Judith Collins: "Obesity is a personal choice"

[Zozza 117]

[Fish 547]

Mwahahahahahahaha

[aardvarkash10 83]

Paula Benefit as well.  So little self-control she went surgical.  As has Anne Tolley and Chester Burrows.

For political balance, David Lange,Tariana Turia and the (in)famous Donna Awatere Huata did the same thing.

 

[tuffyluffy 72]

It is a personal choice for the majority.

Calories in v calories out isn't rocket science. If you chose a calorie heavy, activity light lifestyle, you're going to get fat. 

 

 

[DrWatson 208]

Generally speaking, sh*t quality food is cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables. People gotta eat.

Calories are cheap.

[armchairadmiral 238]

Judith isn't exactly the Twiggy of this century. Good on her.She's spot on. Education system  sadly lacking in this field....along with other life skills. Where are the parents in all this. Well you might ask but in summary a lot are there for the conception and then go missing after the action,both physically and mentally.. It's the most important thing you do and it requires no license,test ,exam or qualification. And the rest of us pay.

[aardvarkash10 83]

11 minutes ago, armchairadmiral said:

Where are the parents in all this. Well you might ask but in summary a lot are there for the conception and then go missing after the action,both physically and mentally..

For the ones I know, they are working two tenuous minimum wage jobs, living in a house that earns more than they do each year.  The couple pass like ships in the night - he works nightshift and runs an Uber, she works in a factory cleaning or doing basic assembly work, then goes to a second job in hte afternoon getting home just in time for him to go to work.

The work they do makes life easy for the middleclass who generally don't even recognise it.  They are cleaning professional's offices, servicing hospitals and airports with food, cleaning, materials handling and other work, making plastic containers for middle class parents to put school lunches into, all employed by contractors, sometimes large international firms, at the lowest possible price and so the lowest possible wages. 

They live not paycheck to paycheck, but day to day.  The electricity is pay as you go.  The car is worth maybe $2500 and they have three more years of payments before they finally pay off the $14,000 they paid for it.  It would be great to use public transport, but it doesn't run at the times they work.

The kids are prioritised.  The parents don't eat at home except on the weekend or payday.  They desparately want the kids to do well at school.  They are proud of the ones who reach escape velocity - who get to university and a degree, or apprenticeships.  ts tough, not helped by living in a part of town where the council hands out licences like raffle tickets to operate gaming rooms, bars, liquor shops, fast food outlets and light industry.

If they are lucky, they are with similar people and they set up activities like Biggest Loser at work.  They want to be fitter, stronger, better but they lack the time, resources and support to make it stick.  They are not alone - the same problem exists for almost all people trying to diet or lifestyle their way out of obesity.  Its only the exceptions that can make it work which is why surgical treatment is so popular and so well taken up by those who can afford it.

This is the reality of many families in South Auckland, North Wellington, East Christchurch.  I know, I see it.  I work for one of those large international contracting service provision businesses that makes your and my life easier by making labour as cheap as possible.

This is not a view from an armchair.

 

[Fish 547]

I was wondering why on earth the apparent leader of our opposition would pivot to Fat People in an attempt to win the election - why are Fat People even a topic of the campaign? Judith has come out with some very random stuff this week.

But I see she is desperately trying to sure up her base, and stop the exodus to ACT. So this Fat is a Choice call is clearly a dog whistle to the national base that have no real idea about A) physiology, and B.) what working on an hour rate is actually like. I'd take a punt that it is also a calculated call based on the stereo type of certain racial groups who tend to be bigger, in a different socio-economic group than her base, and almost definitely not National supporters. Clearly it is working a treat for her, based on some of the above comments, which I personally think is fascinating.

Its basically the same as saying, when referring to the massively high incarceration rates of Maori, that it is a choice to do the crime. A classic simplistic call to appeal to people who have nothing to do with, and are not affected in any way, by the group of people being criticized. 

PS, its not clear to me why Jerry Brownlee didn't lead this initative?

[armchairadmiral 238]

Mr.A....agree that what you write applies to  a sector.Unfortunately there are other sectors like the generational unemployable, ,professional beneficiaries etc. etc. The point I was agreeing with was that if you shovel unhealthy food into yourself ,don't do  exercise ,you'll likely get obese and  sometimes suffer healthwise. .Sometimes this the result of lack of knowledge of healthy options....generationally.   I intend voting notwithstanding and so far all I'm thinking is not to vote Greens who have departed so far from environmental issues they are recognisable only as Communists.

[erice 282]

On 15/10/2020 at 2:26 AM, DrWatson said:

Generally speaking, sh*t quality food is cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables. People gotta eat.

Calories are cheap.

If you are talking "meals ready to eat" maybe

But if you're talking a loaf of bread, a bunch of bananas, fresh seasonal fruit or a bag of vegetables, then no it's not