Oddbean new post about login | logout I consider the obesity epidemic a failure of free markets to offer healthy food without government oversight and a failure of individual freedom to choose better foods for themselves. Yes, I know it's not completely free market and choosing healthy is not possible sometimes, but the point stands. Even with all gov interventions we have had, the market should have solved this. Now RFK Jr is literally pitching more regulation to make America healthy again.
The market provides what people want, not what is necessarily good for them.
For the first time in American history the top 1% owns more than the 99% combined. This was done intentionally. #FollowTheMoney 99% bleed for 1% greed #EatTheFiat
The disrupted (not free) market for money distorted the economy in the last century to drive consumers to higher time preference decision making with food. Even according to the orthodox sources, America’s junk food problem began in the Great Depression when people were desperate to up their calories per dollar ratio. Neither trend ever abated - the banks continued to serve up monetary debasement and the food companies continued to serve up nutrition debasement.
Also FWIW the free market did create Whole Foods and you can buy the food you should eat with the same level of convenience as the junk, you’ll just pay $400 for your groceries.
That's because growing healthy food is expensive in the US. Manufacturers chase profit by cutting corners wherever possible. They are fully aware of all the toxic shit they use in the soil, etc but sweet profits are better than healthy consumers. Half the crap used in the US food industry is banned in Europe, and for a good reason. I'm all for healthy organic food (which does not exist in the US anymore by the way; buy the list expensive produce in Whole Foods and compare to regular European produce and you'll be shocked), but general population would simply not be able to afford food that is grown in accordance with the best practices. There is a reason why the wealthiest FLY food from the growers in Europe to consume on the American soil.
We are so much poorer than we realize
This is definitely a controversial but somewhat fair opinion. In reality, consumer only cares about the quantity, not the quality.
It's a government failure where they heavily regulate the medical sector bit doctors are spokespeople for big pharma who live by keeping people sick (healthy enough not to die). Doctors don't talk about food as medicine enough even though books like that by Dr Price clearly prove that our diet is the problem.
True, but all of these people are still choosing to do this. They are choosing to scam each other. That to me is a massive failure. Government is not that efficient on making people do what gov wants. There is a lot of blame on individuals in this system.
I put the responsibility squarely on the people who literally couldn't keep their mouth shut. Sure, addictive food exists and is engineered to be so, but no one is pointing a gun to their heads and forcing them to be in a caloric surplus for months on end. Only by reclaiming their personal power can the damage their unconsciousness did be undone, to the extent that it still can be undone. Personal responsibility > politicians/saviors.
That's like saying crystal meth users can just quit. Crap food is engineered in a way that highjacks feedback loop and makes a human dependant on it. Education is important but absolute majority would not stop eating while stating in the mirror or at the scale number. On top of all that, being unhealthy is actually trendy now, as it seems. Everyone around is obese, unhealthy and with chronic disease. Being healthy = fringe minority. It's all about "me me me and how dare you judge me for my poor choices." Half the shit manufacturers use in food production is straight up banned in Europe. Think about that for a bit.
Except crystal meth and food are not even remotely on the same level at all. BTW I'm not saying the abuses of the food industry shouldn't be stopped, I am though saying that the person needs to want to stop abusing their own body if they really want to quit. And yes, that goes for Mr Meth as well. I don't have the perception that being unhealthy is a trend now, but dystopically enough I also don't find that hard to believe.
Repeating …. How #USA got here
WWII sent off boys from the farm.
Lucky men came home
Many were heartbroken
Fractured souls & altered minds
Attempted to claim their peace
Of the American dream
Honoring their fallen friends & respect
Back to school they went
Educated now birthed the middle class
But wait! Political interests
Quickly engaged by the bags of money
Force fed by marketing
They can’t take **our** money
Peasants can’t hold status
Wealthy lived in privilege
They didn’t want only their income
Sought to destroy others
How to do so they asked?
Nixon
Reagan- Nom- Icks
Manipulating others to hate Ebonics
Dose them with sugar water
anti-union laws pushed
The poor are lesser humans
Take away their pensions
Less educated masses
Wealth force-fed the regulations
Dumb, deaf or blind 🇺🇸 stayed
Going to church on Sunday
And more loose taxes for the power
But God only knows the hour 😂
Hypocrisy!!!
USA unaware of
Evil pulling the strings.
Peacemakers spoke
As always
Powerfully silenced.
Then the - isms
Keep the pawns fighting amongst theirselves
Religion, class, race and sex
Divided caste chattel is US society
We’ve bought into “freedom” ideology
“Let them eat fast food.”
We ignore or berate those unlike us.
This keeps us constantly wrestling
Inspired by this I saw on Reddit. Wish I had persons name to credit them.
A growing middle class, presented a poltical danger to the interests of the wealthy, it's growth took away from their status and privilege, so it had to be both shrunk and turned against the the lower class.
Nixon started it, Reagan perfected it with anti-union laws, demonizing the poor, slashing pensions, underfunding education and loosing the taxes and regulations on corporations.
Classism, Sexism, Racism and Religion are all used to further seperate working class Americans, who have more in common than not, and to give them someone to focus their anger and blame on, when their own upward mobility stalls; all the while the rich get richer.
#btc #bitcoin #nostr #grownostr #USA #politics #wethepeople … The failure is of the non-free-market legal system preventing tort against pollution, poisoning and protecting monied interests. The mechanism under which poisons and low grade calories are added to the food supply is through government subsidized research institutions whoring themselves to big pharma and big ag to buttress their profiteering. The problem is fascism, not free markets.
If people don't understand that it's a problem and don't see the need for it, then it should be addressed. There will be no free market correction and the state solution will only waste money and not produce results. - That's the beauty of freedom. Everyone makes their own choices and in the end they face the consequences.
In my opinion, money is information and fiat corrupts this information, it supports and funds the institutions that spread the lies surrounding different topics, including food. This happened well before the internet came around to help decentralize information, back then all your info came from highly centralized mediums like TV, radio, newspapers, schools and universities. How do you realize you're in the Matrix when you've been born in it, molded by it? So I personally can't blame the free market, which is composed of individuals, they were given the wrong information to begin with, hence optimal decision making is impaired. Nonetheless, the free market is exactly what is breaking these chains and solving these problems, with bitcoin being the maximum expression of the free market. #Nostr is yet another great tool in our fight for freedom. nostr:nevent1qqs02frp6enlzk4jtvf4n3pxu9favmjx8djsv3gyw8ncr7qva2d2g2spzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgtczyprqcf0xst760qet2tglytfay2e3wmvh9asdehpjztkceyh0s5r9cqcyqqqqqqgjq9y32
I think you're understating "not completely free market" a little more than you might realize. Calorie prices are overwhelmingly distorted by what the government chooses to subsidize. I don't know what RFK Jr's plans are; but, if I were in charge of tackling the obesity epidemic, one of the first things I would look at doing is aggressively phasing out the massive corn subsidies - thus, taking the govt thumb off the scale in favor of all the unhealthy corn by-products.
Soybeans are a subsidized crop. No consumers asked for Soybeans, yet food producers are always finding ways to put Soybeans into our food because that shit is so overproduced and therefore dirt cheap.
this is also the argument in the book Fiat Foods. that the government subsides soy so that food prices remain low and hide inflation (theft).
also, ever try buying crackers without seed oils? very difficult
I think it’s a combination of different issues: Governments have failed because they don't even promote healthier options. There are many myths surrounding nutrition, such as the belief that refined vegetable oils are better than butter or that low-fat diets are preferable. People often lack interest in learning about nutrition or simply rely on companies and governments for guidance. Additionally, the current lifestyle heavily promotes fast food consumption. Food companies bear no responsibility when offering unhealthy products. They simply comply with food regulations while focusing on creating products that are highly addictive and in high demand, prioritizing profits over public health. I also believe there is a cultural gap related to gastronomy and food. In countries like Spain, Italy, France or Japan, people tend to value traditional cuisines and fresh ingredients, which are generally healthier than the ultra-processed foods often favored in places like America.
I thought RFK is for deregulation ! ..
Hehe
I agree with the part that most of the fault lies on people don't giving a fuck about doing their own research. But having a market where "health experts" recommend certain foods that are clearly bad for health combined with a education system that produces drones that only follow orders doesn't count as a "free market" more like a slaving government program.
No. No. A thousand times no. It's a result of government intervention! Ag markets are subject to *massive* intervention in the US, both on the supply side and the demand side!
And they are about to get much more intervention.
That's a problem with fiat food. People will buy cheaper rather than healthier like margarine instead of butter believing in such illusion that they will save money and be heathier. Normies will think cheaper version is either the same or healthier and it's hard to change that, because taxes doesn't help it too.
If you get rid of the speed limit, people will drive at a speed that feels comfortable for the weather conditions & their abilities. Post 75 & they're incentivized to drive as close to 75 as possible. Most food safety rules have incentivized producers to follow the worst practices possible without literally poisoning people. The market didn't solve it because markets move fast, hidden disease is slow. I like his ideas but I also value my freedom to self-destruct via Oreos, if I so choose. 😅 Education & clarity is really all we need.
The biggest worry is if government had to choose between farmers producing wholesome food vs the ultra-processed industry, the choice would fall with industry. It is not healthy and a lot of health issues today are caused by going ever more ultra-processed (with the added "vitamins" of course).
I'm not sure your point against free markets stands considering you admitted it's not a free market.
It's not a completely free market, but there is still more than enough freedoms available for the market to have fixed this by itself.
In a free market you would have gotten increasingly healthier foods cheaper. What we're getting now is shittier food that's getting increasingly more expensive. Consumer is cornered and confused, and free and organic markets just can't compete in centrally rigged markets at the same scale.
Exactly. Markets don't just magically solve problems that we hope they would. Rather, they optimize whatever result is dictated by incentives. There is in fact a market that has fixed this for those who choose (and have the means) to participate. For the vast majority, however - who either don't know, don't care, or have no viable alternative - the dominating incentive is price; not health. And, better prices are overwhelming a result of government intervention in favor of shittier food.
He also getting rid of regulations for natural food. Whats your point? If he guts 5 regulations by making 1 whats the problem? He literally said he was gonna remove red tape on farmers and locally grow food…
"Choosing healthy is not possible" ? Since when? When will people take responsibility for their own health?
If it was possible then it is a much bigger loss for individual freedom.