Re Felicity’s point, Lizzie’s article was certainly not about lumping “all fat people under one umbrella”. It wasn’t even about “fat” people. Rather it pointed out, as clearly as she usually does, the utter uselessness of UPF to human well-being.
Cheap crap will kill us.
We need to put more resource into proper food for everyone, beginning with the people who spend their lives producing that food.
Excellent and thoughtful writing, Lizzie. I remember the first time coming face to face with the realities of cheap, fake food and income levels: we were vacationing in California, just grocery shopped at a swanky place with eye watering prices (being visitors, we didn’t realize how posh it was). After blowing $100USD on 5 items, we walked outside to be faced with a gigantic billboard advertising 100 chicken nuggets for $5 from a popular fast food place… I was absolutely stunned. It was a pretty black and white example of what route you might take when every single penny is to be considered.
Thank you! Yes, I remember going to California and being completely shocked at how expensive fresh food was! It’s not surprising that so many people can’t afford to eat it!
Thank you! I think there are ways to solve it, but it will take serious government action to do it – on a par with how they tackled smoking. Some of the solutions I wrote about in my manifesto post before the election. The House of Lords has produced a very good document about how to tackle it – starting with banning all advertising everywhere and sports sponsorship.
Your opening point is truly provocative! Tongue in cheek? I think not. It’s one heck of a risky move to make such a bold statement. “If you want to be seriously fat, it helps to be seriously poor”. Where does the “want’” come into it? I find it shocking, when we are faced with such high judgemental, assumptive, bullying and a broad sweep informing the general public that ALL OBESE PEOPLE ARE FAT AND DONT CARE - it is not on. Your saving grace ( thank god I kept reading is all I can say!) is your final statement about being cruel. You just about get a brownie point for that.
We spent half a century falling under the spell of the USA on so many levels and here we go again - Wes Streeting who has lost all my support in one fell sweep, intends to completely finish off the NHS and in the process - kill off the ‘fatties’ with mind distorting chemicals…… a whole raft of human beings are being ignored in all of this fat rubbish what about those with Lipoedema ( not Lymphedema) or Dercums disease. Or other genetically
generated conditions…. I find it appalling I’m sick of being the bad guy, the one who stands up and doesn’t put up with it. Why ANYONE would ever want to lump all fat people under one umbrella, I shall never know in my heart, but in my mind, it is ignorance and an unwillingness to consider other issues. It has to stop.
Hello Felicity, My piece was about the terrible stresses of not having enough money and how that gets exploited by the manufacturers and purveyors of UPFs with the tragic results of making millions of people fat and ill, and governments do not step in and put a stop to it. My judgement was in no way directed at the victims of this.
I apologise for my misunderstanding; I reacted in haste. Thank you for your sensitive, apposite response. I actually realise now, that we are of similar minds. Thank you for taking upbalancing of this challenging material.
Thanks for your reply. One of the dangers of humour, satire and irony is that they can be taken at face value and thereby sound outrageous. So I absolutely understand your misunderstanding!
Much appreciated Lizzie. It’s been a much needed learning curve for me. I get triggered so very easily have this tendency to react rather than respond. I have both Lipoedema and Dercums disease, that had gone undiagnosed for 69 years of my life. Now at 72, I understand a lot more than I did, prior to diagnosis. Most people, including some doctors, have no idea that the person in front of them is suffering in constant pain from either one of these two diseases. Lipoedema, though still under rigorous research is believed to be a connective tissue disorder, usually triggered at puberty and linked in some way to oestrogen. I went through puberty around 1962 when I was about 9 years old. (That was very young for puberty in those days)
Dercums is different, but I shall not go into it here, other than to say both conditions come with excessive pain. Thanks again for your generous and kind reply to me! 🙏🏼
I thought it was an arresting opening to a terrific piece: every line Lizzie has written is so obviously asserting the brutal unfairness if this issue, and noting the damaging misjudgements about obesity from people who don't have to contend with the same injustices. A wonderful, unsettling, read.
Thank you! They absolutely must; the cost – human and economic – is enormous. And the damage done by UPF is so much greater than its effect on our weight.
Re Felicity’s point, Lizzie’s article was certainly not about lumping “all fat people under one umbrella”. It wasn’t even about “fat” people. Rather it pointed out, as clearly as she usually does, the utter uselessness of UPF to human well-being.
Cheap crap will kill us.
We need to put more resource into proper food for everyone, beginning with the people who spend their lives producing that food.
Thank you Cathy! And beautifully put!
Excellent and thoughtful writing, Lizzie. I remember the first time coming face to face with the realities of cheap, fake food and income levels: we were vacationing in California, just grocery shopped at a swanky place with eye watering prices (being visitors, we didn’t realize how posh it was). After blowing $100USD on 5 items, we walked outside to be faced with a gigantic billboard advertising 100 chicken nuggets for $5 from a popular fast food place… I was absolutely stunned. It was a pretty black and white example of what route you might take when every single penny is to be considered.
Thank you! Yes, I remember going to California and being completely shocked at how expensive fresh food was! It’s not surprising that so many people can’t afford to eat it!
Excellent article Lizzie. You totally nailed the whole process. If only politicians would pay attention and listen!!!
Thanks Kathy! Maybe they will one day!
You are very wise. It's a tragic problem and I have no idea how anyone can solve it.
Thank you! I think there are ways to solve it, but it will take serious government action to do it – on a par with how they tackled smoking. Some of the solutions I wrote about in my manifesto post before the election. The House of Lords has produced a very good document about how to tackle it – starting with banning all advertising everywhere and sports sponsorship.
Your opening point is truly provocative! Tongue in cheek? I think not. It’s one heck of a risky move to make such a bold statement. “If you want to be seriously fat, it helps to be seriously poor”. Where does the “want’” come into it? I find it shocking, when we are faced with such high judgemental, assumptive, bullying and a broad sweep informing the general public that ALL OBESE PEOPLE ARE FAT AND DONT CARE - it is not on. Your saving grace ( thank god I kept reading is all I can say!) is your final statement about being cruel. You just about get a brownie point for that.
We spent half a century falling under the spell of the USA on so many levels and here we go again - Wes Streeting who has lost all my support in one fell sweep, intends to completely finish off the NHS and in the process - kill off the ‘fatties’ with mind distorting chemicals…… a whole raft of human beings are being ignored in all of this fat rubbish what about those with Lipoedema ( not Lymphedema) or Dercums disease. Or other genetically
generated conditions…. I find it appalling I’m sick of being the bad guy, the one who stands up and doesn’t put up with it. Why ANYONE would ever want to lump all fat people under one umbrella, I shall never know in my heart, but in my mind, it is ignorance and an unwillingness to consider other issues. It has to stop.
Hello Felicity, My piece was about the terrible stresses of not having enough money and how that gets exploited by the manufacturers and purveyors of UPFs with the tragic results of making millions of people fat and ill, and governments do not step in and put a stop to it. My judgement was in no way directed at the victims of this.
I apologise for my misunderstanding; I reacted in haste. Thank you for your sensitive, apposite response. I actually realise now, that we are of similar minds. Thank you for taking upbalancing of this challenging material.
Thanks for your reply. One of the dangers of humour, satire and irony is that they can be taken at face value and thereby sound outrageous. So I absolutely understand your misunderstanding!
Much appreciated Lizzie. It’s been a much needed learning curve for me. I get triggered so very easily have this tendency to react rather than respond. I have both Lipoedema and Dercums disease, that had gone undiagnosed for 69 years of my life. Now at 72, I understand a lot more than I did, prior to diagnosis. Most people, including some doctors, have no idea that the person in front of them is suffering in constant pain from either one of these two diseases. Lipoedema, though still under rigorous research is believed to be a connective tissue disorder, usually triggered at puberty and linked in some way to oestrogen. I went through puberty around 1962 when I was about 9 years old. (That was very young for puberty in those days)
Dercums is different, but I shall not go into it here, other than to say both conditions come with excessive pain. Thanks again for your generous and kind reply to me! 🙏🏼
I thought it was an arresting opening to a terrific piece: every line Lizzie has written is so obviously asserting the brutal unfairness if this issue, and noting the damaging misjudgements about obesity from people who don't have to contend with the same injustices. A wonderful, unsettling, read.
Thank you. Yes, that is definitely where I am coming from!
Well said, Lizzie. They should tackle the cause, not the symptom, and it'd probably be cheaper, in the long run.
Thank you! They absolutely must; the cost – human and economic – is enormous. And the damage done by UPF is so much greater than its effect on our weight.