Hacker News Reader

Comment by kingkongreveng_ | Hacker News Reader

> It's not very constructive or interesting to wrap up the whole problem in the word "stupid."

It's highly constructive when the prevailing mode of discussing the issue blames public policy and business practices, as this article does. I stand by my assertion that it's mostly personal failings. Therefore, nothing needs to be done. It's a free country. Let people make their choices and suffer the consequences.

I'll make allowances that agriculture policy (subsidies for grains and soy) and bad diet advice from the government probably play a role. But it's not the predominant issue.

View on HN

>It's highly constructive when the prevailing mode of discussing the issue blames public policy and business practices, as this article does.

I've reread the article and I don't think that the author is blaming public policy. The article states some reasons why obesity may be more prevalent amongst poor communities, and also explains some proposed policies that may help to address the problem.

Really, there are two options here. One is to say "haha look at those stupid fat people" and watch the obesity rate climb. The second would be to realise that many of these people are on taxpayer funded Medicare, and then realise the logic of supporting cost-effective government policies that help reduce obesity and in turn the cost of government healthcare.

The second would be to realise that many of these people are on taxpayer funded Medicare, and then realise the logic of supporting cost-effective government policies that help reduce obesity and in turn the cost of government healthcare.

We could do is take away medicare and replace it with free gyms. That would probably make people healthier and save billions of dollars.

We do have free gyms. It's called parks.

Does freedom require being incurious and apathetic about other people's problems? Well, if so, consider that the teenage girls I'll be ogling from my chair at the cafe when I'm a lecherous septuagenarian won't be born for another thirty years. See, now I'm being appropriately selfish, but I'm still interested in understanding why people eat so much and what can be done about it.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com