Tipping Point

--There is no small. Small's medium.
--What's medium?
--Medium is large and large is jumbo
--Seinfeld (1993)

Short 8 oz. The smallest size Starbucks offers,
but you'll only get this size
if you ask for it by name;
anyone asking for a "small" will get a 12 oz. Tall,
which is the smallest size for which the prices
are actually on the menu
--Starbucks Drinks Simplified

And with our all-access hoverchairs,
even grandma can join the fun!
There's no need to walk!
--WALL-E (2008)
____________________

It is the new American designator: People of size.

Seinfeld had a program on frustration with obtuse labeling; it foretold of the shape of things to come. Character Kramer was incensed that he could not purchase the size he wanted at Starbucks (one of the earliest t.v. examples of regular product branding -- "They're delicious!"). He refused to call the large a VENTI; he would be incensed at the latest size, the TRENTA -- 31 oz. of sugar concoction.

I read today that AirTran will charge "passengers of size" for two seats starting 3 March 2012. "If you cannot fit in the seat with the armrest down, you will need to pay double the money. This additional charge for 'customers of size' was due primarily by the acquisition of AirTran by Southwest Airlines" (Too fat to fly?)

Vassarette has a lingerie ad mentioning their line for customers "of extended size". At least the adjective "extended" gives a little more to go on; what we are talking about is big. Very big, in fact, one-third of Americans are obese, and best case projections see Americans topping out the obesity charts at 40% within the next 20-40 years.

Stores like Sam's Club and Costco offer Medium size clothing as the smallest, up to Quadruple X (4XXXX). The medium sure looks like the large of yore. Most of the clothes are floppy and unstructured. Looking in another store for some Medium workout shorts of a style purchased in the past, I was told to buy "Small", as small is the new Medium. Somehow, Lisa didn't feel any better.

If you're looking for something that looks like a conspiracy theory, it's not a far stretch to link the corn (which is a grain), wheat and sugar subsidies with the carbohydrate-heavy Food Pyramid, which then links to obesity and insulin resistance, leading to a very healthy business for Diabetic drug companies and the bloated health care behemoth in general.

As Ranger observes, there is no adult equivalent to the Well Baby check ups which come early in life. There is no money in being well (at least not for the world of doctoring.) It would be akin to making car parts that did not wear out every 80 miles. Bodily illness is the new planned obsolescence.

Once you're an adolescent, you're cut loose to the world of vending machines, soda and every other destructive thing. The insidious nature of the thing doesn't generally manifest in the better metabolism of the youth, but combine that high glycemic index diet with the relatively inert lifestyles most of us live and you have a recipe for disaster.

The above advertisement was for our local Winn Dixie Grocery store's "Make a Meal" page, aimed at working families needing to get a quick meal on the table ("Great deals on your family's favorites!"). The offer consisted of buying two pizzas and getting free soda, a cake, fried mozzarella sticks and pizza rolls. A meal, you see? I haven't seen the calorie charts but would be willing to bet that if you consumed a portion of each of the offerings you would exceed your average daily caloric allotment in that one meal

Of course, in addition to total calories, the sort matters. A 12-oz serving of that soda would include 12 teaspoons of sugar -- 1/4 cup! Can you imagine swallowing 12 lumps of sugar? In the diabetes ads, we see an obese man saying how glad he is that a certain drug allows him to continue his lifestyle. What we should be saying is, there is something wrong with the current lifestyle.

But, how does all this relate to RangerAgainstWar? Well, if you want to prevent a viable uprising of the people, make sure the pitchfork-wielders are roly-poly -- easier to tip that way.