Jello Biafra wrote “California Uber Alles” in 1979. The key line in the track I would like to point out is as follows:
You will jog for the master race, And always wear the happy face.
He was close, but gets no cigar (He wouldn’t want it anyway, since cigars, at least the good ones, are made by hand, in “sweatshops” that are run by “corporations”).
You see, Japan is where state mandated exercise is the happening thing
Japanese waistlines are bulging, triggering compulsory flab checks in the land of sumo.
A rising rate of corpulence has so alarmed the government that starting next month everyone over age 40 will have to be tested for metabolic syndrome, an obesity-linked condition that increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
The new exam is part of a government effort to curb spiraling medical costs. Health-care spending rose 23 percent to 33.1 trillion yen ($320 billion) in the decade ended in 2005, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. It’s projected to double by 2020 and represent 11.5 percent of gross domestic product.
85 Centimeters
Reduced exercise, the adoption of western foods and an aging population have made Japanese men about 10 percent heavier than they were 30 years ago, ministry statistics show. Women are 6.4 percent fatter.
The ministry estimates that half of men over age 40 and 20 percent of women will be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. For men, a key yardstick is whether they have a waistline wider than 85 centimeters (33.5 inches). Body mass, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and smoking will also be taken into account.
Companies will be required to cut the number of overweight workers and dependents by 10 percent as of 2012 and 25 percent by 2015. Failing to do so will result in a surcharge of as much as 10 percent on contributions to a fund for elderly care. Insurance groups paid 6.4 trillion yen into the fund in 2004.
Again, 85 Centimeters is just over 33 1/2 inches.
You, Mr. 36-Inch Waistline, are a tubby fuck in Japan.
And do please notice what is driving this taxation: Socialized Medicine.
Please do remind all your pro-government funded healthcare loving friends that this IS actually happening while they’re alive and breathing. Refer them here if they don’t believe you.
And, because I, having a 42in waistline, would be absolutely huge in Japan (never mind the 36in inseam), I give you Alphavile
And because I mentioned it at the top of the post