Diabetes – Ambushed In America
My Fellow Americans,
Would you believe we have been Ambushed? How so? By our food industry. Period. When I say food industry I’m talking about producers and sellers. For example, why do we now have the choice of whole grain cereal at the grocery store in the 2000′s when food companies like General Mills for example, could have been making whole grain cereals 40 years ago? The 1960′s was the beginning of the “healthy living” revolution in America, especially on the west coast. There was the free speech demonstrations/riots at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State, and thousands of self annointed hippies
staging “love ins” and “be ins” in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The spectacular forests and meadows of Northern California was the home of many communes of free living people. Young soldiers were being sacrificed in the Viet Nam war. I was at the Senator John Kennedy’s campaign speech at UC Berkeley’s Greek Theater when he said those famous words “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. The 1960′s spawned the Peace Corp. The 60′s was a time of a fundamental change of attitude and trust of many Americans toward our government and our corporations. I’ll give you the example of the Black Panthers headquartered in Oakland, CA. Like their counterparts throughout the country, they were protesting the “status quo”. With all of this awareness happening and our new found enlightenment, we were being Ambushed!
Think about it. With all of the medical breakthroughs and discoveries during the past 40 years, why is obesity the number one health problem in the whole country? Why are our two year olds developing Type 2 Diabetes? Because during the mid 1950′s and 60′s we were being Ambushed by the fast food army. Two of the generals in this army were the Colonel and Ronald MacDonald. They slipped into our lives and changed the eating habits of a entire nation. The Ambush was not typical. It probably one of the slowest Ambushes in history. Ray Croc, the founder of MacDonalds, opened his first burger outlet in the early 1950′s after the Korean War. America was on the rebound after two wars. Real estate was being developed cookie cutter style, design one box house and sell it over and over. The beginning of tract homes. The future was wide open and for the taking. There were many great sci-fi movies produced during this time. Two of my favorites were “War of the Worlds” starring the great Gene Barry and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” starring the magnificent Micheal Rennie and his sidekick, Mort the Robot. In 1957 Russia put a satellite into outer space. America was Shocked. The new president, John F. Kennedy promised the country that we would have a man on the moon within the next 10 years. We did. First man walked on the moon in 1969, the same year my first daughter was born. So, let me tell you how we’ve Ambushed.
In the early 1960′s there was a transition in the Hollywood cartoon industry. Remember “Popeye” and “Bugs Bunny”? Please don’t forget “Donald Duck” and “Pluto”. I was here when TV’s first went on sale. My love affair with TV and movies has been a lifetime. In the 1950′s when there was only 3 national TV stations, they went off at midnight and you would see a bulls-eye sign-off on the screen. I was 7 years old and highly disappointed when the programming stopped. I would wait to my parents went to sleep and sneak back into the living room to watch TV. One late Saturday night I viewed the original “Godzilla” the wonderful Japanese destruction film. My father was a preacher and out of town that weekend. About 5:00 AM that Sunday morning a gigantic beak broke through my bedroom window. Godzilla had flown to Oakland, CA and was trying to EAT me! My screams brought my mother to my bedroom and she clutched my face against her breasts. It took me 40 minutes to finally calm down. The Ambush is coming.
I will often refer to TV programs because it or not, they actually chronicle and sometimes predict real life. Can you recall the cartoon series “The Jetsons”. This series of cartoons portrayed a middle class family of the future. Everything was a their fingertips with the touch of a button. This cartoon was a reflection of America’s power and lust for modern things. Thus, the Ambush! When MacDonalds started showing up in minority neighborhoods we thought that Martin Luther King’s vision for Black People and all People in America might be happening. After President John Kennedy came President Lyndon B. Johnson, one of the most Honourable Presidents to serve the country since Uncle Abe. President Johnson also had a dream about a single America not being divided by race, wealth and contacts. His “Great Society” programs were magnificent and some of the finest legislation from our Executive Branch since Mr. Roosevelt. The Ambush is coming.
As I mentioned before, after WWII and the Korean War, America was giddy with gusto and energy. Let’s do it was the motto. A very subtle changed during the great changes of the 1960′s. Women came out. I’m talking about sexually, professionally and capable of thriving in any working environment. It was OK to have children and send them to day care. The country had changed! It s okfor women to work. I remember my wife and I both marveled fact that after a long days work, we didn’t have to worry about cooking on many days. At 6:30 in the evening we just went to Kentucky Fried and let Colonel take care of us. We new that we are part of the new wave of young progressives. When they started putting MacDonalds franchises in minority neighborhoods we said thank God! Somebody likes us. MacDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried, Wendys and so many more franchises showing up in minority neighborhoods we thought Oh Lord, our time has come. Business to where WE live. Thus, the Ambush began. Withboth parents working our butts off to achieve the American dream, we thank God for the Golden Arches where we could take our children to not only be be fed cheaply but also entertained. Wow! One stop shopping! The 1960′s was a time of change and a new awareness about life in general. Food corporations were far ahead of us in planning strategy and still are.
I quote from Marion Nestle, world renowned Professor of Nutrition and activist,”Food companies will make and market any product thar sells, regardless of its nutritional value or its effect on health. In this regard, food companies hardly differ from cigarette companies. They lobby Congress to eliminate regulations percieved as unfavorable; they press federal regulatory agencies not to enforce such regulations: and when they don’t like regulatory decisions, they file lawsuits” Understand, food companies demand the right to sell you crap! Your government not only condones this attitude toward feeding Americans garbage, the government is an ally with the food machine in this country that is screwing millions of people.
I am not anti-business. The free enterprise system has worked since the beginning of history. For example, Black Slavery. This enterprise was not limited to Mr. Jefferson or Mr. Washington, it was worldwide among white populations. Little countries like Denmark and Portugal became big international stars by kidnapping and selling African families. Slavery built the economy of the United States and our country has been the dominant economy in the entire world. The entire purpose of business is to achieve a PROFIT. That’s the absolute bottom line. Our government regulates the food industry like your family would condone your cousin that likes to break into houses and also sells drugs. We know he’s bad but he’s family. The food industry is the black sheep in the United States that is allowed to sleep in the Big White House and whose cousins are the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of our government. Thus the Diabetes epidemic was not only able to begin, today as I write it has been allowed to continue. Why are 2 year olds becoming Type 2 Diabetics? When the child first started speaking, were her words “mama I want to be a Diabetic when I grow up”? Did the mother talk to her husband in bed that night and say ” I sure hope that our little girl becomes Diabetic, maybe she’ll DIE before she’s 40. MacDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell and all the rest are not evil franchises. Good people from all walks of life own them and believe in them. These people are in business to make a profit, not to improve your health. If their products are making thousands of people obese and subject to Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke its not a problem. They just wait until the next generation of customers to born that night. Most children by the age of 2 recognize the MacDonald logo, the golden arches. Most children will recognize the Wendy’s big head. These same children will grow to adulthood without knowing how to read a food lable. This is by design. There is NO education to young children about healthy foods. There is unlimited education on TV and now online about food products that are absolutely not good for our children. The child buys into this hype. The parents buy into the ads. Hence, the Great American Ambush, Diabetes.
My first daughter was born in 1969. Her mother an I were both career people and worked 40 to 60 hours a week. Remember the cartoon “The Jetsons”. This futuristic family had everything at their fingertips, including meals. When MacDonalds hit our neighborhoods in the 1960′s we thought how wonderful. Almost like the Jetsons, we could drive up to this little box and order a happy meal for each child and each meal came with a toy! Absolutely brilliant marketing. Thus the 40 year Ambush was unleashed. The majority of Americans are blissfully unaware of the significance “processed foods”. When you pick a packet of sausage if you read the lable you might see ” 5% celloulose filler as allowed by th USDA”. This means each sausage is 5% sawdust and 95% of who knows what. Hidden ingredients and disguised names of substances in foods are the norm. Sugar is one of the main ingredient in thousands of food products. They food industry is aware that the public is becoming more educated about reading labels. Sugar is now listed as “dehydrated cane juice”. Now that’s a hoot. There are about 20 separate names being used to disguise sugar. The consumption of sugar is probably the main precursor to becoming Diabetic. The number of children and adults becoming Diabetes in the United States is at a all time high and still growing. The Diabetes Ambush is still happening today.
FoodSpook
The African American Diabetic
Introduction
Compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes:
- 3.7 million, or 14.7% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
- African Americans are 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites.
- Twenty-five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes.
- One in four African American women over 55 years of age has diabetes.
African Americans and Diabetes Facts
Learn more about how African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes.
Pre-diabetes
What is it? There are 57 million people in the US who have pre-diabetes.
Diabetes Risk Test
More than 23.6 million children and adults in the US have diabetes — one in three have not been diagnosed. Take our diabetes risk test to see if you are at risk for developing diabetes.
Make the Link
Learn about the link between diabetes and heart disease, and watch our Link for Life animation, starring Type 2 Lou.
African American Initiatives
Learn about the American Diabetes Association’s outreach efforts in the African American community.
Diabetes Complications
Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious, sometimes life-threatening complications and certain populations experience an even greater threat. Good diabetes management can help reduce your risk. However many people are not even aware that they have diabetes until they develop one of its complications.
Blindness: African Americans are almost 50% as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as non-Hispanic whites.
Kidney Disease: African Americans are 2.6 to 5.6 times as likely to suffer from kidney disease with more than 4,000 new cases of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) each year.
Amputations: African Americans are 2.7 times as likely to suffer from lower-limb amputations. Amputation rates are 1.4 to 2.7 times higher in men than women with diabetes.
Heart Disease and Stroke: Heart disease and stroke account for about 65% of deaths in people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher and the risk of death from stroke is 2.8 times higher among people with diabetes.
Men and Heart Disease: Deaths from heart disease in men with diabetes have decreased by only 13 percent compared to a 36 percent decrease in men without diabetes.
Women and Heart Disease: In women with diabetes, deaths from heart disease have increased 23 percent over the past 30 years compared to a 27 percent decrease in women without diabetes.
Nerve Damage: Diabetic neuropathy is a serious complication of diabetes that affects millions of people every day. Nerves damaged by diabetic neuropathy can cause stinging or burning sensations, tingling, pain, numbness or weakness in the hands and feet. Diabetic neuropathy puts you at risk for foot injury, infection, even amputation.
For more information on diabetes and other complications, visit Diabetes Statistics on diabetes.org.
Source: American Diabetes Association
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