No, this isn't a rant about how democrats have perfected the mechanics of the circular firing squad.
No, I'm not commenting on how we as a nation are not actively trying to rid ourselves of the cancer that is the GOP.
No, I'm talking about this article I just read about 1 out of 3 Americans becoming obese by the time they die.
People, we have some nerve. We think we are a great nation, a true SUPERPOWER the likes the world has never really seen before. Our fingers are in all the pies(both metaphorically and apparently, literally). The United States is connected to everything which in essence creates an empire without most of the annoying trappings of Empire(exceptions being Iraq & Afghanistan, of course).
But what are we really going to be remembered for? Rome was great, but the Romans were real dicks to everyone else. However, they gave us the template for most of our laws and DC government buildings. The did some theatre, and some philosophy guys came out of it. Oh, and there was Christianity(Catholicism).
They had damn good roads, too.
Another Empire in the classic sense, The British Empire, helped spread the faith to the savages. They also took all of the natives' natural resources(i.e. their people and their land). The British were instrumental in the formation of not only the Middle East as we now know it, but they also helped to form the disputed boundary of Pakistan and India. And of course, they invented Tea Time.
So these guys left a legacy, something for the historians to write about. And what about the ole US of A. Well there was a revolution, an event not unprecedented in the formation of most countries. Then there were laws passed, "Indian" tribes massacred, and land "bought". Okay, so there was a government, a little inadvartent flirt with GENOCIDE, and land aqcuisition. So far, really nothing that a large or powerful country hasn't done since the beginning of civilization.
Then there was a Civil War. Is that legacy-worthy? Nah, civil wars happen all the time in countries. Eventually people get tired of each other, it happens. Every large country turns on itself eventually. I mean, look at nearly ALL of Chinese history
So where does that brings us? Let's see, uhm there were the railroads and stuff. Then, the first World War. Those two items put us in the same boat as most other countries participating. We helped kick some ass I guess. Same with the Second World War. But many other countries have had major military victories in a 40-year span.
But, where do we really diverge historically? Where does our part in history really deviate from the typical rise and fall of a civilization?
THE BOMB
Okay, it's pretty easy to argue that after we technologically harnessed the power to split atoms and kill hundreds of thousands of people with 2 bombs that we begin to tread new ground.
Yes, we also were the first to put a human being on the fucking moon! Yes, that will always be a fucking cool thing to be remembered for!
We also invented a lot of stupid bullshit like the slinky and pet rock. However, I think those things will get lost somehow and not really contribute to the history book section on the US except as a ridiculous sidenote such as:" DID YOU KNOW: Americans were the first to implement home delivery of groceries and virtually all goods."
Which brings us to the above-mentioned article. We are eating so much and doing so little that we are in fact killing ourselves with weight gain. I'll put $10 against any historian that can find me ONE instance in the entire history of human existence a society that died from TOO MUCH FOOD. Shit, make it $20. Fuck, make it $200. Mind you $200 is more than I actually have, but I'm pretty willing to bet the farm on it(if I had a farm.)
Okay, so we got the bomb, and airplanes, and rocket ships with people inside. History books can never deny us those things. Neither will it deny that we are the FIRST country that will be battling obesity. Now, who knows. Maybe this is a growing trend across the world. Maybe the level of comfort technology has offorded the human race has also unfortunately made us more sensitive to gravity.
But, it does seem that we are leading the pack so to speak in the poundage department. YES, number 1 again!
So, a typical American man can make it to 'adulthood' without a weight problem but still have a 50% chance of becomeing overweight by the time he dies and a 25% chance of becoming obese. ONE in THREE of ALL people in that study became obese.
Jeeez.
So, I'm not here to make a judgment call, but I just wanted to point out how unbelievably remarkable it is that we will be the first community EVER to eat so much that we actually kill ourselves.