While I'm here in the US, a lot of my posts will obviously relate to how I see life in these here states. Well Florida mostly. And Sebring within Florida. Yes and probably Walmart within Sebring within Florida !
Can I just make it clear that I don't (always) mean that I'm finding faults with people and places here that can't also be said about my own country and its citizens. Everything from mundane shopping trips to having medical procedures are often so different here that I like to write about these differences and that doesn't mean they are any better or any worse than we're used to in the UK. They are just different and often it's a case of "vive la difference."
No one has had a pop at me so far and I'm just trying to ensure that continues. If I didn't love most things about this country, I'd not want to live half my life here so if nothing else, I hope that shows I'm not a US basher in any way.
It's just a case that some of the things I experience here crack me up and I want to be able to comment about them without thinking I'll get flack for it. Free speech and all that. Hopefully my light hearted take on such things will offset any flack but of course free speech means people are entitled to disagree with what I say and that's fine too. I'd hope that regular readers would recognise my tongue-in-cheek is never meant to offend.
Finally, on the subject of my previous post, although it could be argued that we don't have the same levels of obesity that exist in the US, I believe a lot of evidence is simply hidden in the UK. In my experience, our "fatties" tend to remain indoors either through embarrassment or because they can't get around easily. In the US they can be much more visible due to buildings and amenities being geared up for all shapes and sizes. It's also an attitude thing and (again just my opinion here) in the US there is a "I may be huge but that's not going to stop me going out and about" attitude that we may not have in the UK. Whether the number of things you can do without leaving your car here helps with this attitude or has in fact contributed to it is another matter but it fuels my opinion that obesity here is in your face and in the UK it's a mostly secret problem.
And finally finally, I'm in no position to poke fun at obesity from any sort of smug moral high ground. I've just used an online BMI calculator and yes......I'm officially obese myself !!
This is all too serious for only one mug of coffee so I'm climbing down off my soapbox to get another. Mug of coffee that is. My soapbox has many more 'miles' left in it yet !
4 comments:
2 things to say, Ian. 1)I agree with what you say about obesity levels in USA compared with UK.
2)I think this BMI measurement is unhelpful, to say the least. There are fit, active rugby players who score as obese on the BMI, so I wouldn't worry too much. You are certainly not obese - not sure about the fit and the rugby playing though. ;)
Great post. That's, all, really - I think it makes your position perfectly clear - you're great at poking fun at America and equally good at poking fun at Britain!
Got to ya, did I?
No explanation needed. I knew you meant no harm.
If you did, we would march down there en masse in our endearing American way and slap you up side the head. ;>)
S'ok, Bob. It wasn't you...wasn't anyone in fact. I'd always meant to post something from the start of my stay here to explain things.
Post a Comment