Long, long ago, in a galaxy far away, the Unites States of American was considered the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. How quaint! Elected officials even told constituents that the U.S. of A. was the “shining city on the hill.” They wanted us to believe we were an exceptional people. How arrogant!
Part of our collective cockiness derived from being the world’s most powerful military nation. Violent Vlad in Russia demonstrates no fear of us now. He invaded Ukraine against our outcry. Says he’ll resort to nuclear war if we push back. Slow Joe Biden can’t do a thing.
Now, Xi Jinping of Communist China just told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to forget visiting Taiwan. China’s president warned that those who play with fire will soon get burned. It’s not clear if Pelosi is going to Taiwan. Slow Joe Biden can’t do a thing. Neither could Lying Donald Trump.
One reason for our fall from grace is our divided population. Everyone appears to be mad at something (or somebody). Nearly everyone claims to be a victim of something (or someone). The “old, White men” who founded America cheated everyone it appears. Partisan bickering has divided and weakened our nation.
We were the Land of the Free; but generations today just want everything to be free. We were the Home of the Brave; now we’re home to the blamers. We don’t see much courage, individual resilience or the ability to persevere. Everyone’s a victim!
In part 4 of USA Today’s six-part series examining America’s FAT (obesity) epidemic, author Karen Weintraub demonstrates the national fad of blaming others for our individual failure. She highlights a story about Nathaniel Louis Brown.
Nate is not a poor man. The 64-year-old is a former long-haul truck driver, factory worker and prison guard now living in Indianapolis. And, his home in Indianapolis isn’t a dilapidated inner city project. Nate has access to grocery stores, quality food, as well as recreational areas including parks and green spaces.
Nate lives a blessed life in the heartland of the USA. However, author Weintraub claims Mr. Brown is a victim: “The social, racial and economic inequities that people like Brown face help explain why the nation’s obesity epidemic remains so challenging.”
USA Today pays top journalism dollars for such stories. It’s fashionable to point out the alleged inequities in America. Nate Brown is a victim of the White man. Southern Democrats enslaved his great, great, great, great ancestors, and poor Nate, he stills suffers their pain today.
Nate was never a slave. He only knows FREEDOM. However, the nation of the USA owes him now. He’s fat because of slavery in 1619.
It doesn’t matter that Nate loves to eat. He’s always “loved his food, especially spaghetti and potatoes. On a typical night, he would eat three dinner-plates full. On holidays, Brown, 64, served himself on a platter.”
How many of you eat three dinner-plates full of food on a “typical night”? The White man made Nate do it! He doesn’t have free will. He doesn’t have will power.
In fact, Nate admits that he knew he should cut back, but Nate prefers to be a victim. He told USA Today that he didn’t have anyone who cared enough to tell him to eat less.
Consider the irrationality of Nate’s statement. He claims nobody cared enough to tell him to eat less. How then does Nate claim he knew he should cut back. Nate’s not only a false victim; he’s a liar. He knew! We all know.
In addition, Nate claims food helped him curb life’s stresses and his constant worry. Food doesn’t curb life’s stresses and constant worry. However, if Nate believes it does, then here’s an apple, Nate. Now stop worrying. Hilarious, isn’t it?
Author Weintraub says studies show it’s nearly impossible to change a lifetime of eating and exercise habits and stick with them. How then do Americans quit smoking? Or drinking? Or using dangerous illicit drugs?
Apparently Weintraub believes people like Nate have no ability to change. Is she inherently racist? Does she believe Black folks are not capable of change? Or are White men simply force feeding Nate?
Author Weintraub also claims many people like Brown live in “areas where it’s tough to access healthy foods or exercise safely and affordably.” She writes that it is the economics of eating in America that “make high-calorie foods an easy go-to.” Look at the picture of Nate’s study. He’s not deprived.
Nate can buy an apple for a buck or a pound of greasy, sugary-sauce coated ribs for $15. But to Weintraub, high-calorie foods are an “easy go-to.” That’s it, isn’t it? Americans today demand and expect the “easy go-to.”
Americans are too privileged to cook; or shop for quality foods. Nate simply wants to stop by McDonalds on his way home from the bar to grab some “easy go-to” foods.
The cost of food pushes people toward extra pounds, said Adam Drewnowski, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington. If Drewnowski’s opinion was correct, poor people would be the most obese in the nation. But that’s not the case: poorest people aren’t the ones who struggle most with obesity, says the silly, woke researcher.
Nope, it’s people like Brown, middle class Americans, who work their whole lives but still “need” the cheapest options. Drewnowski call this situation a “visible symptom of economic oppression.”
They need the cheapest options, the goof-ball epidemiologist claims. Fresh strawberries, for example, offer about 40 calories for $1, while Halloween candy provides about 2,000 calories for the same $1.
Nate is fat. He doesn’t “need” calories. Further, as a middle class dude, he has a $1 — many dollars in fact. As an American, he also has free choice, as well as free will.
Teachers, parents, doctors, nurses and public health officials told Nate all his life to watch his weight. Society even shames those who are fat and obese. Nate knows the consequences of poor eating habits.
Thus, Nate walks into a store. He sees some delicious, ripe strawberries for a buck. He also sees a bag of candy for the same dollar. What does Nate do?
Because of the White man, because of slavery of 1619, because of years of middle class life serving as a long-haul truck driver, factory worker and prison guard, Nate decides to select the Halloween candy.
Nate is a fake victim. And USA Today encourages Nate and others to blame the United States of America for their failures in life — because blaming the good, ole USA is the “easy go-to” behavior.
Had Black tribal chiefs in Africa not sold his great, great, great, great ancestors into slavery, Nate would not be forced to live in the USA now. He would be happy, prosperous and thin in Ghana or some other former slave-trading nation.
Nate says he wants to be thin, and that he always wanted to be slim. Nate is embarrassed about the fat on his belly, fat on his arms or on his chest.
Nate has made progress. He dropped nearly 40 pounds in the past six months and his diabetes has come under better control. Unfortunately, he still has 70 more pounds to go to get below the 220 he weighed in high school. Nate weighs in at 290 today.
Nate claims he would “feel better and get off all this medication I’m on,” adding that he still takes 16 pills a day. Nate now reads nutrition labels and attends low-impact exercise classes three days a week. Why not every day? Why not start the day with a brisk walk around his neighborhood?
Nate has cut way back on salt and learned to control his portions – eating “on a saucer” instead of several dinner plates at a time. He has given up his daily habit of drinking an entire 2- or 3-liter bottle of soda pop. He saves half for another day.
A liter of soda contains about 400 calories. It’s a sugary drink with no nutritional value. Nate could drink 2- or 3- liters of water for free. A liter of soda costs about $1.50.
Nate has been spending about $4.50 per day on sugary soda alone. This sums to over $1,600 per year. Cost over 20 years = over $32,000. That’s a lot of strawberries. However, Nate claims he didn’t have money for higher quality food.
At this time, Nate is consuming half the soda each day. Previously he was downing about 1,200 calories each day just from soda. Now he’s guzzling about 600 calories.
Stop drinking sugary water, and Nate saves 600 calories each day. As a pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories, substituting water for soda would drop one pound per week. That’s how easy it is.
“It isn’t easy,” said Nate!
No, not easy, as USA Today manufactures reasons to believe that there are many barriers.
Author Weintraub tells Nate that “it’s not your fault if you’re carrying extra weight. The way the human body evolved, combined with easily available and low-cost processed food make weight gain likely and weight loss challenging.”
It’s NOT your fault, Nate!!! Blame the White man. Blame America. Blame food. Blame God.
If the problem was the human body, then ALL Americans would be fat and obese. They aren’t, as the chart below shows.
Black women suffer the highest levels of obesity. If poverty or racism was the issue, Hispanic women would suffer similarly. They don’t.
And Black men have far lower rates of obesity than Black women. Therefore, one can’t claim it is the history of slavery. White males are actually more likely to be fat than Black males. Not racism! Not slavery!
Ultimately, Asian Americans lead the way in health. Asians in our country suffered generations of discrimination. Still do. However, they are disciplined. They focus on eating a balanced diet — and control their urges for excess.
Asian Americans lead our nation today with higher income levels than most other groups; better health than most other groups. Their children are earning higher scores in school, and heading on to advanced college degrees.
Why? Asians are not whining like most other groups in America. They are working hard, maintaining strong family structure, achieving in school, and seeking advanced college educations.
Asian Americans believe in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. China is ascending; Japan is a model for the world. The USA is full today of freeloaders, whiners and blamers.
Publications like USA Today and author Weintraub look to explain away our failures. They work to fix blame rather than fix problems.
ClearHealthLife has been assisting people, primarily women, to lose weight and improve health since the 1990s. For 30 years, we have helped those who had the courage to reach out and ask to change their lives.
Principle of Free Will
Do you know why the fingers of God and Adam do not touch in Michelangelo’s famous work of art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City?
In the play, the finger of God is extended to the maximum, but the finger of Adam is with the last contracted phalanges.
The sense of art is to explain that God is always there, but the decision is man’s. If man wants to touch God he will need to stretch his finger, but by not stretching the finger, he can go his whole life without seeking it. “The last contracted phalanx of Adam’s finger represents free will”
God gave all of us free will. However, God only helps those who help themselves. The United States of America works the same way. Millions of people were willing to assist people like Nate. He preferred the three platters of spaghetti and potatoes.
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Ko’olau of Kaua’i. I am the Defiant One
“I Believe We Can”
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