CHAPTER COMMENTARY
This category contains reference to obesity. Presently there is a growing epidemic of obesity in the United States and parts of Europe, particular among children. It is estimated that two-thirds of all adults and 10 million children in America are either overweight or obese. Several possible factors influencing the epidemic of obesity may be:
Society accepting of obesity as a norm; eating snacks between meals; reduced physical activity due to laziness or not enough time allocated for exercise; poor exercise habits learned early in life; more eating out due to less time to eat, laziness, or indulgence; less parental involvement, control, and influences; an increase of broken and dysfunctional families; fat/obese role modeling by parents/family; irregular eating habits and times; low self esteem (feeds lack of self pride); larger portions in restaurants and at home; poor understanding of biology, foods, and dietary information; taking of health for granted due to medical advancements; uneducated people convinced by media of "fat genes" and "born to be fat"; pursuit of lazy cures (pills, liposuction, surgery, etc.); reliance of science and surgery for cures rather than prevention or self discipline; bloating and side effects from other medications; elimination of draughts, disease, and famine (resulting in abundance of food); elimination of hunting, farming, and food preparation (no work involved and respect for food); less personal responsibility due to government taking control and responsibility of people (dumb cow theory); less personal accountability due to society accepting diminishing standards for health, safety, and morality; less physical labor due to machines, automation, and information technology; people spending large amounts of inactive time watching TV and computers; gluttony as a form of pleasure to fulfill emotional voids; splurging on favorite foods and excessive indulging; pursuit of escapism, fantasy, voyeurism (rather than actively participating in life); lower will power to stop eating or exercise self control (due to society loss of control or discipline); acceptance and tolerance to every form of vice and unhealthy activities; increased injury due to extreme pursuits resulting in reduced physical activity; behavior (including unhealthy eating disorders); constant advertising for fast foods and fattening foods; fraudulent or misleading food reports by food vendors with conflicts of interest; deceptive advertising practices by food manufacturers and restaurants; advertisers not showing side effects from gorging and eating unhealthy foods (skinny models and actors); abundance of fattening foods offered in restaurants (less choice provided); more fattening food processes; more fattening food additives; and the possibility of some genetic disposition toward obesity for some people in some limited form.
What are the interconnected relationships between obesity, modern music, and the future of mankind?