Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Intractable Social Problems Defined Out Of Existence


This op-ed article terms it "the low truth diet" (title bar).

"News flash, and just in time for Thanksgiving: Hunger has been eradicated in America.

"Well, not really. But the authors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual report on Americans' access to food have concluded that 'hungry' is no longer an acceptable way to describe the condition in which millions of Americans find themselves. "

Instead, the USDA refers to these things now by the alternative "low food security."

"USDA sociologist Mark Nord said that hungry 'is not a scientifically accurate term for the specific phenomenon being measured in the food-security survey.' In fact, he said, 'We don't have a measure of that condition.'

"Some on the USDA panel took a stab anyway, saying, for example, that prolonged and involuntary lack of food produces pain and discomfort 'that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation.'

"So 'hungry' is out and 'very low food security' is in. The USDA does acknowledge that 35 million Americans do, in fact, have a problem putting food on their tables, at least part of the year, but henceforth they'll be categorized as suffering either 'food insecurity without hunger,' meaning that they do eat, only sometimes not so well, or 'food insecurity with hunger,' meaning families who experience 'multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.'

Just as long as nobody's going hungry in the world's wealthiest nation--not unless they want to.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

DP, I heard about this change a day ago, sounds like the Queen has been talking with Alice again.
"Let them eat dividends!" is profound. :)

11:08 AM  
Blogger Demon Princess said...

Haha! Trenchant observation, as usual, Pat!

Thanks, & Happy Turkey Day.

9:52 PM  

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