THIRD WORLD MAN, AMERICAN MAN; IT'S ALL THE SAME

From the London Guardian:

This surprising reappraisal of American and European physiques is the work of researcher John Komlos of Munich University. 'Much of the difference is due to the great social inequality that now exists in the United States,' Komlos told The Observer last week. 'In Europe, there is - in most countries - good health service provision for most members of society and plenty of protein in most people's diets. As a result, children do not suffer illnesses that would blight their growth or suffer problems of malnutrition. For that reason, we have continued to grow and grow.'

On the other hand, America has eight million people with no job, 40 million individuals with no health insurance, 35 million living below the poverty line, and a population that exists mainly on junk food. There, the rise in average height that marked its progress as a nation through the 19th and 20th centuries has stopped and has actually reversed - albeit very slightly - in recent years. Many Americans are rich and do well anatomically as a result, but there is a large underclass that is starting to drag the country down the stature charts.

This discovery, which has been revealed through research that Komlos has assembled over decades, amounts to an assault on the values of the free market economy espoused by Americans and provides powerful support for those who back European ideas about universal healthcare.

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Does anyone think I'm being alarmist when I say that neo-liberal economics is rapidly turning the US into a third world country? Now there's undeniable proof: Americans are getting shorter due to malnutrition.

News like this makes it really hard not to be pedantic and tell conservatives where they can stick it. "Oh, you see, good for business, harumph, harumph...you don't understand economics, blah, blah." No, I think you don't understand economics, you bunch of self-important, sniveling blow-hards.

One day, if there's any justice, you're all going to be "f'ed in the a."

Thanks to South Park for the phrase "f'ed in the a."

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