Our Government Just ROCKS

Just heard about this on NPR at the same time I read it over at Big Fat Blog... apparently the Center for Disease Control just admitted that they had seriously overestimated the number of Americans that die from being fat.

Yep. Instead of 365,000 Americans dieing each year from obesity, the number is significantly lower--25,814. That's fourteen times lower, people.

Not only that, but according to a report I just heard on NPR, it turns out that nearly the same number of Americans die from being UNDERWEIGHT.

Yeah, you read that correctly. You may be just as likely to die from being too thin as you are from being too fat.

But, instead of possibly revising their currently publicity campaign, the CDC has made the decision to continue to spread hysteria.

Nice.

_________________________

Oh. And then there's this. More terrorism occured worldwide in 2004 than in any year before (they've only been keeping track since 1985).

Thanks, George!

Comments

[Jenn]

Winning the war on terror, my ass. Thanks, W! Tax dollars well spent. Someday, my brain is just going to explode, and it's going to be all his fault!

And the CDC can bite me.

[JDE]

My first instinct upon hearing that same report on NPR this evening was to run to the computer and tell you about it...I can see now that you and I both really do listen to NPR all day long (unless they are fundraising.)

[Carrie Jo]

The CDC are a bunch of money hungry punks, just like the FDA. Of course they're not going to tell peopl e that being too skinny can kill you. They'd catch hell from the fashion industry or something probably. I don't know why people are so obsessed with being skinny. I had stomach problems a while back that made me lose too much weight and everybody kept telling me how lucky I was to lose the weight so easily, but I'm telling you that I was definitely not lucky to have such sever stomach pain all the time that I couldn't eat and whatever I did eat came back out the other end in liquid form. I had absolutely no butt and my skin coloring was ashy. I was not at all happy about how I looked and wished that I could get my butt back. I hated my butt before, but sure did miss it when I saw that having curves really does look better. I was so envious of any woman with an hour-glass figure. Anyway...What idiots.

[Croupier]

Wow! So, to paraphrase Get Your War On, the War on Fat and the War on Terror are workin' just as well as the War on Drugs!

I wonder why the CDC ain't doing more eating disorder prevention (anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, &c &c &c) ... it seems like that might be a good way to help Americans both physically and mentally, since these illnesses have such deep psychological roots (and since the same number-ish of Americans die from being over- and under-weight, not that all underweight people get that way from eating disorders, but I'm sure a fair number get that way). And where was the CDC on Terri Schiavo's heart attack being induced by bulimia? And how did my country manage to get this jacked up in a mere 200 years?

[Jill]

Thanks! I'm off to get a twinkie.

[Kate]

Wow! Skinny kills...who knew? I had a feeling that the CDC was blowing smoke up our butts. And it takes a lot of smoke for a butt as big as mine. ;o)

FAT AND PROUD!

Kate

[ivy]

I've often joked that it's sad how nobody cares about the health of thin people. I mean, they die all the time yet all anyone seems to care about is THE OBESISTY EPIDEMIC. But now I see it's true- at least it's true of the CDC. They really don't care about thin people. What a bunch of fuckers.

[Em]

Oh, and I just finished reading this article, for a healthy dose of patriotism:
http://www.juancole.com/2005/04/20-killed-42-wounded-us-troops.html

[anonymousey]

Uh! Argh! Buuuhh... *stupified* (look at my impression of Shrubya!)

Honestly he drives me insane. It also drives me insane that people VOTED for this jerk.

[eve]

The spin my local news put on the story was great. "But we should attribute these higher numbers to better medical care. That's really what it is. Being overweight still carries with it many risks..." etc. Dear Lord.

I just think it's funny how "overweight" is such a relative term anyway. If people have progressively gotten bigger over the years... doesn't that mean the h/w charts should change to reflect that... because obviously people aren't keeling over in the same proportion as the overweight population, kwim?

/rant :)

[Karinsamira]

Usually I am glad that I live several thousand km away from the USA out of a bunch of reasons, but re the whole weight hysteria I can honestly tell ya that it isn't any better over here. At least in my country (Switzerland) they seriously plan to label foods that contain a certain amount of fat /sugar with a warning similar to those that are on cigarette packages ("consuming this item can seriulsly impair your health" or something like that). I mean, how weird is this?!
I think this whole weight thing is just a new way to try to control people's (ans especially women's) lives. The accepted path to walk on is pretty damn thin nowadays, either you are too thin or too fat, and there does not seem to be much in between.
Ok, I am keeping my gonadotropin-influenced mouth shut by now and go back right into my cave..

Karinsamira

[sandy]

doing my usual come from behind catch up by responding to multiple posts:

Fat girls give better head????? How come?

and CDC? hah! We win!!!

and Terri and her heart attack brought on by an eating disorder (courtesy of my 16 year old son) "so her parents ignored her eating disorder and applaud her extreme weight loss, feel guilty, and want to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube? Thank god she didn't have any brain left, or she would be one confused girl."

[dish]

I heard that NPR story, too, and initially thought- good, now I can tell my overly skinny boss to shove it the next time she tries to regulate our eating at work (she will fly off the handle if people bring in cupcakes or snacks to share with everyone). But as you said, it's not as if they are planning to retract anything that's already out there about being overweight.

And I just *love* the whole BMI being a calculation of your category. It doesn't take into account bone structure, muscle mass, or anything else that can impact the weight part of the calculation. Only height and weight. That's bullshit. I looked really good about 45 pounds ago (I'm not counting the current preg weight), and according to the BMI, I would need to almost double that loss to fit into the "normal" category. No thank you. I would look sickly.

I'm not even going to touch the W issue- can't stomach it this early in the morning.

[Debe]

wow, I knew our government was feeding us lies but Jesus, that is amazing, I totally bought into that shit about weight, I've been lecturing my husband, dieting, whatever to try to "fit" in their guidelines because I didn't want either of us to die from being fat!

I'm pissed off now

[Tracy]

The CDC overestimates almost everything! The conflict of interest between politicians, the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA is unbelievable. I personally do not believe anything that the government officially says about health. It's big business multiplied by the government, which equals fear and hysteria.

[Spring]

The CDC can kiss my fat ass. So much for truth in advertising. And boy do I have a MAJOR bone to pick with the bitch, erm NP at my Gastro's office.

[sheilah]

...of course I have a ways to go before I could be called 'modestly overweight'...

*sigh*

...praying for 'modestly overweight'...

[CursingMama]

Have you seen the new "food pyramid" with the built in steps? Nowhere on the thing did I see doritos, peanuts, or 100 Grand Bars - clearly they've made an error.

I wonder what the folks that backed ole George are going to make of the terrorism #'s? It's either the liberal media, the fault of the previous administration, or maybe they'll go with 1+1 doesn't equal 2.

[Gerah]

Dubya has a piece of coal where his heart should be. If everyone's looking for terrorists, they should check the oval office.

[wealhtheow]

I am totally behind big women being beautiful and healthy. But I also feel compelled to point out that what you put in your body has ramifications. Don't get me wrong, my family motto is "Ice cream makes all bad things good and all good things better." But what I think the food pyramid is about (or should be, at any rate) is eating healthy foods. For the sake of both my health and my politics I'm trying very hard not to eat so much processed food. If women could concentrate on exercising their bodies to develop strength and confidence as opposed to a perfect butt and could concentrate on eating (and enjoying!) healthy food grown/raised/slaughtered in a respectful and humane manner, then we'd all be healthier, regardless of what the scale says.

[wealhtheow]

That really should read what WE put in OUR bodies has ramifications. Lord knows I struggle with my weight and I struggle with struggling with my weight.