I do think one thing that libertarians need to contend with a bit more seriously is the obvious tension pointed out here.
Entrepreneurs have built out huge companies based on serving all the classic biblical vices. Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Gambling, Sloth, Drugs & Alcohol, etc. The availability & quality of indulging in those vices has gone way up, the cost has gone way down. As a high conscientious individual, the maximum-liberty standpoint is very compatible with me. But it obviously has serious deleterious impact on a large portion of society, especially once any social pressure has disappeared to avoid them. The result is a population that is less productive, more unhealthy, more unhappy. It's like the narrative behind the fall of Rome.
The rapid and enormous growth in obesity rates in the USA does cry out for an explanation. Given the large personal benefits to being in shape, I am genuinely confused about what the primary driving factors could be to lead to such a drastic change.
The explanation I've seen recently from intelligentsia is that it's a result of people being wealthier, but it seems absurd to claim that as a top factor. Certainly we're wealthier today, but I don't think most people in the USA in 1960 had their food intake limited by income.
The RFK explanation is that it's the food industry, a more charitable take being that scientists and engineers have done their optimization on processed food to fool our body into desiring them well past the point of satiation. Such foods did not exist in the past, and as their market penetration increased and consumers had families and introduced those foods to their families as the normal way to eat, it went from opt-in to opt-out. That explanation seems like the most plausible top driver to me.
If that's the primary cause, then eating less and exercising more would not actually be a good solution. You would need to change the kinds of foods you consume as the primary intervention.
My guess is that poor people are more likely to be obese than rich people. I don't think affordability is a primary cause.
As for switching foods: My weight was creeping up there about 15 years ago and I stopped eating processed foods. Eating foods we used to eat 50 years ago FTW.
The claim that “anyone can get thin by making different choices” was nonsense until the introduction of GLP-1 drugs. NOW it’s at least plausible - or will be as drugs in that category proliferate and cost comes down. The fact that most people can easily lose weight by making the “different choice” to take a drug that changes their setpoint confirms there exist biological processes which affect it.
It seems plausible that most people *could have been* thin by making different choices but once they get fat that screws up the metabolism in ways such that the body wants to keep the fat it already has - losing weight is harder than gaining it so weight tends to ratchet up over time absent heroic effort of will to avoid temptation, hunger and general food obsession…or trivial application of Tirzepatide to make the food noise go away.
They don’t work by changing the “set point.” They work as appetite suppressants. Most people who take these drugs cannot physically eat as much. At least some of those who have severe gastrointestinal side effects experience them because they try to eat as much as they did before.
Why are we always so reluctant to “blame the victim”?!
I have actually seen a morbidly obese person lose over 100 pounds by making better choices (trade-offs).
Conversely, I have watched with amazement and horror as my own brother self-destructed time and again by making bad choice after bad choice (trade-offs).
My father would punish me every time I said “I can’t” do something. I now understand his point.
I don’t usually read the comments but I did and was tempted to respond (unkindly if I’m being honest). But instead I am writing this comment.
I recently attended my dear friend’s funeral. She died from a freak accident (her large puppy caused her to fall). She suffered a trauma from a broken leg that resulted in sepsis; exploratory surgery confirmed that her system was necrotic. Her family could only wait for her death hours later.
Why did this happen? If you ask her mother: “God needed another angel in Heaven.” Social Desirability Bias would require me to say: “Bad luck” or “We may never know, but it wasn’t her fault.”
But the truth is it was my friend’s fault. She was at least 100 pounds overweight, which compromised her overall health. Had she not been morbidly obese, perhaps had she been just somewhat overweight, this would not have happened.
Human beings do not live in a deterministic universe. We have free will. We can always make different choices if we are willing to pay the costs. My dearest friend forfeited 25 years of her life (she was 57) because she was unwilling (NOT unable) to make a costly trade-off.
You could extend this reasoning to many other life situations. You could tell a toddler to stop having a tantrum because it is so easy: you just stop screaming and crying and be happy, anyone can do it! Why some people are feeling anxious depressed all the time? Just stop being anxious depressed and you will be all set! Why is a person with Prader Willi syndrome continues to overeat despite being severely obese? He should just stop eating! Well the man with Prader Willi has a genetic mutation that among other things causes excessive appetite, they always feel hungry despite being severely obese and they can't help eating to het rid of the uncomfortable feeling of hunger. Perhaps some people who are obese have a genetic makeup that makes them prone to overheating and they genetically lack the willpower to stop. There are certainly people there who make bad choices causing their problems, but most Oblomovs are not entirely responsible for their own problems. It is complicated, monocausal explanations of most things are wrong.
My experience shows that changing to a healthy lifestyle is possible and beneficial. Many years ago I weighed 325 pounds, smoked 2 1/2 packs a day, drank excessively, and didn't exercise. I had type 2 diabetes and such a severe case of COPD that a breathing test indicated that I was at risk of early death. I became sufficiently concerned to change my lifestyle. I quit smoking, almost eliminated drinking, went on a reduced-calorie diet of exclusively healthy foods, and began exercising. Now I weigh 155 pounds. and no longer have diabetes. I still have COPD, but my breathing is much better than it was. My doctor says I'm in excellent health for my age (I'm 81) and that I look 20 years younger than I am.
Your attitude toward vaccines seamlessly reflects my own attitude, circa 2020. Government regulators, I reasoned, would not encourage anything unsafe. Then I witnessed my wife’s best friend have a horrible reaction to a covid shot. Anecdata, you would say. An isolated example.
Then I read RFK Jr’s, “The Real Anthony Fauci.” I began to understand the huge amounts of money involved. I read how government regulatory agencies have been captured by big pharma. I understood how it is difficult for regulatory agencies to be truly independent, and render unbiased decisions about safety. It’s a playbook that has been followed by other big businesses, such as big oil companies, regarding environmental issues, and big tobacco, regarding cancer.
RFK Jr’s book changed my mind. It would change your mind, too, if you accepted the challenge to be open to a new idea.
Regarding weight loss, it is much easier to keep from getting obese via proper diet and exercise. It is much harder to lose significant amounts of weight through once a person is already obese. Plus many individuals start the path towards obesity while they are still children and their brain is not fully formed.
Willpower works great for keeping one from getting obese, but it is often not enough to reverse obesity. The human body and brain is designed to conserve energy.
“Just roll up your sleeve and let the doctor stick you with the needle.” Most of the vaccinations I receive are delivered by a nurse, often not even an RN.
I do think one thing that libertarians need to contend with a bit more seriously is the obvious tension pointed out here.
Entrepreneurs have built out huge companies based on serving all the classic biblical vices. Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Gambling, Sloth, Drugs & Alcohol, etc. The availability & quality of indulging in those vices has gone way up, the cost has gone way down. As a high conscientious individual, the maximum-liberty standpoint is very compatible with me. But it obviously has serious deleterious impact on a large portion of society, especially once any social pressure has disappeared to avoid them. The result is a population that is less productive, more unhealthy, more unhappy. It's like the narrative behind the fall of Rome.
How does libertarianism address this problem?
The rapid and enormous growth in obesity rates in the USA does cry out for an explanation. Given the large personal benefits to being in shape, I am genuinely confused about what the primary driving factors could be to lead to such a drastic change.
The explanation I've seen recently from intelligentsia is that it's a result of people being wealthier, but it seems absurd to claim that as a top factor. Certainly we're wealthier today, but I don't think most people in the USA in 1960 had their food intake limited by income.
The RFK explanation is that it's the food industry, a more charitable take being that scientists and engineers have done their optimization on processed food to fool our body into desiring them well past the point of satiation. Such foods did not exist in the past, and as their market penetration increased and consumers had families and introduced those foods to their families as the normal way to eat, it went from opt-in to opt-out. That explanation seems like the most plausible top driver to me.
If that's the primary cause, then eating less and exercising more would not actually be a good solution. You would need to change the kinds of foods you consume as the primary intervention.
My guess is that poor people are more likely to be obese than rich people. I don't think affordability is a primary cause.
As for switching foods: My weight was creeping up there about 15 years ago and I stopped eating processed foods. Eating foods we used to eat 50 years ago FTW.
The claim that “anyone can get thin by making different choices” was nonsense until the introduction of GLP-1 drugs. NOW it’s at least plausible - or will be as drugs in that category proliferate and cost comes down. The fact that most people can easily lose weight by making the “different choice” to take a drug that changes their setpoint confirms there exist biological processes which affect it.
It seems plausible that most people *could have been* thin by making different choices but once they get fat that screws up the metabolism in ways such that the body wants to keep the fat it already has - losing weight is harder than gaining it so weight tends to ratchet up over time absent heroic effort of will to avoid temptation, hunger and general food obsession…or trivial application of Tirzepatide to make the food noise go away.
They don’t work by changing the “set point.” They work as appetite suppressants. Most people who take these drugs cannot physically eat as much. At least some of those who have severe gastrointestinal side effects experience them because they try to eat as much as they did before.
Aside from that nitpick, these are miracle drugs.
Why are we always so reluctant to “blame the victim”?!
I have actually seen a morbidly obese person lose over 100 pounds by making better choices (trade-offs).
Conversely, I have watched with amazement and horror as my own brother self-destructed time and again by making bad choice after bad choice (trade-offs).
My father would punish me every time I said “I can’t” do something. I now understand his point.
I don’t usually read the comments but I did and was tempted to respond (unkindly if I’m being honest). But instead I am writing this comment.
I recently attended my dear friend’s funeral. She died from a freak accident (her large puppy caused her to fall). She suffered a trauma from a broken leg that resulted in sepsis; exploratory surgery confirmed that her system was necrotic. Her family could only wait for her death hours later.
Why did this happen? If you ask her mother: “God needed another angel in Heaven.” Social Desirability Bias would require me to say: “Bad luck” or “We may never know, but it wasn’t her fault.”
But the truth is it was my friend’s fault. She was at least 100 pounds overweight, which compromised her overall health. Had she not been morbidly obese, perhaps had she been just somewhat overweight, this would not have happened.
Human beings do not live in a deterministic universe. We have free will. We can always make different choices if we are willing to pay the costs. My dearest friend forfeited 25 years of her life (she was 57) because she was unwilling (NOT unable) to make a costly trade-off.
You could extend this reasoning to many other life situations. You could tell a toddler to stop having a tantrum because it is so easy: you just stop screaming and crying and be happy, anyone can do it! Why some people are feeling anxious depressed all the time? Just stop being anxious depressed and you will be all set! Why is a person with Prader Willi syndrome continues to overeat despite being severely obese? He should just stop eating! Well the man with Prader Willi has a genetic mutation that among other things causes excessive appetite, they always feel hungry despite being severely obese and they can't help eating to het rid of the uncomfortable feeling of hunger. Perhaps some people who are obese have a genetic makeup that makes them prone to overheating and they genetically lack the willpower to stop. There are certainly people there who make bad choices causing their problems, but most Oblomovs are not entirely responsible for their own problems. It is complicated, monocausal explanations of most things are wrong.
My experience shows that changing to a healthy lifestyle is possible and beneficial. Many years ago I weighed 325 pounds, smoked 2 1/2 packs a day, drank excessively, and didn't exercise. I had type 2 diabetes and such a severe case of COPD that a breathing test indicated that I was at risk of early death. I became sufficiently concerned to change my lifestyle. I quit smoking, almost eliminated drinking, went on a reduced-calorie diet of exclusively healthy foods, and began exercising. Now I weigh 155 pounds. and no longer have diabetes. I still have COPD, but my breathing is much better than it was. My doctor says I'm in excellent health for my age (I'm 81) and that I look 20 years younger than I am.
Your attitude toward vaccines seamlessly reflects my own attitude, circa 2020. Government regulators, I reasoned, would not encourage anything unsafe. Then I witnessed my wife’s best friend have a horrible reaction to a covid shot. Anecdata, you would say. An isolated example.
Then I read RFK Jr’s, “The Real Anthony Fauci.” I began to understand the huge amounts of money involved. I read how government regulatory agencies have been captured by big pharma. I understood how it is difficult for regulatory agencies to be truly independent, and render unbiased decisions about safety. It’s a playbook that has been followed by other big businesses, such as big oil companies, regarding environmental issues, and big tobacco, regarding cancer.
RFK Jr’s book changed my mind. It would change your mind, too, if you accepted the challenge to be open to a new idea.
I agree that self-help is highly desirable, but:
Regarding weight loss, it is much easier to keep from getting obese via proper diet and exercise. It is much harder to lose significant amounts of weight through once a person is already obese. Plus many individuals start the path towards obesity while they are still children and their brain is not fully formed.
Willpower works great for keeping one from getting obese, but it is often not enough to reverse obesity. The human body and brain is designed to conserve energy.
“Just roll up your sleeve and let the doctor stick you with the needle.” Most of the vaccinations I receive are delivered by a nurse, often not even an RN.