1. Obesity.
My own observations recently were chronicled in this post. I believe the condition is actually contagious. When so many people are obese in your daily comings and goings, it's that much easier to accept a bit of overweight in yourself. Over time, this leads to ever more cases. It's a terrible spiral going down with no indication of letting up any time soon.
The real problem, I suppose, is the fast food industry, and the hormones and additives they put in processed food. More recently there's the controversy of genetically modified foods. The portions in restaurants and diners are incredible large. The waste is awful.
Everything is geared towards more and more obesity.
2. Prescription drugs.
The drug addiction among young adults and teenagers seems to be worse than ever. Several documentaries I watched explained how the new synthetic heroin-like painkillers are so prevalent that entire new demographic groups are being affected. When the prescriptions run out, buying the pills on the street is extremely expensive. Many turn to heroin which a 10 times cheaper.
We already knew about the when assigning The Crown to Florida, partly because it is the hub of this deadly business, but on my recent visit I saw the devastation with my own eyes.
3. Gun availability.
The dreaded phone call from school that there's been a shooting is about 100 times more likely in the US than it is in Italy, for example. Easy access to guns makes life there a little bit more risky than it should be.
In one thing I agree with the gun-rights folks. It's the violence of the people that's the real problem. When walking down the street in the US towards a group of young men, the potential for violence is there. This has nothing to do with guns. But, to use that as an excuse for making guns easily available is insanity. Guns make whatever violence is already there that much worse. What could be more obvious than that.
One of the funny things about the gun control argument is that most of the vocal gun-rights guys are jingoistic rah-rah Americans, yet they embody these problems, in some cases all three.
I love it. You had to escape the U.S. before the fat people seduced you into becoming fat. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteBut--uh-oh . . . you might have to move again ;-).
And insurrectionists. Don't forget that these overweight, drug addicted, jingoistic rah-rah patriots also hate the government and want to overthrow it.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have made the right choice for you. How about you let us make our choices and stop meddling?
ReplyDeleteWe're talking, Greg. We're writing our opinions on a fucking blog, for crissakes. What the hell's wrong with you? I'm not a legislator. I hold no political office. How is my expressing my opinions meddling?
DeleteBefore you answer that, be careful not to slip up and violate your own beliefs about the 1st amendment.
We're writing our opinions on a fucking blog, for crissakes. What the hell's wrong with you? I'm not a legislator. I hold no political office. How is my expressing my opinions meddling?
DeleteHmm . . . funny you should say that, because as it turns out, you have also said, "The damage [I'm] doing in the world is incalculable."
I, of course, am also in no position to formulate gun policy in the U.S. I am, in fact, what Juan Williams might describe as "just a blogger" (although, one of course, with vastly less influence than Miss Malkin wields).
So how, I ask, can I do "incalculable" damage (and apparently on a global scale), while you cannot even meddle?
And come to think of it, Mikeb, you constantly blame "gun violence" on gun rights advocates--the vast majority of whom, of course, neither pull the trigger in the violent act, nor wield any power to make gun laws.
DeleteNo--we own a share of the blame, according to you, merely for our gun rights advocacy on blogs, in conversations, etc..
So make up your mind. Is what we advocate on blogs and other discussions meaningless (begging the question of why any of us bother), or is there some effect, at least potentially, from that advocacy?
You can't have it both ways.
Although some of Mikeb's statements turn out to be somewhat less than reliable, it is from my experience that many criminals who are hell-bent on perforating your shopping spree with hot lead have greater assess to PROFESSIONAL GRADE weaponry then ever before.
DeleteAs the Field Operations Security Officer (and later industry consultant) for a three man Tactical response team charged with ensuring YOUR SAFETY, in the face of Cripps, Skinheads, EX-KGB Russian mob along with the other usual suspects for such a vile atrocity as shoplifting which ran rampant one of our nations most dangerous malls I have firsthand experience of the nefarious deeds of heavily armed criminals. Most criminals come in packs (including up to a dozen members in my experience), and are packing REAL assault rifles, like Ex-Soviet Bloc AK-74s, FAMAS, QBZ-95 and H&K G3 (not the civvie legal toys) and such firepower simply cannot be matched by a common handgun (let alone an unarmed victim). I have even stumbled upon the occasional Pancor Jackhammer and even a sawn-off Barrett M82. We are losing the arms race, having long ago traded the tried and true .38 cal Model 10s for Beretta 92Fs and Mossberg 500s, and finally for Glock 18s and (c3 permit) SCARs. Pistols need a MINIMUM of 15 rounds to be effective and ought to have more stopping power than your average pea-shooter (I’m talking .45 acp .357 sig, 10mm auto, or .44 mag in a IMI Desert Eagle or an AutoMag).
Something must be done to stop the madness. Until then, I will face it boldly whenever it comes to my mall.
The lizard troll insists on wasting our time.
DeleteMikeb, I don't advocate anything about Italian politics. That country is a mess, but it's none of my concern. You are here advocating for changes in our laws. If you've made the decision to leave America, why not just go?
It's the equivalent of having sex with an ex-wife. There comes a time to move on.
Kurt, I think you've made a good point. I can only hope my meddling will produce as much good in the world as your pushing gun rights produces bad.
DeleteKurt, I think you've made a good point. I can only hope my meddling will produce as much good in the world as your pushing gun rights produces bad.
DeleteI have little doubt that Greg will graciously accept your heartfelt apology for your hysterical, rage-filled denial that what you are doing is indeed "meddling" in U.S. gun politics--when that apology is offered.
Should we not hold our breaths?
If I waited around for Mikeb to apologize for all his offenses against me, I'd never get anything done.
DeleteAt first, I strongly disagreed with Greg. Then, being flexible and open minded, I felt moved by your comments on the matter - and admitted it. For this I owe Greg an apology?
DeleteYou know, when you guys need to grasp at such flimsy straws, if just shows that you're drowning in the argument.
Obesity is contagious? I'd like to see you prove that in a court of law. maybe Pooch could be your lawyer.
ReplyDeleteHeroin, eh? I wonder how that became such a problem recently? Where does that stuff come from again? Oh, yeah, Afghanistan. Wonder how it gets here? Does the CIA fly it in for Obama like they flew in coke for Clinton?
If you were smart enough to homeschool and get your kids out of those shitty government miseducation centers you wouldn't have to worry about getting a call, now would you?
orlin sellers
He's absolutely right. It's a contagion of social expectation. In Europe, you can ALWAYS pick the Americans out. We are bigger and fatter than anyone. It's a sociatal disease. It's the fast food, the portions at restaurants.
DeletePO, you're welcome to join Mikeb if it bothers you that much.
DeleteReally, POed? Cause I always heard the English bitching about the Scots being fat because of all their fried food, I saw lots of fat Germans and Italians, and you picked out the Russians by spotting big fat guys with gold jewelry with beautiful twiggy women on their arms and chubby little kids running around them...
DeleteSimon, are you denying that there's an obesity problem in the US? You sound a bit defensive. Is the subject pushing your jingo button?
DeleteNo, I'm not denying that there's an obesity problem. I'm just noting that other countries have their own obesity problems. I get tired of anti-American stereotyping as much as anyone gets tired of stereotyping of their country. Look at POed's comment about how you could always (in all caps) pick out Americans because they were bigger. And yes, I verged on that with my comment about the Russians based mostly on Russian families that I saw all over Helsinki--it's a stereotype that will often find you a Russian, just as picking out fat tourists in other places will often find an American, but both methods will cause you to overlook many other tourists from both countries who don't fit the stereotype--like the Russian cyclists I talked to on the train north from Helsinki.
DeleteAs for your charge of jingoism, you've seen me criticize our government, aspects of our culture, etc. Why do you feel the need to incorrectly paint me as a "my country right or wrong" type?
DeleteThe notion that Americans are always obvious is very clear. Go to Vienna, Budapest, Paris, London. You will spot the American tourist immediately. They are generally badly dressed, fat, and talking too loudly.
DeleteAnd again, Nick, you're stereotyping--I thought progressives hated stereotyping?
DeleteAnyway, yes, those are the stereotypes of Americans, and they exist for a reason--like most stereotypes--because they reflect the truth of a significant portion of the population.
You say these things are generally true. That's a bit different from what POed said, which was what I was criticizing. He said the Americans are "ALWAYS" the biggest ones around--I was pointing out that he was incorrect in his assessment.
Of course, it shouldn't be surprising because it was the same type of over-generalization he indulges in in his comments about all gun owners.
Finally, with regard to the stereotype you put forward, yes, you can generally pick out American tourists because of those issues--though I find the loud part more common than the other two. Still, that's just an easy way to pick out the ones that stand out--kinda like eating ice cream in the harbor market in Helsinki and counting big Russian men with tiny trophy wives. If you sit around and listen, you'll find plenty more Americans, Russians, and other tourists who blend in, but who you can identify by the language and accent they're speaking with.
Please, tell us how we're "jingoistic rah rah Americans." Please explain where the line between choosing to live here and being jingoistic lies.
ReplyDeleteWhile you're at it, please explain, also, the difference between your position and self loathing hatey hate anti-Americans. And to be clear, I'm not saying you're one--I've dealt with them and they're quite different. I'm just curious about where you say that the line is for comparison to the other line.
I don't know where the line is, Simon. But, since you so graciously admitted you've dealt with those types and you don't think I'm one of them, what exactly are you driving at? Wait a minute, I know. You're doing your usual petty pain-in-the-ass contentious bullshit, stirring up arguments where there aren't any.
DeleteHave you truly escaped the problems of obesity and prescription drugs by simply moving out of America?
ReplyDeleteIt's better here for those reasons and especially for the other one that you didn't mention.
DeleteI always imagined that you must have married a beautiful Italian Contessa. Your heart undoubtedly yearned to be in your beloved homeland but you were a prisoner of lavish wealth and property.
ReplyDeleteYou are a character, FJ.
DeleteTo address the last point made regarding gun availability, I look at that chart and reminisce of the "good old days" when one only had to ward off a bunch of young punks who might be packing a switchblade or a .25 acp (like a Raven or a Phoenix) among them. Now those in my line of work must routinely combat hordes of Narco-terrorists armed with AR-15s illegally converted with a drop in sear, with a sawn-off 45-70 or a Jati-matic stuffed down their trousers. We are losing the arms race, having long ago traded the tried and true .38 cal Model 10s for Beretta 92Fs and Mossberg 500s, and finally for Glock 18s and (c3 permit) SCARs. The graph is entirely inaccurate from my Street standpoint, with most of the weapons that we encounter being REAL assault rifles of eastern European or Chinese origin, along with the occasional hand grenade or RPG. So rather than disarming the good people of America, why doesn't any of the current politicians try to fix the broken government police, who are too corrupt and frightened to stop the flow of these weapons, and instead leaves us to protect society from the results of their dereliction of duty.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most Americans are fat and lazy with the exception of the hoards of born criminals breed and raised on crack cocaine who are the menace of civilians in the streets of every city and the halls of every shopping center alike. It is only we, the silent protectors of society, the thin and invisible tactical black line who separate your plodding, drug ridden lives from utter chaos.
BTW, for information purposes I thought I'd offer the following:
ReplyDeleteI don't know the price differential between heroin and prescription opiates. That's surprisingly high--especially since most of the cases I hear about are still prescription pills. If that's the current price differential, my best Wild Ass Guess would be that the people could be opting for the prescription pills viewing the premium price as a safety-net to avoid the many dangers of heroin use.
Just for further info, I've heard (in a continuing education seminar) another factor in the recent heroin boom in the US. Basically, the time release formulas have been improved to the point that it's harder to crush your Oxy and get a quick high off it, so the people who were going for that, or who have a huge tolerance and need a big hit for an appreciable effect, are switching to heroin.
Don't have any first hand knowledge of this, just what we learned was driving heroin growth--especially in rural areas where the people are self medicating for chronic pain from work related injuries (coal miners, farm hands, etc.). Thought it might be of interest.
It is.
Delete