Why is it that people become terrified over insignificant things, while totally ignoring the things that are really killing us.
And I think I am safe to say that this is not something that is limited to right wingers. For example, liberals who are afraid of immunizations.
In fact, liberals are generally afraid of things people put into their bodies, like gluten (or wheat), cow’s milk, nuts, or MSG. If you see someone eating a corn dog, a Twinkie, deep-fried butter, or even meatloaf, they are probably not a liberal. In fact, conservatives are 64% more likely to eat fast food a few times per week, and are 50% more likely to say that there is no significant difference between organic and processed food.
7 Comments
Many would argue that fast food and processed food ARE really killing people, and in large numbers.
I don’t have time to do a bunch of research, but I hope we can all agree that those foods certainly contribute to the obesity problem in the US. Given that…
Obesity facts from the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
West Virginia Dept of Health:
https://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/oehp/obesity/mortality.htm
Columbia University:
https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/obesity-kills-more-americans-previously-thought
I agree with the general theme of the article, and I agree with your “fair and balanced” example of immunizations. (I would say the subset of liberals afraid of immunizations is much smaller than the subset of conservatives that match every one of the windows in the cartoon.) That being said, the last few sentences about food are a poor example.
Also, the rates of obesity are highest in traditionally conservative states.
http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2013/08/05/obesity_rates_and_life_expectancy_by_us_state_106622.html
Why does the woman look so much like the Davis woman who doesn’t believe in separation of church and government?
“corn dog, a Twinkie, deep-fried butter, or even meatloaf”. Ok since I love all these things and am not too concerned about “gluten (or wheat), cow’s milk, nuts, or MSG” do you think that qualifies me to vote in the Republican primary?
I guess, given my diet, (or lack thereof), I’m going to have to change political parties. I refuse to give up my meatloaf. Although I do admit to not eating the rest of your list of horrible foods, I make up for it by loving ice cream and chocolate iced long johns. And Dove Chocolate, caramels, Twizzlers, Milk Duds…which is why I don’t buy any of them very often except for the ice cream. Are liberals allowed to have bacon and sausage? If not, I’m doomed. Doomed I tell you.
So, is the only difference between the eating habits of liberals and conservatives that liberals stress out about the guilty pleasures that they eat?
You know, stress is really bad for you.
I do find it amusing when friends and family take up the paleo diet based on bad science/logic or giddily exclude gluten from their diets without bothering to find out if they actually have celiac disease. While I do prefer to avoid GMOs, it’s not because they’re bad for me as much as bad for the environment and economy.
In any case, what I took from the post was not “the dangers posed by conservatives’ false fears are equal to the dangers posed by liberals’ fake fears (immunization perhaps excepted)” so much as reminding everyone to be wary of how their biases can (mis)inform their decisions and lifestyles. While the impact of a conservative refusing to question their racial or gender role assumptions may be more distasteful than a liberal refusing to accept that the paleo diet is bunk, the initial mental error is the same: refusal to question something that sounds right to you. We could call it Trumpilepsy.