Comments on: Why it is so hard for Americans to be healthy and not spend money

By: Steve Austin

Steve Austin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:32:41 +0000

The comments to this post are telling. Seems that more people took offense to the obesity references than did to the reference to Americans throwing money and tech at all problems.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:18:37 +0000

@Dana - I’m not sure I ever drew a connection about being “good”, where “good” implies “being nice to other people”, and being healthy. I also realize that not everybody is born equal. On the other hand, the absolute benefits of being in shape are similar, so anyone who is not “talented” at being healthy simply needs to work harder at it. This is similar to how a person with an IQ of 90 would have to work harder at getting an education than someone with an IQ of 110. Getting an education does not become less worthwhile because it is harder to obtain for some people. I don’t think not getting one is excusable either - or at least, one should be very aware of the consequences of one’s choice not to put in the effort.
The problem is the most people want it easy. I would even say that in my experience from training with people on given the choice, 90% will take the easy solution, and only 10% will take a hard one.

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:56:09 +0000

You know, casting aspersions on people who weigh more than insurance companies say they should isn’t going to score you any karma points. There are fat people with entitlement attitudes, sure, but there are lots more thin people with them, in my experience. And I’ve been on both ends of the scale. You could say my life has been like the weight equivalent of Black Like Me, only I’m not pretending and I can’t just switch back to skinny in two weeks.

My experience is that, as with you, skinny people think they are skinny because they have done all the right things and believed all the right things and therefore they are entitled to be thin because they are “good” people.

Unfortunately, their tendency to take potshots at people heavier than themselves belies the notion that they are “good.”

And FWIW, I got fat on a vegetarian diet.

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:58:03 +0000

Because of course accidents don’t happen. Granted people don’t take the kind of care of themselves that they should. But hypertension meds cost less than going in for a broken arm. The system is broken because prices are ridiculously bloated, people who can’t afford care/insurance don’t pay those bills, and the prices go up yet again.

By: Fatty

Fatty — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:52:07 +0000

I think your analysis is slightly off the mark. Most of the people I know and work with desire health insurance for two reasons: well baby/child/adult visits to monitor their health to make sure there aren’t any red flags that need addressing, and coverage for a catastrophic event, such as a car accident or some other unforeseen hospitalization.

Further, many of the diseases that you dismiss as being as simple as riding your bike to work or eating your veggies at dinnertime to avoid are affected far more strongly by genetics than lifestyle (lifestyle can have some impact, but not as much as most people hope and believe). You can run marathons and be a vegetarian and teetotaler your entire life, and still develop cancer and heart disease–there are no magic bullets for some diseases no matter how optimally you live your life based on current conventional wisdom.

By: mysticaltyger

mysticaltyger — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:58 +0000

I agree with a lot of what is said here. But I think the fundamental problem with health care in America is that we do NOT have a truly competitive health care system. For a readable and practical book on the subject, try Who Killed Health Care? by Regina Herzlinger.

By: Kin

Kin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:54:49 +0000

Hi Jacob,

Your analysis is much too accurate

I’d like to sum up most of Americans’ problems in laziness and irresponsibility, and the supplements are lack of integrity and compassion. Most people just want to be comfortable and never challenge themselves to take extra step to really learn and solve the fundamental of problems. Hence, the existence of all the “quickfix” and gimmicky scheme (pills, xxxx-diet to lose weight[w/o exercise], “get-rich” in 30 days!)

Even personal finance people who keep talking about “Debt snowball” and budgets and stuffs. Those are just methods, and despite they are a good place to start to change… the most basic idea to control to spending, increase wealth, healthy body, and any kind of self-improvement comes from discipline and self-mastery. By focusing on “methods” too much, they limit themselves and likely create non-lasting change.

That’s my 2 cents. Thank you for listening and I appreciate your post a lot.

By: Moneymonk

Moneymonk — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:53:49 +0000

Why it is so hard for Americans to be healthy and not spend money —- it’s called gluttony!

The more resources you have among you, the more you want, you simply become spoiled.

By: Steve Austin

Steve Austin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:59:14 +0000

No need to worry about alienating your readers; the only readers worth keeping are those who will appreciate the straight talking. ;-\

I would like to commend you for identifying these shortcomings of the American. As you are a recent immigrant, it is possible that you have not been studying the American way for long enough to realize that there exists a latent, quiet polar opposite of the American you describe. These two Americans define each other. The fat, entitled, proactive, judgmental American presently dominates the affairs of this nation. The seed of the other American remains in layaway, ready to kick the lardass into the broom closet and take over when sheit hits the fan. They say that we are at war, but we are not. Big, fat American is just attempting to sit on a few contestants. When lean, mean, hungry American gets called up to unscrew the situation, there will be no contests with rules, only total victory or total defeat. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but let me get back on topic by giving a list of the characteristics of that American you may not have had the opportunity to meet (yet you perhaps embody yourself!):

Consumerism and Entitlement is not American
——————————————-

Americans are not lazy.

Americans love to struggle.

Americans do not yap and complain; they get it done.

Amercans do not judge.

Americans don’t bother others unless they are bothered themselves, like snakes underfoot.

Americans are only as cooperative as they need to be to survive, and otherwise prefer to solo life on (some) frontier.

The only true American is the (0-generation) immigrant.