111–120 of 140 posts
I always find it interesting that sci-fi depictions of "evolved" humans (i.e. many years in the future) usually depict very tall, thin - even willowy - figures. That seems to fly in the face of general trend :)
Except in Wall-e
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People here are exaggerating the fatness of the average American. Yes, obesity is an unsightly problem, but the man in that photo would still be a stand-out today-- just less of one. Instead of being someone we'd only see in a circus, he's the noticeably obese fat guy in the line at McDonalds. He's definitely not sideshow-freak material today, but he'd definitely be the fattest person on an average subway car. I'd ey…
You also have to remember that the guidelines for what is considered obese was changed in 1998. It changed 30 million people from being considered normal weight to obese. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/guideposts/fitnes...
I always find it interesting that sci-fi depictions of "evolved" humans (i.e. many years in the future) usually depict very tall, thin - even willowy - figures. That seems to fly in the face of general trend :)
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You don't want them dumb: adaptability is paramount for evolution. Smart people are more adaptable.
OK yeah, but you'd still want basically hobbits, not supermodels.
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Interestingly, WALL-E really nails the reality of western man's search for perfected convenience.
...the reality of western man's... What do you mean "western"? What do you mean "man"? Edit: Sometimes it seems that "too terse" comments are disliked or misunderstood. So let me explain: it seems that people in the USA, as others have already said in other comments, don't really realise that you're a special case in this matter. Of course there are fat people here in Europe, but not in the same proportion and magnit…
From the WHO:
Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Its prevalence has tripled in many countries in the WHO European Region since the 1980s, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise at an alarming rate, particularly among children. Obesity is already responsible for 2-8% of health costs and 10-13% of deaths in different parts of the Region.
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In this day and age of cheap video games, movies, and pornography... there is not much of a market for this anymore.
All those "500 lb mom", "the 1000 pound man" show on the discover channel (and similar), not to mention the Biggest Loser tell me otherwise.
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You need to spend some more time with evolutionary theory. Populations do indeed evolve along with individuals. You own message explains why; there are selection pressures at the population level as well. See also animals that are always found in communities, like ants or humans. It's not either/or. It never is with evolutionary theory.
Last I heard there was still some ongoing debate among ev biologists about whether group selection was an important effect or not; I think the general consensus tends to be that it's a pretty small effect except in certain special cases. The existence of traits like courage is far better explained by sexual selection. Women throughout history have always strongly preferred courageous men to cowardly ones. This is onl…
That's not an explanation. Why do women prefer courageous men?
Do you mean to imply that courage is like a Peacock's tail? It doesn't help a man survive, but it signals that he must be really good at surviving in other ways.
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* they've evolved their menus have become healthier.* Have you looked at the nutrition facts lately? Or seen the new commercials for KFC heart attack of two pieces of fried chicken with bacon and cheese in between? I wasn't around when the fast food places you mention were founded, but if this is the trend towards healthier then I am amazed people survived for any length of time after they emerged. (Granted, many hav…
I can walk into any McDonals in america, order a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo, a bottle of water, and have a legitametly healthy meal any time I want. You couldn't do that in in previous decades because they only had fried chicken. So the tools are out there, people just choose to continue ordering the triple quarter pounder.
Do people in N. America somehow not need fruits or vegetables as long as they get meat every single time they saddle up to the table?
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* they've evolved their menus have become healthier.* Have you looked at the nutrition facts lately? Or seen the new commercials for KFC heart attack of two pieces of fried chicken with bacon and cheese in between? I wasn't around when the fast food places you mention were founded, but if this is the trend towards healthier then I am amazed people survived for any length of time after they emerged. (Granted, many hav…
Given the healthy options didn't exist up until a few years ago I'd call that moving towards healthier menu items. Of course they're going to try to appeal to already existing audience that wants junk food but in the end we've gone from "no healthy options" to "a variety of healthy options" in less than a decade while the junk food items have declined (McDonalds doing away with Super Sizing as just one example)
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Interestingly, WALL-E really nails the reality of western man's search for perfected convenience.
...the reality of western man's... What do you mean "western"? What do you mean "man"? Edit: Sometimes it seems that "too terse" comments are disliked or misunderstood. So let me explain: it seems that people in the USA, as others have already said in other comments, don't really realise that you're a special case in this matter. Of course there are fat people here in Europe, but not in the same proportion and magnit…
man is a historically recognised contraction of human. I think your analysing it too deeply ;) (I also doubt you will find many people here who abide by the idea of political correctness)
(and your comparison doesn't work too well; is Europe on a par with the East in terms of obesity problems? If not then the original statement is, surely, correct).