The Earth is Fat
If I hear one more person talk about children "going to bed hungry" I'm going to put down my bacon-cheese croissan'wich and start shouting.
From what we know about the world right now, it might be a good idea if more children went to bed hungry. And stayed hungry. From Yahoo! News:
Obese people now outnumber the hungry globally, but hardship for the undernourished is increasing amid a growing food crisis, the International Federation of the Red Cross warned Thursday...
In statistics used to underline the unequal access to food, the IFRC stressed there were 1.5 billion people suffering obesity worldwide last year, while 925 million were undernourished.
So there are almost 1.4 times more fat people than thin people on the globe, right now. Hunger and starvation are pretty much the provinces of failed state economics -- in Somalia and East Africa, especially -- whereas in the West, the poorer you are the fatter you are.
But the "hunger" lobby keeps getting these two things all muddled up. There's something irresistibly chic, I guess, about lumping the problems of the rich west -- what the experts call "excess nutrition" -- and the dysfunctional societies of poor everywhere else, but it doesn't do much to alleviate the suffering of really, truly starving children in Africa. Let the fat kids fend for themselves. In the meantime, how about a little honesty? People are starving in Africa not because of the parsimony of western nations, but because their post-colonial leaders have been, for the most part, clueless and irrational psychopaths, coddled and cosseted and petted by the western liberal elites. And how about a little more honesty? They were all, for the most part, better off under colonial rule. Back then, our kids were thinner, and their kids were fatter.
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Aug '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Obviously you've never heard of "food deserts" and "food insecurity," which through a sort of policy wonk sophistry mean that obesity is still about hunger
Nov '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Jul '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Elizabeth Dunn
Skipping over to another continent; India has certainly flourished due, in large part, to colonial influence. Why does this country continue to make significant economic strides long after Great Britain"cut bait?" · Sep 30 at 9:19pm
Edited on Sep 30 at 09:27 pm
Actually, Britain left them with a somewhat socialistic government, but not long ago, they decided to try some free market approaches. And they've been working.
Dec '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
As an ectomorph, I refuse to take part in any redistribution efforts that involve me being the recipient from a liposuction donor.
Sep '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
There's something odd about seeing "Christie the Consensus Candidate" immediately followed by a post titled "The Earth is Fat"
Just sayin'.
May '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Rob, - I am sure the UK could make the same argument about the Crown colonies of Virgina, and the rest of the thirteen.
The famines in 19th century Ireland, those of the Jewel in the Crown India, and elsewhere under colonial rule were every bit as savage as those of Africa now. The Bengal Famine of 1770 killed an estimated 10M people whilst the East India company enforced plantings of exportable opium poppies instead of food crops.
The misery of the Congo Free State held as a personal property of King Leopold II until 1908, with its forced amputation of children's limbs to ensure the rubber was harvested, is alas probably equal to the horrors that continue on that blighted land today.
We all know what works best, neither rose tinted Merchant-Ivory memories of colonial glories; nor ever hoped for socialist utopias of new post-colonial states. Strong government respect for persons and private property, and a desire to let people advance themselves as they desire.
Perhaps we should get Gene Wilder to hold the Zero Mostel Earth down, whilst screaming "fat, fat fat, fat, fatty" in its face
Edited on Oct 1, 2011 at 11:13amMar '11
Re: The Earth is Fat
Talleyrand makes a good point; colonialism operated on the mercantile system, hence the need for colonies, essentially command economy 18th century style. Unfortunately, when most colonies achieved independence they fell under the influence of command economies 20th century style, usually some form of socialism. All the while the only system that truly produces wealth and prosperity, the free market system, was ignored for a myriad of reasons. Ironically, former basket case India, as well as others, are finding salvation through free market success. I wonder how long it will take for India to develop the problem of obese poor.
Jul '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
P J O’Rourke had a great chapter in his book, Give War a Chance, in which he describes his trip to Somalia as a war correspondent in 2000. As only he can relate with both horror and humor, he tells of one foray outside Mogadishu with, I believe, an Italian brigade. They left Mogadishu and the horrors of the famine behind and went forth into the interior of the country, accompanied by Somali bodyguards. That night when they stopped to camp and eat dinner, they offered their bodyguards the MREs (Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, as he said). These were refused and the bodyguards left, returning sometime later with baskets of fresh fruits, meat, and vegetables.
(cont.)
Jul '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
(cont.)
The next morning as P J tells it, they drove past orchards, neat vegetable gardens, and golden fields of wheat. There was no famine as we were told; it was the warlords preventing food from reaching the ‘wrong’ people. The same as in Ethiopia years ago (Marxist government-caused).
In fact, by some estimations, there hasn’t been a naturally-caused famine in the world in over 500 years. And food relief often doesn’t reach those in need as the supplies are diverted by those same evil leaders. In those cases where food does reach them, the sad irony is that the relief food destroys the local agriculture economy as the available food cannot be sold when free food is there for the taking and so rots on the trees and in the fields.
It seems almost insurmountable given the reasons for pockets of man-caused famine, but there has to be a better way to ensure people are fed – without the unintended consequence of local economic disaster. But, as always, liberal policies have caused the problems and liberal policies stand in the way of solutions.
May '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
The IFRC press release closes with this predictable talking point:
"we must find ways to regulate the laws of supply and demand and promote a more equitable distribution of food between those who have too little to eat, and those with too much."
Where have we heard that before? Do the folks at the IFRC hope to become the world's commissars in charge of food redistribution?
May '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
From another IFRC press release:
"It is essential we keep the spotlight on hunger and ensure the terrible scenes from Ethiopia in the 1980s, and now in the Horn of Africa, are not repeated time and again. We need to seriously re-think the current global food system and ensure a fairer distribution of food across the world."
"The root causes of hunger are multiple and complex concludes the WDR report, citing a lack of investment in agriculture, rising food prices, climate change and food commodity market speculation as major factors contributing to chronic problems of severe hunger and malnutrition."
No mention of the chief causes of hunger: War, socialism, and government corruption. This refusal to attack the real causes of hunger suggests that the Red Cross doesn't care nearly as much about human suffering as it claims. But then, both socialists and careerists in the humanitarian aid industry both have a vested interest in poverty continuing to exist.
May '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Another passage:
"In addition to a decline in crop production, a new round of food inflation in 2010-2011 has pushed nearly 110 million people into the ranks of the undernourished. The factors behind the inflation are varied and difficult to pinpoint, but a reduction in global food stocks, climate change and financial speculation have all been factors behind the ongoing volatility of food markets."
Oh, those evil speculators! As economists such as Thomas Sowell have pointed out, commodity speculators actually serve to even out price fluctuations.
And as for climate change, back in the 70's they were pointing to global cooling as a grave threat to the food supply. No matter what happens, they will announce a crisis that can only be solved through massive wealth redistribution programs...run by them...at a small profit to cover their salaries and frequent jet travel to conferences.
Apr '11
Re: The Earth is Fat
What bugs me the most about these "hungry" children is the way they define problematic hunger. If you skip breakfast on purpose, you're going hungry. If you ate too much at lunch so you skip dinner, you're going hungry. Etc. etc.
Aug '10
Re: The Earth is Fat
Rob - I don't get your beef. You ask for "a little honesty." And that is pretty much what we get from mainstream journalists: a little honesty. Very little, in fact.