06 January 2010

Lazy America

I rented a children’s movie a while back because I absolutely love all of the animated films these days. This one was called WALL-E. In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot unintentionally ends up going on a journey through space that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. I absolutely loved it, but it brought so many issues up for me.
The humans in this cartoon are so unflattering, a sick representation that is disgusting and revolting. Each person sits in his or her own hovering recliner, with a holographic screen directly in front of them. They do not have to lift their arms, or so much as even turn their heads. They all can just interact, feed and entertain themselves, all from the comfort of their recliners, with a whole bunch of robots walking around giving them everything they need and want. Every person is completely obese, and it shows how their bodies have just adapted. Their bone structure is scarce and they are mainly all big fat blobs. This makes the humans completely dependent on the computers and robots.
Behind this cartoon comedy, the obese and infantile human race is just a huge interpretation of the social structure where we currently live in. It is the cartoon image of our selfish, consumer-driven lifestyle where the human race has just completely relied on easier routes, personal pleasure of laziness and one of my favorite sayings of all- “why earn it…when you can just buy it.” This is the portrayal of the very road that humankind is traveling down. It scares me. This could possibly be our far, far future. That is what we get to look forward to for our coming generations.
The planet earth was vacated by all the humans like 720 years ago…and all signs of life are just gone. All the humans went to space, and the only thing alive left on earth is a cockroach and WALL-E. It’s completely covered in trash and desolate. I know it is not real, and very farfetched, but you never know what could happen. Yes, that scares me about the future, but that is another broad subject. The obesity epidemic is just going to continue to get larger in the future and this little movie brought it to a more realistic issue- even though it’s nothing but a mere cartoon.
I found a website all about obesity and I learned some startling facts. “In 2004, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranked obesity as the number one health risk facing America. Obesity currently results in an estimated 400,000 deaths a year in the United States and costs the national economy nearly $122.9 billion annually. Childhood obesity affects more than 15 percent of the population under 18 years old that is classified as overweight. Obesity not only impacts lifestyle but can also lead to lower self-esteem, cause depression and discomfort in social situations, and significantly diminish quality of life. Obesity also increases a person’s risk for developing serious obesity-related health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease , hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Weight gain and obesity are caused by consuming more calories than the body needs – most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle, or both. However, the imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned can also be caused by a number of different physiological factors, including genetic and hormonal problems related to deficiencies in internal body functions (1).”
There is absolutely no reason why people should be getting removed from their homes by whale cranes. No reason! “It is important to remember that obesity is not always caused by simple behavioral issues. In fact, endocrine researchers are leading exciting new research into the internal mechanisms that control metabolism, appetite, and satiety from food. For instance, genetic determinations such as the way a body expends energy, hormones that affect the way calories are processed, and other organ systems in the body can all affect appetite. For these reasons, today’s physicians address a number of considerations when working with obese patients – and those considerations are increasingly going beyond just calorie counting and exercise (1).”
A solution is so simple. Do your body good. Don’t have time to work out? Make time. Wake up earlier in the morning. Eat healthier! Can’t afford healthy food? Here is a real change, grow it! People would be surprised at the drastic change if they just took fifteen minutes out of their day to do some light exercising. This is a problem that has hundreds of programs available to assist, but the only part missing is self-fortitude and will power of the individuals themselves. Why is society so lazy these days? Families need to teach their children the importance of good body weight and taking care of themselves. More activities need to be promoted to families to improve exercise. Sure relaxing is great…but the next time you sit down and tell yourself that you’re bored, ride a bike, take a hike, go work out, etc. This is not a hard solution.

(1) http://www.obesityinamerica.org

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