doctor save 2 or 3 times for a sore throat. How, exactly am I driving up medical costs? Maybe fatties who think a pill will shrink them and doctors that think a pill will fix their fatty patients cholesterol are driving up medical/insurance costs, but I sure as hell am not.

Brontes: Independent as Fark: Brontes: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

But increased medical costs also put money into businesses.

I'm not an economist, so grain of salt and all that. An economy has a certain number of resources (time, man-power, money, labor) over a time period; there is a difference between resources spent on a person if they were obese vs. it they weren't. It is very dependent on the person, but it could be argued that that difference is wasted and could be better used elsewhere.

That actually is a good point. I'm just cynical about studies that seem to imply the economy would turn around if some of us would just stop being fat.

/and I'm cynical about most other things too

Independent as Fark: Brontes: Independent as Fark: Brontes: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

I dunno, that is short-term thinking. Do their increased food purchases offset the medical costs? Doubtful.

But increased medical costs also put money into businesses.

I'm not an economist, so grain of salt and all that. An economy has a certain number of resources (time, man-power, money, labor) over a time period; there is a difference between resources spent on a person if they were obese vs. it they weren't. It is very dependent on the person, but it could be argued that that difference is wasted and could be better used elsewhere.

That actually is a good point. I'm just cynical about studies that seem to imply the economy would turn around if some of us would just stop being fat.

/and I'm cynical about most other things too

Not like overnight, but perhaps over half a generation or more as resources were allocated differently.

Iranoobie: That's funny. A number of fatties at my office got fat by working so much at a computer screen and eating crap so they could work more hours at a desk.

Good observation. It took a year of being in a desk job before my metabolism took a nose-dive, my energy level died, and my midsection started growing. I'm trying to be more careful about what I eat and diligent in exercising, but for every week I am in a good routine I have a week of long hours, little sleep, and crap meals at my desk because of deadlines.

Reducing the number of egregiously overweight people probably wouldn't do much to the amount of money flowing: certainly it would change where that money is going, but people will find other things to spend their money on.

However, the side effects of a more active populace, likely better able to function independently for a longer time as members of society, could well work wonders, and that's just in the first generation. As the habits and values that lead to these personal improvements get passed onto later generations, we could well see cultural dividends.

If we get rid of all the fat people the Tea Party won't exist anymore.

Independent as Fark: On a global scale, the World Economic Forum reports that the world's most competitive nations are Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, the U.S. and Germany. With the exception of the U.S., all of these nations are not exactly known as being friendly to obesity.

What exactly does "not exactly known as being friendly to obesity" mean?

Probably nothing, considering Germany has the most overweight people in Europe.

Who are you people kidding. One of the biggest businesses in the US is the medical industry. Without sick people, how do you plan on keeping that going?

None of these arguements make ANY sense at all.

ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

Fat people buy cheap, high-calorie food. Notice when you're shopping the most expensive grocery stores like Whole Foods, there aren't many fatties. Compare that to WalMart and the Dollar Store.

seatown75: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

Fat people buy cheap, high-calorie food. Notice when you're shopping the most expensive grocery stores like Whole Foods, there aren't many fatties. Compare that to WalMart and the Dollar Store.

Take a look at revenue numbers for walmart vs whole foods and get back to me.

Healthy !== expensive

I've got a fridge full of healthy veggies that cost me about $18 for the entire week. The bag of doritos and pint of ice cream were $10 alone.

dustlesswalnut: seatown75: ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

Fat people buy cheap, high-calorie food. Notice when you're shopping the most expensive grocery stores like Whole Foods, there aren't many fatties. Compare that to WalMart and the Dollar Store.

Take a look at revenue numbers for walmart vs whole foods and get back to me.

Healthy !== expensive

I've got a fridge full of healthy veggies that cost me about $18 for the entire week. The bag of doritos and pint of ice cream were $10 alone.

That isn't the point - it's that fatties pay less on a per calorie basis. I'll bet that people pay more money for food at upper end grocery stores - per calorie - than walmart shoppers or frugal, healthy eaters.

ambassador_ahab: But on the other hand, fat people presumably purchase significantly more food than skinny people. So don't those food purchases put money into small (and large) businesses? And doesn't said money help pay the people at McDonald's?

We could be exporting that money instead. And fastfood jobs aren't generally considered that desirable ("McJob" isn't usually a term of endearment).

It'd be better if we were fit and healthy and simply made fatty foods for exports so the rest of the world became fat and lazy.

Our pharmaceutical industry could make a mint that way too.

/maybe we need to get people smoking again. We'll look thinner and cooler and maybe everyone will start to die quickly from lung cancer right around the time they retire. Could help out social security.

seatown75: That isn't the point - it's that fatties pay less on a per calorie basis. I'll bet that people pay more money for food at upper end grocery stores - per calorie - than walmart shoppers or frugal, healthy eaters.

Yeah, but fatties eat way more calories, and those calories are cheaper to produce than the calories that healthy foods take to produce.

Foods described as "organic", "heirloom", and with words such as those are not "healthier", they're just more expensive.

If there were real money in healthy food, the conglomerates would be selling the shiat out of healthy food.

The proof is in what you'd buy with $240 dollars.

/too obscure?

Hey fatty. Either put the fork down or get off your ass. Either one will work. It's best if you do both but as lover of good food myself I'd rather work it off aka earn the right to eat as well as I do. If that means walking 2 miles to go buy donuts then dammit I'm going to get my donuts.

Britney Spear's Speculum: [i566.photobucket.com image 512x508]

The grammar and spelling of that graphic is horrible.

HFCS is used in lieu of refined sugar for one reason: sugar quotas.

Refined sugar is several times more expensive in the US because we heavily subsidize US production and impose a huge tariff on imported sugar.

HFCS is cheap (ironically enough, due to another highly subsidized commodity, corn). It's not the HFCS that's unhealthy, it's the fact that every single product out there is filled with tons of extra salt and sugar to make it taste better.

In other news, Richard Simmons is apparently still alive.

And of course the Fat-Acceptance tards have a problem with this. Because being healthy and fit and living to play with your grandchildren is discrimination! So is encouraging healthy eating habits and exercise!

Sir, because I'm too heavy, sir.

Because you're a disgusting fatbody, Pyle.

Oh yeah, there's emerging evidence that they're more expensive in Work Comp. Link (new window)

dustlesswalnut: seatown75: That isn't the point - it's that fatties pay less on a per calorie basis. I'll bet that people pay more money for food at upper end grocery stores - per calorie - than walmart shoppers or frugal, healthy eaters.

Yeah, but fatties eat way more calories, and those calories are cheaper to produce than the calories that healthy foods take to produce.

Foods described as "organic", "heirloom", and with words such as those are not "healthier", they're just more expensive.

If there were real money in healthy food, the conglomerates would be selling the shiat out of healthy food.

The proof is in what you'd buy with $240 dollars.

/too obscure?

Profit margin on cheap, unhealthy, high-calorie foods laden with HFCS and hydrogenated oils are certainly higher, I'm not doubting that. However I don't agree that people necessarily spend more even if they're eating 6000+calories a day. Furthermore, the profit margin only explains why companies promote and sell these foods (they pay for an ample marketing budget and then some), it doesn't mean they generate more economic activity - just different activity. Doritos (not that really know how much they cost) obviously spend a huge amout of money on marketing. You could buy something else that is nutritionally equal - equally as bad - in a store brand. That money won't go to Pepsi, but it'll likely be spent on something else.