Sitting at a Starbucks, giving myself permission to just look around at the bodies. I think as a function of both being massively overweight, a little bit shy romantically, and constantly wary of objectification, I never really did this.
What you see is just a horror show of what we used to call "beer bellies". These round, fat, sloppy, grotesquely pregnant-looking, middle-aged male body types (and whatever the female equivalent is). Once you see that, you start to see how prevalent it is. You start to see them everywhere.
I think of global warming when I think of this. Global warming is difficult, because outside of the increasingly frequent draughts, fires, and superstorms, its a slow and gradual process that sneaks up catastrophically over generations. This obesity thing is different. You can literally see its fingerprints all over society.
I tend to picture these folks lying on a gurney with an IV in, or with someone crouched over them doing chest compressions or bagging them.
I think of my ballooning ACA insurance payment, and wonder how much of it is going to their diabetes care.
We can, and have to fix this.
