Again, I don’t agree with anyone in this thread who claims this man was offensive. Absolutely silly, and what I think has happened is people are reacting to his statements because of their own insecurities (or want to play hero), and not because they feel the OP was offended.
TrantorX, I agree with you 100% regarding the difference between americans and Europeans. I’m american, but I’ve spent time in Europe and the difference is very clear. I admire the way many Europeans can speak hoenstly, and don’t worry so much about being PC, or saying “the right thing”. This even shows in their sense of humor, which in some countries, can be very sarcastic (which I like). I want to hear the truth, and facts, not a bunch of fluff which does nothing but waste time and slow down the process of finding important solutions to problems. People here are always talking about what they want, what they need, and how they feel. Very insecure, extremely sensitive, and very self-centered, probably because they have such a warped perspective on the world. Certainly not everyone (and if you’re not, you shouldn’t be bothered by what I just said) is like this, but the % is much higher here than in other countries I’ve been to.
You shouldn’t be too surprised though, because this is a country that worships people like Oprah Winfrey, who IMO is a stone cold idiot who I wouldn’t walk into the next room to meet, and has made hundreds of millions of dollars by making excuses for people’s (and her own) stupid behavior. For example, this a person who is a colossal failure at losing weight and being healthy. Yet, for many, many years she has continued to act as an expert on this subject, and people follow her words (and spend a lot of money where she tells them to) like a messiah. Why? Because she makes excuses for them, and people gladly pay her millions because so they don’t have to ever face the cold hard facts.
The things you’ve said about truth/facts/americans are illustrated perfectly by this subject alone.
There’s only one bit of advice that anyone needs who is overweight…Eat normal amounts of healthy food (fruits/vegetables) and get some daily exercise. Consume less calories in a day than your body burns off. The reason you should do this is so you will have a healthy body. Nno other reasons necessary, or nearly as important.
That’s it. You follow this simple advice and you will lose weight and be healthy.
Unfortunately, that advice isn’t what many americans want to hear. They want to blame everyone and everything but themselves, comlicate the issue to the point where it allows them to fail and not feel it was their own fault, and ignore the fact that they make the physical motion of putting food in their hands and shoveling it into their face more often in a day than they should. That’s why the diet industry has made billions over the years. Proves your points 100%. The diet industry, along with people like Oprah, allow those with weight problems to live in denial and do everything BUT what’s necessary. Despite all this, today this country is fatter than ever. The end result has been massive failure, but don’t try to tell people the cold hard facts, because all you’ll get is denial, excuses, and a lot of hysterics. They want you to carefully choose your words, and be PC.
In France, where the food is very rich, you still don’t see many heavy people. They know the facts about food/exercise/, accept them, and stay slim and healthy. I was in a city in Eastern Europe recently where it was almost impossible to find a heavy person. This is a thriving city of 2 milion, where people live just as well as those in any major american city. The people there simply have decided to face facts, and control their eating habits. They exercise. If they can do it, so can americans. No excuses. They also are people who speak very honestly and directly. Their humor is very sarcastic, and you know what?..I loved it.
I’ll give you an example. I walked up to the ticket counter at an airport in Eastern Europe and said to the woman there, “I have a 2pm flight to Vienna and…”. She interrupted with, “Good for you.” Now I found her remark funny because it was so unexpected (which was her intention), and I smiled and almost laughed out loud. She tried to hold back a smile but one crept through just slightly when she saw my reaction. Many americans find people form this part of the world to be cold and rude when in fact they are very warm, friendly, and VERY funny. It’s just that they don’t bother with fluff and politically correctness. I met a stunningly beautiful woman (puts Victoria Secret supermodels to shame) who was so different than women I’m used to because she was so strong and confident. She and I actually had fun making little insults towards each other, but she was such a strong person that anything I said was just like water off a duck’s back. She and other people there like strong people. Not extremely sensitive people who get upset over the littlest things.
So yes, there is a big difference between americans and Europeans, and unfortunately that’s what you’ve had to endure in this thread. 
I would try and ignore the criticsm you’ve received in this thread and go on and enjoy the forum. I’ve been reading this forum a lot over the past month, and these people seem nice and want to be helpful. In this case, I think they’ve just overreacted and made something out of absolutely nothing at all.
(do you hear me SteveO Jasmin and Michael) we can add cops but not get a Isex 2x Hmmmph Ok sorry for the little rant LOL
yes I know its alot LOL