CAMPOS: A $10,000 'obesity' challenge

By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 20, 2008 at 8 p.m.

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May 20, 2008

11:03 p.m.

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jconder45 writes:

Campos: * Ever since public health records began to be compiled in America in the mid-19th century, the following statement has always been true: Today's children are both larger and healthier, on average, than those of a generation ago.

They may be healthier in other ways, and still be more obese. Logic, Mr. Campos.

Campos: * In the 1950s and 1960s, government officials claimed constantly that we were facing a public health crisis because Americans in general, and children in particular, were becoming fat and sedentary.

And they were right.

Campos: Indeed, the very same predictions being made today about what will happen 40 and 50 years from now were also made, in almost precisely the same terms, 40 and 50 years ago. These predictions turned out to be not merely wrong, but exactly the opposite of what actually happened.

Huh? You mean Americans are leaner and less sedentary than a generation ago? I call "bullsh*t".

Campos: * Many doctors, epidemiologists, eating disorder specialists, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists and scholars from other disciplines have concluded that claims we face an "obesity crisis" are either greatly exaggerated or completely false.

Boy, there's a strong claim, "many". How "many"? Five? Ten? I notice Campos couldn't say "a majority".
May 21, 2008

4:49 a.m.

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Brian1973 writes:

I cannot see why Mr Campos is so upset, after all they are merely following the pecident and pattern of the global warming crowd.
May 21, 2008

5:38 a.m.

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Lwayfan writes:

Maybe Campos should read his column from last week on race relations where he does the same thing he accuses the Washington Post of doing. In fact, I don't think Campos ever provides statistics in their proper context.
May 21, 2008

6:57 a.m.

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roger44 writes:

Don't get out much do you? All you have to do is look around at a shopping mall and see kids are fatter than they used to be. Go in the cereal section of a grocery store and see how many different kinds of food they eat for breakfast, and you'll find 95% have lots of sugar. When a company is allowed to put a label on a candy bar that says fat free, that is very misleading. And some are dumb enough to think it's OK for them to eat 10 teaspoons of sugar in that bar, no fat right? It's the parents that buy that junk that need a lesson on what sugar does after it enters the body.
May 21, 2008

7:29 a.m.

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Mike_In_Hartsel writes:

jconder45 you miss the point, but then, you want to. The crisis is fabricated. There is NO scientific basis for the government’s declaration of what constitutes “overweight” but the pundits, including yourself, gloom onto the “fact” to further their silly arguments.

Obesity, like global warming, lacks a scientific foundation. Any of those scientists who attempt to predict the future have lost sight of the fact that science is founded in physical reality, not conjecture. We can’t “predict” tomorrow’s weather with any real degree of certainty so how does one “predict” 40 years from now? By injecting their belief into an area that resists conjecture and then loudly affirming fantasy as fact.
May 21, 2008

8:22 a.m.

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jconder45 writes:

Mike in Hartsel- There is NO scientific basis for the government’s declaration of what constitutes “overweight” but the pundits, including yourself, gloom onto the “fact” to further their silly arguments.

Maybe the gov't's criteria for "overweight" is flawed, maybe not, but as Roger44 says, all you have to do is use your eyes to see that kids today are heavier than they used to be, and when a kid's gut is hanging out over his pants, he's "overweight".

>Obesity, like global warming, lacks a scientific foundation.

What, exactly, are your credentials in science, to make this claim?

>We can’t “predict” tomorrow’s weather with any real degree of certainty so how does one “predict” 40 years from now?

You've just revealed that you don't know the difference between "weather" and "climate", a rather crucial distinction. Predicting tomorrow's weather is a completely different thing from predicting climatic trends.

My brother has a Ph.D. in meteorology, and HE doesn't feel he can pontificate on global warming, so you'll excuse me if I don't take the proclamations of self-proclaimed experts like yourself too seriously.
May 21, 2008

9:56 a.m.

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malis writes:

I'm not one of the regulars here who will always be in knee-jerk opposition to anything Campos says. This column, however, is a demonstration of the way his ongoing long-term pro-obesity crusade damages his overall credibility on any subject. Reason, of course is his inconsistency in the types of authoritative evidence he'll accept for positions he supports versus positions he rejects.

Squatch, for once, hits a bulls-eye (but ref: acorn, find, pig, blind) in his observation equating the Campos column to climate change deniers (and, I would add, Intelligent Design advocates, nuclear energy hysterics, 9/11 conspiracy theorists, etc.). That is, depend only on the outliers...use only the tiny minority of credible scientists supporting your chosen position (and often cherry-picking only the supporting evidence of even that minority). Denigrate anything that tends to disprove your position (often calling it 'junk science'). Downplay the vast body of settled science as being either willfully ignorant, incompetent, or in the pocket of other interests.

It's unfortunate, because Campos is sometimes insightful and often brings a thoughtful contrarian view that adds to the debate. It's too bad his narrow obsessions blind him to evidence in a way that I can't really trust anything he says.
May 21, 2008

11:23 a.m.

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Achilles writes:

"First, string together a long series of alarmist claims, backed by a bunch of random and unverifiable anecdotes. Garnish this with a smattering of misleading and context-free statistics.

Second, treat data-free assumptions and speculations as if they actually constituted well-established facts, not contested by any reasonable person.

Third, make sure to throw in lots of stuff about how all sorts of spectacular catastrophes are "expected" to take place in the conveniently distant future." - Campos

Those points sound like they can be applied to most, if not all of your columns - especially your last one where you accused a football scout of racism based on highly selective "context-free" data.

For anyone interested in seeing Campos eat a burrito: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6xUef...
May 21, 2008

noon

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DivaJean writes:

How is it that people here on this post by anecdotally "what they see in the grocery store" equals true scientific data of the population?

I can tell you that as a parent, attending events at my kids' school, the sizes of kids are just about the same range as they were all those years ago. Yeah, there are some fat kids- but the range is essentially as it has been for years.

The issue is- when you all see a fat kid or adult- your mind latches onto the concept of "There goes another of *those people* who are ruining everything by being obese" rather than taking in the full gamut of what you are actually seeing- which is likely the same mix.
May 21, 2008

12:29 p.m.

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peterpi writes:

One area where I agree with conservative posters who scream that Campos is deluded and hysterical is when he writes his "There is no obesity! Obesity is not harmful! Fat is good! It's all a conspiracy!" columns. He writes at least one every 90 days. I have to wonder whether his doctor has told him "Paul, you gotta lose a few pounds, lay off all those steaks and mousses and start eating your vegetables" and this is his way of striking back.
I do believe that the diet and fashion industry's incessant messaging that only thin girls and women are pretty is leading, in part, to this country's anorexia problems. But that does not mean there's a conspiracy agains fat people.
Campos doth protest too much. I wonder how much he weighs and what his cholesterol and triglyceride levels are. Absolutely none of my business, of course. But I still wonder.
May 21, 2008

12:53 p.m.

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Achilles writes:

Campos confuses life expectancy with obesity and overall health. Our health care system is so superb that our life spans are increasing despite our unhealthy lifestyles. We smoke too much; we drink too much; we eat too much; we do not excercise enough. Our kids are getting fatter. Girls are getting love-handles at an early age (we know this because they love to show off their belly buttons and lower back tattoos by wearing belly shirts and hip hugging jeans.)

Yet, despite all this unhealthy behavior, the medical industry is constantly inventing new pills and procedures to keep us alive longer.

Campos' logic can also be applied to HIV/AIDS. Infected Americans are living longer. Should we now say that HIV is no big deal? Or are HIV infected patients living longer because medical science allows them to live longer. In other words, HIV is still bad even though HIV-infected patients are living longer now than they ever did before.
May 21, 2008

1:42 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Mike_In_Hartsel and Jconder45 both mentioned global warming.

OK, getting off topic here for a moment. . . . .

I don't claim to be an expert, I don't have a PhD or any kind of degree whatsoever. I did go to collage for three years, but was unable to complete my degree in Physics and Astronomy (due to circumstance in my life which I won't go into here) my favorite subjects, and I have always enjoyed reading up on science.

As for global warming . . . . .

My understanding is this . . . That about 60 million years ago, there were actually more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than there is today, and our planet had mostly tropical climate without any polar ice caps.

The truth is, that over the past 4 billion years, our planet had undergone several natural cycles of global warming and global cooling, and it's quit possible that our present global warming situation is just such another natural occurrence.

It's also possible that we may be contributing to it, and perhaps speeding things up a little bit more, but even if we weren't contributing to it, our present global warming situation is going to happen anyway.

While we can't always predict the weather from day to day, we can to some degree "predict" general climate trends globally.

The Earth's atmosphere is a very complex and dynamic system, with so many variables.

In Astronomy, on the other hand, we can predict solar and lunar eclipses far into the future for thousands and even millions of years, the exact date, time, and location. Big deal! The ancient Babylonians could also do as much! That is because the laws of planetary motions is simpler, with fewer variables, than all the factors that need to be taken into consideration when dealing with more complex systems, such as planetary atmospheres, or economics, politics, or human behavior in general.

Planets blindly obey the laws of physics, and can not do otherwise, and the same is true for human beings. Step off a cliff and you'll be subject to the laws of gravity.

However, when it comes to laws that we have made up ourselves, we can choose to obey or disobey them, but with consequences.

Continued in next post below . . . . .
May 21, 2008

1:45 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Continued from above . . . . .

Now, getting back on topic . . . . .

I don't put too much stock in what all of these so-called medical "experts" and anti-obesity crusaders have to say.

I prefer to navigate the middle ground between the two extremes, between those who on the one hand that obesity is harmless and those who on the other hand who say that I'm going to drop dead any day now because I'm obese.

It use to be, that if your Body Mass Index, or BMI was between 20 ans 26.9 that you were considered to be at your ideal weight, and a BMI at 27 or more was categorized as being overweight.

Then the WHO, World Health Organization steps in, and recommends that the BMI index be revised downward so that a BMI between 18.9 and 24.9 would be considered the ideal weight, and anywhere over 25 be classified as overweight.

And now recently, a Harvard university recommends revising the BMI chart downward some more!

Continued in next post below . . . . .
May 21, 2008

1:47 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Why Harvard Wants You To Be Unhealthily Thin.

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w07091...

Allow me to quote from the article . . . . .

[Quote]

"A particularly clear example of this is provided by the Harvard School of Public Health, which for many years has been pushing a phony claim with great success. The story is simple: That it's well-established scientific fact that being "overweight"--that is, having a body mass index figure of between 25 and 30--is, in the words of Harvard professors Walter Willett and Meir Stampfer, "a major contributor to morbidity and mortality." This claim has been put forward over and over again by various members of the School of Public Health's faculty, with little or no qualification. According to this line of argument, there's simply no real scientific dispute about the "fact" that average-height women who weigh between 146 and a 174 pounds, and average-height men who weigh between 175 and 209 pounds, are putting their lives and health at risk. Furthermore, according to Willett, such people should try to reduce their weights toward the low end of the government-approved "normal" BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9 (the low end of the range is 108 and 129 pounds for women and men respectively). It's difficult to exaggerate the extent to which the actual scientific evidence fails to support any of this. In fact, the current evidence suggests that what the Harvard crew is saying is not merely false, but closer to the precise opposite of the truth."

[End Quote]

But there are some in the medical field saying that people who are moderately "overweight" with a BMI between 25 and 30 actually live longer than people who are in the so-called "ideal" range and people who are underweight, that when the BMI exceeds 30 is when health problems begin to occur.

Well, I'm more inclined to believe that it is better to be overweight than to be way too thin.

My grandmother was fat, and I have a lot of fat relatives who lived into their 80s with very few health problems.

My mother was thin, and only lived to be 72.

I'm fat, obese actually, 56 years old, 5 ft 6 in and about 400 pounds, BMI 64.55 but my blood pressure is normal 107/60 and my total cholesterol is only 105 with an HDL of 40 and my triglycerieds only 90.

My younger brother is tall and thin, he looks much older than I do, has high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and has had far more problems with his health than I ever had.

So, figure that one out!
May 21, 2008

2:36 p.m.

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Achilles writes:

Fat_Man,

I think it is safe to say that not every single person considered to be obese is unhealthy or is destined to die early. My grandmother smoked cigarettes every day and lived for 92 years. But, I would not recommend smoking cigarettes. Would you recommend a BMI of 64.55?
May 21, 2008

7:40 p.m.

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anderson writes:

Campos claim that obesity isn't a problem, is like Rosen's claim that global warming isn't a problem. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, there will always be 10% of the people, Mike in Hartsel being one, who will believe there's a mass conspiracy in the world out to trick them. Publishers and authors (like Campos) sell books with this audience in mind. I'm reminded that for many years, some people denied that smoking was bad for you.

With respect to the present claim, one need only visit the Centers for Disease Control website to see that obesity is considered an epidemic. Or, ask a doctor (maybe even your doctor) if it's a problem. It clearly is. For all those minding their dollars and cents, consider the health costs imposed by obesity on this country (meaning taxpayers). I'm certain they are huge.

40 odd years ago, I remember it was almost the end of 5th grade and they weighed all of us kids in class (of maybe 20-25). A friend of mine was "the" fat boy in class and as he got on the scale in full view of all of us, and he tipped it at 108 pounds, I believe there were a few soft snickers and "whoa!" at the enormity of his being. Today, I suspect 108 pounds is average for kids that age.
May 21, 2008

7:49 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

In response to John_II

[Quote]

"I think it is safe to say that not every single person considered to be obese is unhealthy or is destined to die early. My grandmother smoked cigarettes every day and lived for 92 years. But, I would not recommend smoking cigarettes. Would you recommend a BMI of 64.55?"

[End Quote]

No, in all honesty, I would not recommend that anyone has a BMI of 64.55 but at the same time, I would not recommend being too thin either.

The fact is, 95% percent of us who go on weight-loss diets will gain the weight back plus more, and only wind up getting fatter.
Only about 5% percent manage to keep the weight off.

The more diets we go on, the fatter we get. And when our weight comes back up again, we will require fewer calories to maintain our weight. All dieting does is teach our bodies to get along on fewer calories.

My metabolism is shot to Hell now. Most guys, to maintain a weight of 400 pounds would require about 4000 calories per day. But since my metabolism slowed down, due to the number of times that my weight has been up and down, up and down, and back up again, I can now maintain my present weight of 400 pound on just 2000 calories per day, which is about what the average size person eats.

I know some people who only eat about 700 to 1000 calories per day and they are still obese. After awhile, we get to the point where we can't even lose weight anymore, not even at gun point!

So, for those of use we can't lose weight anymore, then it's just best to avoid too many junk foods, and try to get some exercise, and there is a lot of things we can do to improve our health, even if we don't lose weight.

I very seldom eat red meat, I eat mostly chicken or fish, and I actually prefer fish more than meat. I very seldom eat out, I mostly do my own cooking at home, getting lots of vegetables and fresh fruit when ever I get a craving for sweets.

So, I'm doing the best I can with what I have.

Most of my fat relative who lived into their 80s never went on weight loss diets. They ate whatever they felt like eating, and as much as they felt like eating, with out any feeling of guilt.

They believed that we are suppose to enjoy our food without any feelings of guilt or obsessing over every bite. If you feel hungry, eat until you're satisfied, don't over-stuff yourself, but also, don't leave the table still feeling hungry.

But NNNNNOOOOOOO! We have a lot of Government Granny Nannies out there who would like to make food a controlled substance like drugs!
May 21, 2008

8:01 p.m.

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anderson writes:

Fat Man, best health to you, but obesity is a problem in America. That's not to say that any given person is unhealthy because they weigh x, but the big picture says that many people too much overweight is a major health issue.
May 21, 2008

9:20 p.m.

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Achilles writes:

Fat Man,

First of all, I am guessing that you just created your username in response to the Campos column. Otherwise, I see no reason why we need to label ourselves by physical measurements. The beauty of this online forum is the matching of wits, not muscles.

As to your battle with your weight, I wish you the best of luck. My advice to you would be to begin a rigorous strength training program. Building muscle is the best defense against fat. I think you'd be surprised at how fast your body responds to strength training.
May 24, 2008

7:25 a.m.

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malis writes:

hhhmmm...from today's wrap-up editorial in the Post series Campos mentions:

- According to acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, the
prevalence of obesity has tripled among children ages 6 to 11
since 1980. A 2004 report from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention revealed that the average weight for 10-year-old
boys and girls is 11 pounds more than it was in 1963. As Post
writers Susan Levine and Rob Stein reported, almost a quarter of
children through age 17 in Prince George's County and more than a
third of 2- to 5-year-olds in Loudoun County are considered
obese. In the District, 40 percent of schoolchildren and
pre-adolescents are at least overweight.

- The extra weight devastates health. Type 2 diabetes has
increased tenfold among children and teens, and gallbladder
disease has tripled in children ages 6 to 17. That's on top of the
increased risk of asthma, high blood pressure and heart disease.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

As I mentioned earlier, it's too bad Campos has so eroded his credibility on any topic, by demonstrating such inconsistency in the types of authoritative evidence he'll accept for positions he supports versus positions he rejects.

Unfortunately, this Campos Crusade for Crisco bears a striking resemblance to the similarly obsessive crusades of climate change deniers, Intelligent Design advocates, nuclear energy hysterics, 9/11 conspiracy theorists (etc., etc., etc....).

That is, depend primarily on the outliers...use only the tiny minority of credible authority supporting your chosen position (often cherry-picking out-of-context supporting evidence of even that minority). Cite information from obsessive cranks as if it were vetted science. Denigrate anything that tends to disprove your position (often calling it 'junk science'). Downplay the vast body of settled science as being either willfully ignorant, incompetent, or in the pocket of other interests.

It's unfortunate, because Campos is sometimes insightful and often brings a thoughtful contrarian view that can add to the debate. It's too bad this narrow obsession so blinds him to evidence in this case, that I now can't really trust anything he says in other cases.
May 24, 2008

5:35 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Posted by malis on May 24, 2008 at 7:25 a.m.

[Quote]
"A 2004 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the average weight for 10-year-old boys and girls is 11 pounds more than it was in 1963."
[End Quote]

Oh my God! How tragic! We are in the midsts of The Great Obesity Epidemic!!! The average 10 year old today is 11 pounds heavier than they were back in 1963. Oh! How horrible!!!

What the CDC, Center for Disease Control forgot to take into consideration is that the average 10 year old today is also more than an inch taller than they were back in 1963.

HELLO! Tall people on average weigh more than short people! HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!

If you are more than an inch taller, your going to weigh a few pounds more!

HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!

Anybody listening out there???

HELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Well, guess not! The phone must be dead or something! Either that, your phone's off the hook!

I'm 56 years old and I'm only 5 ft 6 in tall and I have seen a lot of 11 and 12 year old kids today who are much taller than I am, and could probably kick my fat ass around the block just for drill!

You know? All this stuff we are getting from the so-called "experts" is really a load of crap!!!

Has it ever occurred to anyone that perhaps the real reason for the increase in diabetes and other diseases maybe, just maybe, due to toxic chemicals in our environment and some of the crap they put in our foods these days?

But NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Nobody will address that issue!

Gee! I wonder why!!!

Or perhaps we would like to see our young men being 6 feet tall and only weigh 100 pounds.

So much for the anorexic mindset of our phony medical experts!!!

I'm outta here!

Byyyyeeeeeeeeee!!!
May 24, 2008

8:56 p.m.

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anderson writes:

It looks like Fat_Man is one of the 10 percenters I mentioned above. It must be a great feeling to know you know more than the CDC does.

malis lays out the case well, and that is just a small part of the picture. I also generally agree with his comments on Campos. I suspect the RMN just likes having columnists who will take absurd or controversial positions (Campos and Rosen come to mind) just because they will be sure to stir up readers.
May 24, 2008

9:41 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Excuse me Anderson . . . . .

But if I'm skeptical of all the claims being made by the so-called medical experts, it's because I have my reasons. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I do have to wonder sometimes.

A Harvard University study suggesting that the acceptable weight for women and men of average height be lowered to 108 pounds for women and 129 pounds for men?

Another Harvard University study saying that obesity is contagious?

I read that article, and it sounds like pseudo-science. I would never have thought that something like that would come from one of our top universities.

Ever hear of Mississippi House Bill 282 which was proposed by Representatives W.T. Mayhall Jr. a retired pharmaceutical salesman with DuPont-Merk, Bobby Shows, and John Read back in February of this year.

It was a proposal that was put forward to ban anyone with a BMI of 30 or more from being served in restaurants.

Fortunately, the bill did not pass. In fact, it never even made it to the floor to be voted on. Someone had the good sense to tear it up and chuck it in the round file.

Back in the 1960s, blacks were not allowed to eat in some restaurants, and these three turkeys wanted to do the same with us fat people.

We fat people are becoming the new "N" word!

So, I don't trust what anybody in power or in any position of authority has to say anymore!
May 25, 2008

11:25 a.m.

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rjnova writes:

This is one of few Campos articles I can find nothing to disagree with. Actually he is right that the obeisity scare tactics are like most scares overblown if not based upon junk science. Global warming comes to mind as overblown. Obeisity is surely not as healthful as an alternative life style of diet control and exercise. Correct or overblown obeisity is a personal matter that is no none's business but the person involved. Most assuredly not Uncle Sugar's.

What surprises me is liberals think govt should monitor and be involved in everyones life and I would like to think Campos is thinking more critically and less liberal dogma.
May 25, 2008

1:45 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

In response to Rjnova: May 25, 2008 at 11:25 a.m.

Thank you very much!

But it's not just liberals, but also some conservatives have been jumping on the anti-obesity band wagon as well.

Anyway, I'm 56 years old, and I can remember back in the 1960s when the President's Counsel of Physical Fitness got on it's nation wide physical fitness kick, after President Kennedy once said that Americans were out of shape and needed to go on 50 mile hikes. It was after that when the quality of education in our schools started going down the crapper.

When I was a kid, I wasn't overweight yet. It was during my teen age years when I became obese, but before then, my weight was normal for my height and age. Yeah, I did have a round little tummy, a chubby butt and pudgy thighs, but I was small in the chest and I had skinny arms which would account for why my weight was still normal for my height. Also, my legs were kind of short for my torso length. When I was born, my mother said that I was a normal 7 lbs 10 oz but I was somewhat shorter in length than average and my arms and legs were kind of short in proportion to my body.

Anyway, in PE, I was able to do my push-ups and sit-up like most kids. Some could do more and some could do less, so I was just about average in that regard. But I had difficulty running due to a knee injury I had from a car accident when I fell out of the car at the age of 4 and I busted my left knee on the pavement, so as a kid I walked with a limp.

I was often teased and harassed by the other kids, and even some of my teachers because I was lousy at sport. In school I was the typical "nerd" of "geek" and I didn't care for sports anyway.

My mother taught me how to read and write before I even started school, and when I was only in the 3rd grade I was already reading at the adult level, and when I was 13, I scored 150 on a standard IQ test, so school should have been a breeze for me.

Right??? WRONG!!!

To be continued . . . . . . .
May 25, 2008

2:02 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Continued from above.

When I was in the 4th grade, I had my first male PE instructor. We had to climb a rope in the gymnasium, and I was the only one who was unable to climb the rope because of my crippled left leg. I was harassed and humiliated in the gym, and then I was suspended from school because I failed to climb the rope.

In another school, I had my first male teacher for all of my classes, and he was super gung-ho when it came to PE. One day we were playing basketball. I dropped the ball, and my teacher picked up the ball, and punched me in the stomach as hard as he could, and I was all doubled over in pain trying to catch my breath.

I was often humiliated in front of all the other kids in my PE class because I was lousy at sports, and in the classroom I was treated differently from the other students.

One day, when our class went to the library all the other students were allowed to check out any book they wanted, but I was not. I saw this Astronomy book that I wanted. Astronomy is my favorite subject. He would not allow me to check out the book, and we got into an argument over it. He dragged me out into the hallway, grabbed me by the shoulders, and pushed me back up against the wall. He bashed my head against the wall, and I got really dizzy.

The following year, that teacher was fired from the school, and could not get a teaching job anywhere else. But for years afterward, and during my teen age years, I had dizzy spells and headaches, which gradually went away as I got older.

Continued . . . . . . .
May 25, 2008

2:08 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Continued from above.

In the meantime, the quality of education in our schools continued to go down hill.

When I was in high school, in my English Literature Class, we didn't study literature, instead we learned to play Charades, and how to fold paper footballs! DUH!!!

In my history class, while we did discuss some politics on one particular day, we were talking about whether 18 year olds should be given the right to vote or not. Well, I said that if one is old enough to be drafted into the Army, to fight and die in some stupid war, then they are old enough to vote. And my history teacher pointed out that military dogs in the canine corps also get killed in the battle fields. So should they also be given the right to vote?

What a moron! I pointed out that dogs are not human, they can not under stand abstract concepts, such as politics, can't even be taught to read or write, so how the Hell can they vote? And then my history teacher said that one is not really fully human until one reaches adulthood, and that children are still animals! I fled from the class-room because I couldn't take his stupidity. My dear God! What a moron.

Then, my math teacher, all he wanted was to teach was how to manage our finances, and he was encouraging us to drop out of school, and look for work, menial labor for less than minimum wages. But I wanted to learn, Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry in high school instead. Another moron!

And finally, I had this one science teacher who was also the school's football coach. During football season, he was to damn freakin' busy, coaching his team of pre-frontally lobotomized baboons to be teaching in his classroom, so, instead, he would set up the movie projector, turn off the lights, then go out the door, and leave us all sitting in the dark, watching a bunch of stupid cartoons! I wanted to study science damn it!!! Another moron!

But of course, here in the good ol' US of A, we really don't need to teach our kids science and math. They only need to learn sports, to become professional athletes, to keep all the rednecks entertained, watching football on Ye Olde Boob Tube during the Sunday afternoons, getting drunk on their collective ass, and then, beating the holy crap out of their wives and kids when their favorite team loses the big game of the season!

Ah yes! God bless America!

Continued . . . . .
May 25, 2008

2:44 p.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Continued from above.

So, when I went to school, they cared more about physical education than they did about academics.

I was also under pressure to join the school's football team because of my size and weight, being 5 ft 6 in and 220 pounds. But I hated football. I was a nerd and a geek, and damn proud of it!

Yeah, I understand that physical fitness is important and all that.

But what about mental fitness, and emotional well being?

What good is developing strong bodies when we destroy their minds in the process? What good is it to big bulging biceps, a broad chest, a small waist with six-pack abs when there is no fully functional mind.

Yeah! I know! A perfect football playing human robot!

Then finally. . . . . .

In my high school, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the drug scene. I did not care to try smoking pot, or doing any kind of drugs.

I was being harassed by a couple of dope pusher who wanted me to try some of their stuff. When I told them to just leave me alone, they would keep following me around between classes. I couldn't go into the rest room without being harassed.

So, I turned them in. That turned out to be a stupid mistake, because the harassment got even worse. My notebooks were torn up, in the art class some of my oil paintings were destroyed, and then my life was threatened, so I had to drop out of school for my own safty.

After all that had happened, I had a mental and emotional breakdown, and spent three weeks in a psychiatric ward, where one night, I was raped by an older man. I was 17 years old at the time.

That was back in 1969, and back then, when I cam home, I needed some psychological counseling to help me to cope with my situation, but there was nobody I could talk to. They would just prescribe tranquilizers and send me home. They just didn't talk about such things back then.

In just six weeks after coming home from the psych-ward, my weight shot up from 220 pounds to about 275 pounds.

Actually, I was glad about the weight gain, because when I turned 18, I had to register for the draft, and I was afraid that I might end up having to fight in Viet Nam.

But the Army rejected me because at 5 ft 6 in and 280 pounds, I was about 120 pounds overweight.

My mother and I were both happy about that, because it meant that I would not have to die for a Fascist country who denied me of my right to get a decent education, and knocked me around like a human punching bag.

So, I had earned the right to be fat!

And then, I discovered that I like being fat, because now, at 400 pounds, I am much bigger than anyone who has ever bullied me around. It is my way of adapting to a hostile and dangerous environment.

Being fat has never done me any harm, and has actually protected me for getting any worse injuries from the beatings.
May 26, 2008

7:55 a.m.

Suggest removal

Fat_Man writes:

Posted by theQ on May 25, 2008 at 10:22 p.m.

[Quote]
So your point is after 900 words is don't take a alarmist view. WOW....that was 4 words.
[End Quote]

Actually that's 5 words if you count the word "a" as a word.

But, yes, I'm saying not to believe all the alarmists who are ringing false alarms.

The point I'm trying to make is that I don't believe all the established authorities.

I'm more concerned about the declining quality of education in our schools than I am about double-chins love-handles.

For example:

About 20% percent of Americans believe that the sun revolves around the Earth! That is one in five!

This is only one point argued by the Washington Post's Susan Jacoby, in her attempt to prove that Americans are in serious intellectual trouble, facing a virulent mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations.

Americans are becoming increasingly dumbed-down as a society.

Reading of books, newspapers and magazines is on the decline. A 2007 study even found that 80 percent of American families did not buy or read a book in 2006.

General knowledge is eroding. This is evidenced not only by the fact that one in five U.S. adults believe the sun revolves around the Earth, but also many others.

It's not bad enough that knowledge is quickly declining in the United States. On top of that, there is an arrogance about this lack of knowledge, almost as if a good portion of the population is saying, "We know we’re ignorant, but we don’t care!"

Consider, for instance, that a 2006 survey by National Geographic-Roper found that nearly half of young Americans did not think it was necessary to know the location of other countries in which important news was being made. And another one-third felt it was "not at all important" to know a foreign language.

Why is this so concerning? Because …

Fear and Ignorance Go Hand in Hand!

Gee! I think I can understand why I once had my head bashed against a brick wall by some teacher in and argument over an Astronomy book he would not allow me to check out from the library.

When I want to school, they didn't want to teach us anything except sports.

Western Civilization is on the decline and we are all worried about double-chins and love-handles.

We are become a very shallow people.

God bless America! Don't ya just love it!!!
May 26, 2008

7 p.m.

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Achilles writes:

Lay off Fat Man. He's typing so much because he's trying to burn off calories. Little does he know that he could burn off more calories by using his brain instead of his hands.

rjnova, I am surprised you find nothing to disagree with Campos on this topic. What do you think about his life expectancy reasoning. Yes, we are living longer. But, obviously, that has more to do with medical science than our obesity. The nation is getting fatter; that is a fact. And, we are living longer; that is also a fact.But, those two facts do not mean our obesity problem is negated by our rising life expectancy. Campos used his tried and true cherry-picking of facts to make a case here. It seems like he fooled a lot of people with this column.
May 27, 2008

7:30 a.m.

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AngelontheSidelines writes:

Thank you Fat Man for your story. It is brave of you to share, even if anonymous.

Schools are a scam to fool parents so their children can be indoctrinated and taught how to be mindless consumers. The average schoolkid in the early 1800's read James Fenimore Cooper. I wager the average 11th grader would not make it more than a couple chapters through The Last of the Mohicans.

A nation of bigger stronger people that cannot think, and the eugenics craze a century ago is now seen as quaint.
May 27, 2008

8:51 a.m.

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Fat_Man writes:

Posted by AngelontheSidelines on May 27, 2008 at 7:30 a.m.

[Quote]
"Thank you Fat Man for your story. It is brave of you to share, even if anonymous."
[End Quote]

Good morning Angel and thank you.

Naturally my post is anonymous because it's really not safe to post your real name on the Internet, because when I have posted my story on some other forums, in some of those forums I have been verbally torn apart.

Recently there was an article by Shirley Skeel titled "What If No One Were Fat?" an MSN Money article, one of those occasional series on financial what-ifs.

She was suggesting the if no one were fat The savings on medical, fuel, food and other costs would be enough to give every U.S. household more than $4,000 dollars.

So, on that other forum, almost everybody there are all pissed off at us fat people, because they believe that if nobody was fat they would have an extra $4,000 in their pockets.

Many Americans like cattle. When ranchers use to drive cattle through the deserts they would have to look for water, so the ranchers on horseback would scout ahead looking for water, and to make sure that the water was drinkable and not poison. If it was poison, then they would have to divert the cattle miles out of the way to avoid the poison water, because once the thirsty cattle picked up on the smell of water in the distance, they would stampede toward it and stampede toward their deaths from the poison water.

Well, thanks to our wonderful American educational system, many Americans are like stampeding cattle. The minute the pick up on the smell of money, they stamped toward it, even if it means trampling innocent people underfoot into the ground to get to it.

Continued . . . . .
May 27, 2008

8:52 a.m.

Suggest removal

Fat_Man writes:

Continued from above.

The idea that they might have an extra $4,000 dollars in their pockets is enough to inspire hatred toward us fat people.

When I told my story over there about my experiences with our declining educational system, I was told that I deserved what I got, because I was a sissy since I didn't care for sports, that I deserved the beatings I got.

Then do you all MeMe Roth who had said that 17-year-old Jordin Sparks didn't deserve to win American Idol because of her weight?

She had won a singing contest because of her singing talents, not because of her looks. But Jordin Sparks is a beautiful young lady, even if she is a bit "overweight" and I think she looks just fine.

I suppose if some scientist were to find a cure for cancer and win the Nobel Peace Prise, he better not be a fat person, because then, MeMe Roth would say that he should not get the Nobel Peace Prise because he's too fat.

All of this hostility toward us fat people is very distressful. I have never harmed another person in my life, but I have often been beaten up on, not just for being fat, but just for being different, and my being fat was just one more excuse for their bigotry.

Well, I'm fat, and that's all there is to it, and I'm not harming anyone just by being fat, and if we fat people were to turn thin overnight, it's not going to magically transform gold and silver, diamonds and jewelry into everyone's pockets. Too many Americans are living in a fantasy world.

But than, what can one expect when 20% percent of American adults believe that the sun revolves around the earth?

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they also believed the earth is flat!!!
May 30, 2008

10:44 a.m.

Suggest removal

kbrigan writes:

I've recently cancelled (a bit reluctantly) my subscription to the Washington Post, and just wrote to them asking if they have the gonads to report on Campos' challenge to Olshansky. Anybody else who would like to write, here are the CEO's and Exec Editor's emails:

ceo-carolinelittle@wpni.com

executive.editor@washingtonpost.com
June 29, 2008

8:09 p.m.

Suggest removal

paulsnjfriend writes:

Paul, you are a menace to society. Your articles rarely ever are based on fact, and your logic is usually flawed. I am a lawyer and I cringe at what you are teaching at the law school.

Those of you who agree that obesity is not a health threat had better do some authentic research that Paul obviously fails to do. Obesity has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. As a person who handles worker's compensation cases, I can tell you that knee, hip and back injuries are more prevalent and more severe for people who are obese.

Those of you who are overweight can continue in your denial and take comfort in the unsupported opinions of Campos and the millions of other "experts" who spout drivel on the internet and in the media. Unfortunately you will pay the price and that is sad when there are people who write with facts rather than bs.
June 29, 2008

8:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

paulsnjfriend writes:

I reread your challenge. Typical Campos logic!

Longevity has been increasing steadily due to better health care so Campos makes a safe bet. Thirty years ago obese people died younger than thinner people. That remains true today. Everyone lives longer today. So in 10, 20, 30 years from now everyone will live longer despite the growth of obesity. Good bet Paul, but you stacked the deck. Why not change your bet and wager that in 10, 20, 30 years the obese among us will NOT still be dying younger than thinner people.

I hope you sleep well knowing the misinformation you spew.

Home › Opinion › Opinion Columns & Blogs

CAMPOS: A $10,000 'obesity' challenge

By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 20, 2008 at 8 p.m.

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