Paul Krugman Tries to Make a Point about Obesity

Girth of a Nation

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was on a few nights ago. In that movie none of the actors, even the extras, are obese, in fact, by today's standards they would be considered skinny. In his opinion piece Krugman mentions how Americans started getting obese in 1980 but he does not posit why because he rambles on to health care costs.

I suppose the answer is complicated and involves the spread of cable TV through suburbia, regional planning, the convenient packaging of food, and marketing by the big food and drink companies.