Shakespeare’s Thoughts on Obese, Overweight Men

Quote “Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’nights; Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much, such men are dangerous.” Unquote

Caesar, an excerpt from “Julius Caesar”

William Shakespeare 1564-1616

You are surely aware of the final outcome of that story as relates to “sleek-headed men, with lean and hungry looks”? If not click here to find out! William apparently liked obese and overweight people?

I dont possess any documented evidence that sleek-headed men, with lean and hungry looks, are any more dangerous than overweight or obese men? However back in William Shakespeare’s day, he must have accumulated some experience to that fact, to have mentioned such in his famous works; “Julius Caesar”.

What do you think about William’s quote when applied to the 21st Century?

My feelings are that Caesar would feel comfortable in one of the developed countries in the year 2008! Why? Because he would largely (pun not intended) be surrounded by overweight men, who could never be considered as possessing a “lean and hungry look”! In fact a man or woman possessing a lean and hungry look in today’s world is rapidly becoming a minority “crowd”. And the way the first world countries are heading with their over eating and under exercising.……not looking good!

Last night I visited our local shopping mall for a spot of late night shopping. The time was about 6 PM. I sat down in my favourite coffee lounge to enjoy a flat white…with skim milk of course! The multitudes surged past. After several minutes I found myself mentally counting the number of mildly overweight, to grossly overweight shoppers trundling past with shopping trolleys laden with all kinds of unhealthy looking junk food! Sadly, they massively out-numbered the “lean and hungry looking people”!

Most trolley trundlers had their offspring hanging from their trolleys. I also noted that well over the average number of passing children also looked extremely well (over?) fed…or is that well padded! The parents were well provided for with excess fat in all directions. Tragically, their children were also equally dripping with “fat”!

I examined the coffee sippers surrounding my table and again I was amazed at the high percentage of overweight men, women and children in such a small area! The alarming thing was that most were tucking into big creamy coffees, to wash down very tasty, sugary, mouth watering, tempting cakes; invariably accompanied with a large dob of cream on the side! I thought I must look as if I could not afford to enjoy such taste delights. I was one of the few customers not gobbling down large masses of carbohydrates, sugars, fats, additives, and well; you know…all those yummy things that turn skinny people into big, fat and eventually “obese” humans.

Now, the point I am trying to make is that this was at 6 PM! All these overweight parents and children were busily woofing down some “deadly” looking food at a time when, surely, these people should have been at home serving their little “chubby ones” some of the essential “five vegies with fish”. Not sitting in a cafe assisting their kids into early heart attacks, strokes, sugar diabetes two, any variety of cancers and for many; into the modern epidemic of “childhood obesity”!

The message I would offer to these apparently unthinking adults is this. Think about the health and well being of your children. Cook and serve the little blighters a healthy and nutricious evening meal. You are responsible for the health of your offspring…no-one else. Substituting possibly your child’s most important and maybe their only proper meal for the day with take away or eat in junk food is hardly being a responsible person. Well, certainly not at 6 PM on a Thursday night!