Being Overweight

The "obesity epidemic" offers something for everyone. Right wingers say it proves poor people are too morally weak to take care of themselves. Left wingers say it proves multinational corporations are running amok, putting profits ahead of human welfare. Government sees it as evidence people are too stupid to do the right thing without guidance. Luddites see it as proof computers were responsible. The middle class, ever nervous about the frailty of its class status, sees the epidemic as proof they, especially their children, are headed for poverty. The "obesity epidemic" was caused by health insurance companies. They made 60% of Americans overweight by setting the threshold for overweight at BMI 25. It gives them an excuse to charge us more for health insurance, and section 2705 of the ACA (Obamacare) gives them permission to charge overweight people 30% more on employment-based group policies, beginning in 2014. Underwriting group policies has not been permitted by HIPAA. That will c... Read more

Blubber knows no boundaries.

To a degree, but I do some business with some wealthy, well-educated patricians who are seriously fat motherfuckers.

Yo, you listenin' Oprah?

Oh please. My mother grew up in a family of ten children - spanning two decades. The early years of the family featured the depression and the younger children came along during and after WWII. The poorer they were the better they ate and the thinner they were - thanks to a large garden and lots of hard work. The younger kids had less to do and richer food to eat - and lifelong weight issues. Yes, the world has changed a lot since those days but, being overweight has more to do with personal choices than income. The knowledge is readily available to everyone and the choices are yours. You can eat well on a very tight budget or like a stark raving glutton on a big salary. Unless you’re slow-witted I’m sure you can figure it out. (And, BTW rich people have been known to be slow-witted too.)

Bah, being overweight has been used throughout the ages as a way to flaunt wealth. Still, its gotten to the point in the US that now having the money to plastic your ass back to the warped "ideal" is more telling...

Hey, I resemble that remark.Rich people are not immune to getting fat and the evidence is all over the place.

In societies where food is hard to obtain being seen as "overweight" is a plus,while in more affluent places thin is in,so to speak. Take a look at society idols from a hundred years ago in america those guys and gals,now, would be reviled as too fat and out of shape were as then they were the ideals of perfection.......it's all in the eyes of the. beholder.

cruel to call someone low class because of being overweight. heavy people are in all classes. they have enough to deal with and be called low class at the same time.

Obesity does not discriminate against social class; both poor and rich people have the ability to get fat. It's all about lifestyle.

Weight problems are an endemic problem throughout all classes. However, it should also be noted that the US and the West in general have some of the most overweight lower income people in the world. This is a product of cheap and plentiful corn-based food production. However, this is a sword that also cuts both ways, for the culprit behind America's weight problems is all that soda, junk food and sweets which have lead to huge increases in diabetes, heart disease and cancer throughout all classes, but especially with poorer people, whom many times lack the resources to seek appropriate health care. Indeed, it is ironic that here in the US, it is middle-upper classes which are usually starving themselves to look skinny, while lower income people have access to plentiful food supplies. That's an interesting role reversal, at least compared to poorer nations.

I have seen an equal proportion of high-end chunky people as i have low-end. Hard to swing this one either way. I attribute being a little plump more to genetics and food choices more than to social status. Matters not how rich or poor you are, Americans seem to follow the same trends across the board on certain things, and food is no exception.

I give a three because I think if you actually looked at numbers in this case you would see its true. Its very easy to accept the idea that those who can afford better food choices are less likely to be fat. Its also true in my opinion that ignorance spawns obesity. Those who take no time to think about what they put in their bodies will be overwight. That is "low calss thinking' for sure.

You haven't met my boss or seen what he drives. . .

It depends on how overweight you are, and how you carry yourself. Being overweight does not automatically make one "lower class". There are some overweight individuals that otherwise take care of themselves and work on developing a presentable appearance.

To me, it seems overweight folks are represented in all the social strata. People eat out more and the portions are huge and loaded with calories and fats.

Corpulence is not necessarily an indicator of class or status. Take a look at Ted Kennedy who soon will need a docking permit to sit in a chair. I hasten to add that I don't think that Teddy has any class at all, lower or other.

Gaining weight used to be a sign of means and wealth. No longer. In the U.S., poorer people are generally heavier because they eat food with higher sugar and fat content (i.e. fast food and candy; it's cheap and it's filling). Also, wealthier people are more likely to have gym memberships, a few spare dollars for diet foods and weight loss gizmos, and the inclination to attempt to control/lose excess poundage. In addition, poorer people are more likely to wind up getting diet related diseases at a younger age. As they are largely eating deep fried and high sugar content cuisine, they are more apt to develop diabetes before the onset of middle age. If you watched a portion of the voluminous coverage given to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, you saw one of the common problems that many of the individuals who were stranded at the Convention Center and Superdome had was that they were unable to use their insulin because it had been out of refrigeration for a lengthy... Read more

Definitely going down scale. In ten years it will be the same as smoking.