How can there be “huge swathes” of Americans who are “poorer than” the Americans who are so poor that they can only afford junk food and thus explain America’s obesity statistics. This whole talking point makes no sense.
Comment on YSK tricks for one of the cheapest meals: beans and rice
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 1 day agoOf course, and it’s a common trend around the developed world.
What’s important to realise, though is that there are huge swathes of people who are poorer than that. People who need to choose between eating and heating. People who go without just so their kids can eat.
The obese poor people are not the ones who are starving (obviously). They’re not the ones in abject poverty.
JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 1 day ago
How are you not getting it?
You’re right in claiming there is a link between obesity and poverty. However the difference in obesity rates between the upper quintile and lower quintile is still less than 10%.
Obesity is a problem across every single wealth bracket.
There is a problematically high number of people in America who are both poor and obese. But there are about twice as many people in poverty who are not obese.
JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Obese means fat, not just overweight. The fact that there are twice as many non-obese among the poor does not make them thin! Unless it’s that people get fatter and fatter as they get poorer, until they get really poor and they suddenly they become skeletal, is that what we’re claiming? This whole talking point makes no sense and you seem rational enough to be able to admit that.
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I focussed on the obesity statistics because that is what you were talking about.
OK, let’s flip this.
According to you, people with no money are not only buying junk food, but buying it in quantities to become overweight and obese.
People with no money are buying large quantities of food.
Is that what you’re claiming? Is that how the world works in your head?
I’m saying that people with no money have no money to buy food. You’re saying that people with no money somehow also have enough money to buy large quantities of unhealthy food.
At this point I can only assume that you’re just arguing bad faith, because there isn’t anything complicated to understand here.
faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
I was one of them when I was a kid. There were many times the only food I got was the free lunch provided at school, and I helped my mother scavenge dumpsters behind grocery stores for food. I’m fat now because it’s the most shelf-stable and accessible calorie reserve available, and with the looming cuts, I’m glad it’s there for me. This guy doesn’t know jack about shit.