२१ जानेवारी, २०२३

"Yes, ban the office cakes. Obviously.... I have been campaigning [against obesity] for more than 20 years...."

"And all I have met is anger, abuse and accusations of 'fat-shaming.' From the right, because I seem to be after restricting people’s right to choose how they live; and from the left because, since obesity disproportionately affects the poor, I must be motivated by class hatred and snobbery.... I have moved on from any notion I might once have had about personal culpability and now hold the government and 'big sugar' (which pulled a nefarious con on the public by repositioning sugar as 'energy' when it is, in fact, sloth, weakness and depression) entirely responsible. Which is why I am with [ chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency, Professor Susan Jebb] all the way in calling on people to stop buying this poisonous shite in pretty packaging and forcing it into their ailing colleagues like corn down the diseased gullet of a Perigord goose. An unrelated story in The Times on Wednesday celebrated a new wonder-drug proven to prolong the lives of mice, inspiring the dream... that it might work on humans. But do you know what is also proven to prolong the life of mice? Severe calorie restriction. Cut their intake by a third and they live up to 40 per cent longer. Before we plough billions into yet more drugs, shouldn’t we at least give that a go?"

Writes Giles Coren in "Cake debate is no laughing matter — seriously/Snigger at comparisons with passive smoking if you must, but only if you’re blind to the scale of our obesity crisis" (London Times). 

And here's the relevant episode of his podcast "Giles Coren Has No Idea": "Giles and [his wife] Esther burn through this week's papers looking for a column idea; from Clarkson's apology and the death of electric cars, to evil office cake and changing perceptions of Henry VIII. Giles if off to exchange his infamous electric Jaguar and Esther counts the amount of times the burglar alarm goes off during the recording." 

He chose the cake!

The passed-over Henry VIII topic was based on "Henry VIII was disabled, National Trust decides" (London Times):

While jousting in January 1536, Henry’s fully armoured horse landed on him and crushed his legs, which were then plagued with ulcers. The accident forever hampered his mobility, while apparently affecting his mental health and triggering his obesity.
Henry’s waist went from 32 to 52 inches and he might have weighed over 28 stone (397lbs) at his death in 1547. He required sticks, wheelchairs and pulley systems to move. These facts about Henry have been hiding in plain sight but the nature of his disability is often overlooked, partly because he suppressed it in his public image....

Mulling this topic in the podcast, Coren considers making a string of jokes about the physical ailments of autocrats and their connection to the evil they did. How funny is that? I guess I enjoyed hearing him spin out what the column would need to be, which, in retrospect revealed why he didn't choose this topic. There was a line about Hitler — did his... what?... cause him to murder 6 million Jews?

What ailment of Hitler's did Coren discuss in his podcast? Instead of searching through the podcast, I looked on Wikipedia, where there's a long article "Health of Adolf Hitler."

During World War I, Hitler served as a dispatch runner for the List Regiment of the Bavarian Army. On the night of 13–14 October 1918, he and his comrades were victims of an Allied mustard gas attack near Ypres, Belgium. They had been leaving their dug-out to retreat when the attack occurred, and were partially blinded by it.... 

As a result of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler – in which he survived a bomb explosion at his Wolf's Lair headquarters – both of his eardrums were punctured, and he had numerous superficial wounds, including blisters, burns and 200 wood splinters on his hands and legs, cuts on his forehead, abrasions and swelling on his left arm, and a right arm that was swollen, painful and difficult to raise, causing him to use his left hand to greet Benito Mussolini, who arrived that day for a previously scheduled summit meeting. 

The punctured eardrums were the most serious of these injuries. Weeks later, blood was still seeping through Hitler's bandages, and he suffered sharp pain in the right ear, as well as hearing loss. The eardrums took several weeks to heal, during which Hitler suffered from dizziness and a loss of balance which made him hew to the right when walking.... 

I'm skipping the speculation about syphilis, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, mental illness, and inbreeding. And then there's the drug use: "He regularly consumed methamphetamine, barbiturates, opiates, and cocaine, as well as potassium bromide and atropa belladonna...."

But:

During his younger days, Hitler's health was generally good, despite his lack of exercise and a poor diet, which he later replaced with a mostly vegetarian one. Even then, though, Hitler had a very strong sweet tooth, and would often eat multiple cream cakes at a sitting.

Oh, no! There's an office cake joke there to be made, but how can we make Hitler jokes?

४६ टिप्पण्या:

RideSpaceMountain म्हणाले...

"We're all unhappy. Do we have to be fat too!"

More proof that everything once entertained as a joke is now being considered as serious. Leftists, from I don't get it to that's not funny in 30 years.

Matt म्हणाले...

I understand why people should raise the alarm about potential health hazards. What I don’t understand is the need of so many people to force their preferred solution on everyone else. Let the chips and cookies fall where they may.

Michel म्हणाले...

I thought the line about Hitler was that he was supposed to have had only one testicle.

n.n म्हणाले...

The karmic komedy of Diversity (e.g. racism), Inequity, Exclusion (DIE)?

Temperance movement.

There is no mystery in sex and conception...

uh, there is no mystery in carbohydrates and obesity, diabetes, Covid-19/20/21/22, etc.

RNB म्हणाले...

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine Susan Jebb shaking a finger in your face and shouting at you. Forever."

Old and slow म्हणाले...

I've always enjoyed Giles Coren, and this was no exception. He's right about cakes and obesity as well.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"I thought the line about Hitler was that he was supposed to have had only one testicle."

There's a discussion of that at the link. I left it out of the post because, based on what I read, it seemed unlikely to be true.

Ice Nine म्हणाले...

Wouldn't it be better to ban the guns that the office cake bringers hold to the heads of their co-workers to force them to eat the cake?

Readering म्हणाले...

Check the Albert Hall.

Narr म्हणाले...

When did hitler join up with e e cummings and bell hooks?

This guy Coren sounds like a nuclear-grade wanker.

Don't eat the stuff, wanker, and quit pretending to care about my health.

Narr म्हणाले...

I looked--typical self-satisfied smirking ponce wanker by the looks of 'im.

Carol म्हणाले...

Blitzed is a good read. Hitler was out of his gourd on drugs after say 1937.

Rather like the average American nowadays.

William म्हणाले...

FDR was the WWII leader who died first. He didn't overeat because it interfered with his alcohol and cigarette consumption. Churchill was kind of rotund. He ate well, smoked, and drank a lot. He lived the longest. Stalin smoked and drank, but he was cautious in his eating habits. He had one especially salutary dietary habit. He sometimes made the cook who prepared his meals sample some of the dishes in front of him. Stalin was surrounded by revolutionary conspirators and there wasn't a single plot on his life. He had a lot of health problems but he did manage a fairly long life in spite of them and in spite of the crowd he hung out with. Mussolini looked robust and vigorous. I've never read of his personal habits, but he probably had a Mediterranean diet and exercised daily. Mussolini was probably the healthiest of the WWII leaders, but he did have the most grotesque and fitting death of all of them.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"What I don’t understand is the need of so many people to force their preferred solution on everyone else. Let the chips and cookies fall where they may."

Ideally, yes. I lean libertarian myself. But in this age of entitlement, Medicaid, and ACA subsidies, other people's obesity becomes my problem. If I am forced to pay for where other people's chips and cookies fall, do I have the right to try and keep them from falling in the first place?

n.n म्हणाले...

Self-abortion, progressive viability by scone is a woman's right, access to cafeterias will not be restricted.

Michael K म्हणाले...

The recent support for obesity is silly. Diabetes Type II anyone ? I don't like health Nazis but the nonsense like plus size bathing suit models is just crazy.

Carol म्हणाले...

"other people's obesity becomes my problem"

From lurking at meddit I learned that nearly all of the "health crisis" stems from obesity, including covid morbidity along with all the metabolic syndrome fallout.

The nurses are slinging around some mighty hefty patients these days.

The wheelchairs and beds and lifts keep getting bigger and bigger to accommodate the behemoths.

Wa St Blogger म्हणाले...

Ideally, yes. I lean libertarian myself.

The right response is to fight against forced medical requirements, not double down on the force part.

Dr Weevil म्हणाले...

I just realized I had entirely misunderstood what people were complaining about. If I bring cake to work as part (only part!) of my lunch, I'm certainly not sharing it with anyone else, and I had assumed others were doing the same. If you want cake for, or with, your lunch, buy your own and keep your hands off mine. (I'm actually much more likely to bring pie, since it's so much tastier than cake, but that doesn't affect the main point.)
Bringing a whole cake and pushing it on others like some kind of, well, pusher: I can see how that would be a problem, especially if you're pushing your cake on the most vulnerable, the already obese. However, if just seeing me eating cake causes you to fall off the wagon and start bringing your own, or going out at lunch to buy one, that's your problem, not mine. Develop some self-control, or wear horse-style blinders so you can't see my cake (or pie).

n.n म्हणाले...

"What I don’t understand is the need of so many people to force their preferred solution on everyone else."

But in this age of entitlement, Medicaid, and ACA subsidies, other people's obesity becomes my problem.


Yes, shared responsibility, progressive prices, Green blight, and DIE.

Breezy म्हणाले...

It’s not like people with sweet teeth don’t have cake and cookies and ice cream and fudge and soda at home. Share the health info wrt obesity and diabetes and COVID, including the stint on a ventilator, instead of shaming office celebrations.

Team building requires food, and sweet food is an appropriate item to share much of the time. Jeez - there is no end to the ideas people will come up with in order to lord over the rest of us.

Temujin म्हणाले...

So, 75 years from now when historians and Late Night Comedy show hosts are discussing the downfall of Western Civ and they'll realize that, it wasn't climate change, not wars, not socialism or wokeness or Antifa or Conservatives. It wasn't even CNN. It was office cake. It was right there all along, in front of our noses, being served up daily. Thank God for the remote work phase, or additional thousands would have been affected.

Another day, another cake.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Big Sugar!

Ampersand म्हणाले...

I've dealt with some British tabloid journalists over the years, and Giles Coren fits the profile. Lightning quick, lazy, yet endlessly busy, irresponsible, dangerous, mercenary, and sharply attuned to the next short-term advantage. Their blatant human-ness makes them hard to hate, but best to keep your distance from these vandals.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Giles Coren makes a career out of saying outrageous things. In other words, he's a clown. Cake at the office isn't just to make you fat. It's about the occasion. It's about coming together and sharing something. I suppose it literally is "eating your feelings" and that makes it a target in today's world, but it's strange that something that doesn't happen all that much is singled out as a great evil. If someone is retiring, what do you do? No smokes, no drinks, no cake? You just stand around milling about with nothing to mark the occasion? Sure, you could have a nice balloon or flower arrangement, but is that really enough?

bobby म्हणाले...

"If I am forced to pay for where other people's chips and cookies fall, do I have the right to try and keep them from falling in the first place?"

No. That's the hook that makes so many scolds and controllers love socialism - the power they think it confers upon them. No, your right lies in fighting against a system that makes you pay for other peoples' choices.

Michael P म्हणाले...

"repositioning sugar as 'energy' when it is, in fact, sloth, weakness and depression"

He might as well stand on a street corner wearing a clapboard saying "THE END IS NIGH", of he's going to dynamite his credibility with that kind of claim. He could at least throw in something about glycemic index to show some respect to the reader's mind.

Fred Drinkwater म्हणाले...

Carol, during a stint in hospital last year, I was astounded at how unfit, even morbidly overweight, many of the staff were. One guy wheeled a portable xray into my room, and I thought he was about to pass out - panting and needing rest. Probably 100 pounds overweight.

J Melcher म्हणाले...

"Either you are closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowlege or you are unaware of the caliber of disaster represented by a (pool
table) sheet cake in your community."

Deevs म्हणाले...

Who knew office cakes were driving obesity levels? If only not eating free cake were an option. I'm get the impression this guy is being a bit facetious, but I've seen this line of argument made in earnest. Typically in articles shared on David Thompson's blog.

Kate म्हणाले...

I see what life as an 88 year old is like. Why the fuck would I want to live longer? Thank you, but I'll take the cake and fellowship.

loudogblog म्हणाले...

I am sick to death of this culture of accepting no personal responsibility for your actions. It's like that old Flip Wilson routine where Geraldine says, "The Devil made me do it."

Old and slow म्हणाले...

He is not a tabloid journalist, strictly broadsheet. If you read the article, he very clearly states that he often makes outrageous and obviously facetious statements in order to draw attention to whatever point he is trying to get across. He isn't wrong about sugar and obesity being huge problems. He is using hyperbole to draw attention to the problem and most seem too stupid to even figure it out. Good lord... It's as though everyone is just itching for a reason to be outraged and critical. Yes, his preferred shtick is to be an annoying smartypants. He's also quite a good writer and frequently correct.

BIII Zhang म्हणाले...

Snigger?

Snigger?

How are these people allowed to use this sort of language?

Next thing you know, they'll claim that withholding office cakes is niggardly.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

When I was doing the Penn Jillette root diet I noticed the amount of my waste was reduced significantly. Now that I’m back eating anything I want, I know moderation is the key to keep extra weight off.

Jim at म्हणाले...

If I am forced to pay for where other people's chips and cookies fall, do I have the right to try and keep them from falling in the first place?

No. No more than they have the 'right' to do the same to you.

Why can't people mind their own, damn business and leave me alone?

Narr म्हणाले...

"Annoying smartypants."

Some people love them.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

21st century liberals share a trait in common with 17th century New England Puritans: a suspicion that someone, somewhere, might be having fun, and this MUST BE STOPPED RIGHT NOW!!!

Old and slow म्हणाले...

"Blogger Big Mike said...
21st century liberals share a trait in common with 17th century New England Puritans: a suspicion that someone, somewhere, might be having fun, and this MUST BE STOPPED RIGHT NOW!!!"

Well this is undeniably true. It also has nothing whatsoever to do with the article.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Here's the thing: If someone brings a cake into my office, you can always say "No, thank you"

You can still be in the room, sharing conviviality.

Mea Sententia म्हणाले...

If vaccines can be mandated, so can calorie restriction.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

@Old and slow, one can eat cake without becoming obese. The gist of the article — at least the part I could read before it slipped behind a paywall — is that some people who are obese are at greater risk for certain types of cancer and therefore we should not bring cake into the office lest obese people should become more obese and thus at greater risk. The article, the part I could read, looked like junk science to me.

~ Gordon Pasha म्हणाले...

Bring back smoking. Sharing a cigarette is better than a piece of cake. And obesity was relatively rare until the 1980s when the war on tobacco began

Bill R म्हणाले...

Professor Althouse mentioned the legend that Hitler had only one testicle but doubts it's true.

It is true. That's why they whistled rather than sang the marching song in "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

Hitler has only got one ball
Goering has two but very small
Himmler has something similar
And Goebbels has no balls at all.


So there.

Narr म्हणाले...

Bill R references the great "Colonel Bogey March." In JROTC we sang--

Winners, Team up with Malt-O-Meal!

MacMacConnell म्हणाले...

Fuck cake! I bring in slabs of BBQ ribs.