Why We’re Fat: The Long View

Geezer has always found that there is much to recommend the long view, largely because the long view can be counted on to present evidence that, whatever it is, it’s not Geezer’s fault. Take, for example, the thesis of Harvard anthropology professor Daniel Lieberman, who argues that the Great Fattening of human beings started 10,000 years ago with the abandonment of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. For the record, Geezer has no clear recollection of voting either for or against the rise of agriculture, which according to Lieberman, has led to a series of unhealthy practices, such as the protection of people who physically might not survive in a
hunter-gatherer society, and the rise of conditions and ailments such
as myopia and diabetes.The Harvard University Gazette reports on Lieberman’s theory of “dysevolution,” which holds that “humanity’s gas guzzling strategies, which enabled them to survive on
the African savannah and expand around the world, aren’t always helpful
in an era with ready fast food, sugar-rich snacks, and steadily
decreasing demand for physical exertion.” Lieberman suggests that the correct response to our unfortunate dependence on agriculture is to “encourage our inner hunter-gatherer by requiring more
physical activity of our kids in schools, raising gasoline taxes to
discourage driving, outlawing fast food, and restricting access to
elevators, escalators, and moving sidewalks to force us to walk more.”  All fine with Geezer, as long as it’s not his fault.

Read more in the Harvard University Gazette.