The unintended consequences of bullshit
when is this crap ever going to end?
Every day there seems to be another epidemic of something that, if it were eradicated we would live forever.
We all know about the smoking “epidemic” that kills half the world’s population every day, and the epidemic of alcohol that kills 99% of all known germs mankind.
Then of course we have the “obesity epidemic” which, if it isn’t halted is going to see the entire planet collapse under its own weight within ten years.
Their latest “study” is harping on yet again about this obesity shit. How come it has only come to light in the last few years? How come no one ever seemed to worry about the national weight until they started these “studies”? Why is it suddenly a massive problem now?
Of course all this bullshit has unintended consequences. They never think beyond their narrow little obsessions, do they? The smoking bans produced a considerable number of fatalities, not to mention all the businesses that shut down and the jobs that were lost. Now that they are on about weight, are they going to take responsibility for the fallout from that?
Already there is apparently a doubling of cases of Anorexia and Bulimia, and why not? Constantly harp about weight and teenagers [and others] will think it applies to them. For years we have heard about “supermodels” being too thin and how they were leading kids into eating disorders by example, and now we have these so called fucking “experts” doing exactly the same thing.
Another unintended consequence is the proliferation of snake-oil and quack remedies. I am now receiving shed loads of spam all imploring me to lose weight and offering me all sorts of shite as a miracle answer to obesity. This is just a tiny sample from this morning, and note how they are all offering dietary rubbish and miracle cures?
I get around a hundred of these a day. I just delete them, but how many are going to be duped into spending money on useless rubbish that will probably do more harm than anything else? They wouldn’t send them out if they weren’t getting some kind of return from them?
But these arse-dribblers don’t think about the consequences, do they? They just plough ahead getting their names in journals and sucking up funding.
The most dangerous epidemic on the planet is the epidemic of “epidemiologists”.
Absolutely spot on! “the epidemic of “epidemiologists”. Yes
+1k
+1k ???? Wha?
a thousand ‘+1’s (+1 =I concur heartily, good sir). Internet slang those of us down with da yuff are cool to bro ay?
Ah! Thanks. It’s no wonder I find the Interweb confusing sometimes.
I prefer leaflets from the Jehovas Witnesses to any stuff shoved through my letter box by snake oil sales agents. I use all junk mail as kindling to light winter fires.
All my junk stuff is electronic which has the advantage that I can dump it with a click of a button, but the disadvantage that not burning it means no toxins for the Greens to whinge about.
ahhh yes but your computer runs off electrickery produced by the burning of the tobacco seized by customs (at least here it is). Think of all that concentrated deadly smoke wafting over Eire’s green valleys and hills…the miasma of absolutely toxic 3rd hand smoke spread further still by those windmill thingys.
I think obesity IS a real problem, unlike smoking. Thing is, it’s exacerbated by the kind of ‘experts’ who created the food pyramid some 40yrs ago, ‘experts’ who demonized fats, smoking (appetite suppressant + other beneficial factors in insulin metabolism).Spot on with ##The most dangerous epidemic on the planet is the epidemic of “epidemiologists”.##
Yes I agree there are quite a few large people around that do have a problem. However it is their problem, not society’s.
Ironically, smokers [and only smokers] are penalised for an imaginary threat, while we are all to be penalised for the few that do have a problem. The same goes for alcohol. Punish the entire nation for the sins of a few.
And as you point out, obesity is partially a consequence of past efforts to “educate” us, while it’s also a consequence of genetics and other metabolic processes beyond the victim’s control.
Are the consequences so unintended? At the risk of sound more tin-foil-y than Bacofoil ®, than the Annual Conference Of Warriors Against Lizard Men & Illuminati (‘WALLYS’ for short), a people more concerned about avoiding toxins in 5th hand smoke, with not eating any thing with polyunsaturates and the poor little fishes boiling to death in the warming seas than with actually listening to what their Lords & Masters are saying, are the double plus good wet dream of every dictator ever. Now excuse me I need to go sign a petition to ensure that food banks are compelled by law to hand out 7 pieces of fruit to every claimant. Something must be done.
Yup. It has long been my theory that Tobacco Control was just a toe in the water to see how far they could go in population control. Obesity and alcohol are just the next phase. How long before our lives are fully controlled by faceless “authorities”. 1984, anyone?
On the other hand in 1900 they imagined we would be up to our oxters in horse muck by now.Going on trends at that time.Just a thought.
From a recent health study:”Researchers found that people who had fried potatoes (such as French fries, tater tots, or hash browns) more than twice a week more than doubled their risk of death.”So there you go, you can die not once, but twice, if you eat fried food.Tut tut, no arguments.Study sez.http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/06/liberal_media_heres_a_way_to_double_your_chance_of_death.html
Welcome James! That could provide the answer to the greatest question of all time – what happens after death. You die once, report back on your experiences and then die a second and final time. I presume that hasn’t happened though as we probably would have heard?
I saw an article (on our dear BEEB I think) about how 30% of the world’s population is now obese. Good news says I – We would have appeared to have (mostly) solved the famine problem. And I was recently at a hustings for Blighty’s last (as of 13 June) General Election. Some fat bloater was whining on about how she struggled to survive, wot with Austerity ‘n all. The whining was bad, but the fact that “struggling to survive” no longer involves starvation as it did in days of old pleased me. We are making progress.
Tim Worstall (interesting read if you haven’t) has a theory that obesity is due to central heating. Average calorie intake is now way less than in WW2 yet we get ever fatter – and the main expenditure of energy in mammals is temperature regulation…
I did wonder at their figure of 10% being obese, considering how they constantly tell us that half the world is starving, but 30%? That can only be filed under the category of Sheer Bollox. Maybe they have changed the goalposts again, and now anyone with a BMI of over 15 is classed as obese?
“and the main expenditure of energy in mammals is temperature regulation…”-GarethIf that is indeed the case (I haven’t a clue but would have thought the brain would be the biggest energy drain….well in some people still) then he may be right. Anyone brought up in the age before central heating can remember wearing vests and cardigans in the home….do they even still make vests?
Ah yes! Vests. Two pairs of socks in bed [and Dad’s heavy overcoat as an extra blanket]. Picking ice off the inside of the bedroom window in winter [or even in summer?]. I remember those days well.
Hello!!! Great postAnd if I may share a few words from myselfI think that all the “epidemic” that destroing humans around the world like smoking, drinking, obesity are a bullshit!!! In my opinion it is all about money!!! its started with smoking, a few people recognized that it is a good job to sit all day and creating a new pseudo crap science evidences for mortallity of cigarette smoking like secondhand smoking thirdhand smoking etc. it is a really good job and goverment will pay for it, a society will pay for it and of course smokers will pay for it (in the taxes) So, if i can get money from that, let’s take another “big” problem of the world, next “epidemic” let is work on alcohol, next sugar, next fastfoods, next commercial for kids… etc. The goverment will pay, the society will pay everyone will pay… I will have a job for the rest of my life!!! Sorry for my English this is not my native language
Welcome Mike! There are several aspects that I think are driving this epidemic.
First of all, it gives “researchers” a chance to make a name for themselves and get their name in print. This in turn leads to them getting more funding.
Then it gives governments a chance to try out some population control, and waht government doesn’t want to perfect that?!
Then of course it gives governments a perfect excuse to raise taxes, as the can scream “health” if anyone objects. An opportunity to raise billions in taxes “for our own good” is just too good to miss. It’s no coincidence that their first action is always to raise the price by taxation.
Oh, and your English is a lot better than some I could mention!