The Blame Game

People love to place blame. We are constantly accusing others of being the reason for our problems. Chyna and I were talking about that this morning. She wanted a Cinnabon and I mentioned a coffee roll from Dunkin Donuts.

Me – The coffee roll was much better before they started posting nutritional information on the internet. Whose idea was that any way? I was so much happier when I was ignorant.

Chyna –It was all those people trying to sue because they say they didn’t know it would make them fat.

Me – That is just dumb. Donuts are in essence deep fried dough and sugar. You could not have thought that was going to keep you thin.

Chyna – It is just like the people who were mad at McDonald’s because they ate there every day and gained weight. Remember the guys who sued because he spilled the coffee and it burned him?

Me – That is crazy. You knew the coffee was hot. You know you didn’t ask for cold coffee. People are ridiculous. McDonald’s did not make you fat! You eating at McDonald’s everyday made you fat. I get it. I know why you are eating there. You can get a whole meal for $4. French fries are cheap.  You need to be mad at the person who made broccoli $3 a pound. Stop dogging and yelling about McDonald’s and send them a thank you note because they kept you from starving to death. The problem is not that McDonald’s mislead you. The problem is that even at McDonald’s the salad is too expensive.

The fact is that most of us are not overweight because we don’t know what we should be doing or eating. We are fat because we either can’t do those things or won’t. If I was truly only eating that which I could afford I would be at one extreme or the other. I would either be obese because all I can afford is chips, burgers and chili from the $1 menu (I know they have side salad on there, but if this is supposed to be a lasting meal the salad can take a hike.) or I would be extremely thin because I would have to skip some meals to save up for a couple days in order to afford the good stuff like fruit and veggies.

I understand that we are in an obesity “epidemic” and people need to do better, but let’s lay off Mickey D’s and KFC for providing a much needed service that allows a family of 4 to eat for $10. Let’s save that righteous indignation for those who make it so hard for those in need to make better choices. That is right Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and other purveyors of organic, grass fed bliggety blah. I don’t see you sending coupons to my mailbox or building in my Wendy’s, Burger King saturated neighborhood.

I feel the same way about those fast food hovels as I do about Bill Clinton. You can say what you want about all the wrong they do, but they came looking for me and let me know that my money/vote meant something to them. I don’t think of Clinton as the first black President and especially not because he smoked a joint and cheated on his wife, but he was unashamed in his courting of the black vote. I don’t think McDonald’s is the best place to get your daily bread, but they come to us and promise food we can afford and jobs we can work in where you can go from garbage to lettuce to fries and if you stay long enough they might even help you go to college and (to quote my favorite movie) “that’s when the big bucks start rolling in.”