Topic: UCONN fans being very disrespectful about Marshall and WV as a state..

[wasbarryb]

It's the culture... The mindset.

When i go back to where I'm originally from which is about 10-15 minutes south of Charleston, I feel like I need to eat a whole bottle of Prozac. It's depressing, man. Nasty run down crap hole houses and trailers covered in mold and filth and trash and broken plastic wal mart toys piled up everywhere. These were once nice houses when I was growing up, then the people I grew up with inherited them and they're too lazy and worthless to have any pride. If they put half as much effort into taking pride in themselves as they do scoring their next drug, they'd accomplish something.

Before everybody starts thinking I'm trying to sound like an elitist or whatnot, trust me, I'm not. My grandpa lived in a 1962 model trailer till the day he died. He had a saying "You can't help it if you're poor, but you can help it if you're dirty. Soap and elbow grease are cheap."

It's not our parent's generation's fault. It's our worthless, lazy generation's.

While I think you're exaggerating the problem, there is some truth to what you're saying.

I think a large part of the problem is the lack of opportunity in this state. Those with good educations or ambition are forced to leave the state leaving behind the uneducated and lazy who don't have the drive to leave. With the top half of the population gone disproportionate deterioration is allowed to occur.

[carolinaherdfan]

What was it? Six years ago or so FIU had little respect for The Marshall University....We Are going to give it the ole college try!

[FlyHawk98]

While I think you're exaggerating the problem, there is some truth to what you're saying.

I think a large part of the problem is the lack of opportunity in this state. Those with good educations or ambition are forced to leave the state leaving behind the uneducated and lazy who don't have the drive to leave. With the top half of the population gone disproportionate deterioration is allowed to occur.

This is also very true.

[HerdBlizz]

My wife is not from around here, something she asked me..... "Why do all these guys walk around in blue jeans with their shirts off?" It was until that moment (a few summers back) that I realized, you don't see that in other places.

Go to wal mart here and your lucky if some people are wearing clean pajamas. Now I look and notice in other places and most people have a shower and know how to use it.

I always heard how obese our area was, but I never truly paid attention. Next time you go somewhere else, look and notice how fit most other places are. If not fit, they at least look like they can fit through a normal size door.

I love West Virginia and would not want to live anywhere else, but the truth is the truth.

A lot of truth here.  Hate to admit it.  The reason there is a obese problem here in WV is due to it being where it is.  Think about it.  What do people here in WV have to do. Their big thing is to go out to eat and then a movie. That's it.   Maybe throw in the great sport of bowling from time to time. People sit around and eat because that is what there is to do 6 months of the year

[Thundering In MD]

I guess with UCONN's strong football tradition, they have a right to....OH WAIT!!!

[HaveUherd]

Can't say I blame them for saying it. Connecticut has some of the richest areas in the whole country. I wouldn't waste my time going around trying to find out any comments they are making. I just don't get the feeling many people care about this game other than maybe people that play those bowl pools. This is just another watered down bowl game that will quickly be forgotten by 99% about 5 minutes after it's over with.

[BHFIOHIO]

I get the feeling most serious Herd fans care anytime the team takes the field. On here tho there seems to be a lot of guys that think we should play an impossible schedule. Next yr with Pitt and UL plus two CUSA eat teams we have trouble with and at USM (saw that today on CUSAbbs) there are still those hollering for another away P5 team. Then they turn around and act like they put the AC bowl at the top their priorities. That is dumb with a capital D. We aint all that I promise you. Those are prob the same guys not excited about our bowl game. Its not an automatic win by any stretch. Spot the ball.

[carolinaherdfan]

The diet situation ranking came out yesterday. WV was # 41. Connecticut people need to stop moving to South Carolina and all other southern states if they are so concerned about dietary habits.

They are insulting MU and West Virginia because they think they are better then West Virginia. Yet, I didn't read too much of this when they knew they might get an ass kicking in Morgantown, or perhaps a Clemson, or an Alabama, or a Mississippi etc..Oh, and btw, these states ranked below West Virginia in obesity and daily diets...

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

A lot of truth here.  Hate to admit it.  The reason there is a obese problem here in WV is due to it being where it is.  Think about it.  What do people here in WV have to do. Their big thing is to go out to eat and then a movie. That's it.   Maybe throw in the great sport of bowling from time to time. People sit around and eat because that is what there is to do 6 months of the year

I agree there is not a lot of things to do here, but that can't be used as an excuse. There are gyms everywhere around here. Now even a lot of the more rural areas have some kind of snap fitness or absolute fitness or one of those $10/month type gyms. I've done crossfit for 6 years now and I also go trail run in parks or hit up the mountain bike trails on nice days. Lack of activity options is not an excuse when you can make something to do. Maybe they should go out and clean up all of the trash around their trailers or mow the 2 foot tall weeds in their yard. That's an activity that may decrease obesity.

Exercise, or lack thereof, is not the only reason for this epidemic. I challenge you to take a look at what's in people's shopping carts the next time you go to Kroger or Wal Mart etc. you won't find fresh fruits & veggies, lean meats, eggs, nuts, etc. You'll find 2 or 3 of those big 24 packs of Mountain Dew, Oreos, frozen pizzas, bologna, white bread, chips, candy, etc. When I'm out of state and go to a supermarket, I may see one or two carts like that, not 95% of the ones in the store. Then you get up to the register and get behind them in the checkout line and they're using an EBT card to pay. Check out fast food drive throughs. 9 times out of 10, its a severely obese person sitting in the car when you drive by. It's sickening. Not only do your tax dollars pay for it every time they go to the ER for the least little sniffle, your tax dollars are also paying for the garbage food that's causing their health problems.
My wife is a pharmacist and used to work at rite aid. She said at Easter time, people would pay for those pre-made Easter baskets at her pharmacy counter when theyd pick up their scripts. You know, the big baskets that are full of candy and toys and cost $50-$75 a pop? Well, in the "great" state of WV, those are considered "food" and you can buy them with an EBT card. There should be a list of what you can and cannot buy with those things. Easter baskets and Mountain Dew are not a necessity that my tax dollars should buy for someone.

It's not a lack of things to do as you stated... Just like the dirty trailers and general filthiness that I mentioned before, the obesity problem goes hand in hand with them. It's a lack of pride and its embarrassing.

[FlyHawk98]

I agree. Ticks me off when my tax money is going to buy all this unhealthy "food."

I have called our state legislators multiple times asking them to reform the SNAP program. No way should they be allowed to buy pop and tater chips with SNAP. If you want those items then get a job and pay for them yourself.

Also like you said....we then have to turn around and pay for all the health problems that stem from all the unhealthy food we have to buy them.

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

Before anybody who knew me 7 years ago chimes in about how I'm a TURRIBLE person for saying all of that because I used to be fat, you are correct about me once being large, but i promise I'm not turrible. There was about a 4-5 year time period after college when I didn't care and swelled up. But then I came to my senses and decided not to be part of the statistic. With diet and exercise, I dropped 60+ lbs in less than a year. I've put a few lbs back on but not of my own fault. I had to have my thyroid taken out a about a year ago and that is an organ which plays a huge role in metabolism, so even though I still eat right and exercise 5-6 days a week, I'm having trouble dropping poundage.

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

This article says a lot about why there is no health food stores here..

http://www.wboy.com/story/25531564/income-education-levels-preventing-major-organic-food-stores-from-coming-to-the-mountain-state

Income, education levels preventing major organic food stores from coming to the Mountain State

Posted: May 15, 2014 8:23 PM EDT
Updated: May 29, 2014 11:21 PM EDT
There are grocery stores dedicated to eating fresh, healthy and organic foods. Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, they're popping up across the nation as the 'it' place to shop, but not in West Virginia.

In fact, if you live in West Virginia and want to go to one of these stores it's quite a drive. The closest Trader Joe's to the capital city is 136 miles away. Whole Foods is even farther, clocking in at a good 232 miles.

It’s a drive Amie Breedlove knows all too well. Once a month she and her husband load up their car and drive hours to shop at Whole Foods.  

“There are certain things I can't get here and there is more variety. To know that I don't have to search around the store to find unprocessed food and it's local as well,” said Breedlove.

Both stores say, at this time, there are no plans of opening up shop in West Virginia.

In a statement to 13 News, Whole Foods said, “Store site decisions are based on a combination of various factors, including the availability and cost of real estate, population density, and interest in natural and organic foods. No one factor is most important.”

[FlyHawk98]

Would love to get one of those stores in the Huntington area.

[Ovaltine Jenkins]

This is where the business and political community needs to be aggressive.  As one who has multiple options of both stores available, I can see where a case can be made, particularly for Trader Joes to open in both Huntington and Morgantown.  But it's up to the leaders of both cities and the business and university communities to sell it. 

[exanimate]

There are healthy alternatives with really good food in the area.

Just like BOH, I took an interest in fitness and my health. That lead to me owning a restaurant that focuses on healthier choices. Real food sourced from local farmers. Many are starting to get it. We still get people that come in and hear the word healthy and assume that it tastes bad. They are usually obese then they head next door to eat pasta. We are doing our best to help educate the community. We hold free nutrition seminars, we sponsor fitness related events, etc... We get a lot of people from out of state and we always here about how places like ours is the norm where they are from, yet here we are an anomaly. 

[Greg H]

It's just not that hard.  The food that most of us (slightly) older people grew up eating was quite healthful.  We usually had a protein, a vegetable and a couple of starches at each meal.  All of that crap is available at SAVE A LOT for God's sake, not to mention every other damned grocer in the state. 

People don't work themselves to death anymore, most of us anyway, so it's just a matter of eating the same stuff, but a little less.

The real problem is that, since about 1964, the advent of the welfare state and the destruction of heavy industry in the U.S., people have gotten lazy as hell.  The welfare leeches, which are a HUGE portion of the WV population, are the laziest of all (I include a major percentage of Social Security Disability people in that crowd, by the way).  These people lack the initiative to even cook a decent meal.  So what do they do?  The buy junk on their EBT or they use their damned welfare check to eat at McDonalds twice a day.  For most of them, drawing breath is the hardest work they do (especially after half a flight of stairs), so they don't burn off any of those calories, and viola, they are fat.  They are also too damned lazy to care for themselves, so their teeth fall out.  Half of them are on drugs, which doesn't help.

It's really as easy as this: end all welfare transfer payments made by any level of government.  These "Wall-E Types," as I like to call them will have to get up off their fat (@/:; and do something.  Initiative begets initiative.  Before you know it, the 300 pound welfare queen is a "svelte" 200.  All is well.

I hate to say it, but the stereotypes of West Virginians are absolutely based in reality.  Sure, it's Idiocracy in every state, but WV leads the pack.  I've traveled most of the US and a good portion of the world and have seen it with my own eyes.  And it will NEVER end, until the governments stop subsidizing these sorry (@/:; with my tax money and yours.

[svherd]

I agree there is not a lot of things to do here, but that can't be used as an excuse. There are gyms everywhere around here. Now even a lot of the more rural areas have some kind of snap fitness or absolute fitness or one of those $10/month type gyms. I've done crossfit for 6 years now and I also go trail run in parks or hit up the mountain bike trails on nice days. Lack of activity options is not an excuse when you can make something to do. Maybe they should go out and clean up all of the trash around their trailers or mow the 2 foot tall weeds in their yard. That's an activity that may decrease obesity.

Exercise, or lack thereof, is not the only reason for this epidemic. I challenge you to take a look at what's in people's shopping carts the next time you go to Kroger or Wal Mart etc. you won't find fresh fruits & veggies, lean meats, eggs, nuts, etc. You'll find 2 or 3 of those big 24 packs of Mountain Dew, Oreos, frozen pizzas, bologna, white bread, chips, candy, etc. When I'm out of state and go to a supermarket, I may see one or two carts like that, not 95% of the ones in the store. Then you get up to the register and get behind them in the checkout line and they're using an EBT card to pay. Check out fast food drive throughs. 9 times out of 10, its a severely obese person sitting in the car when you drive by. It's sickening. Not only do your tax dollars pay for it every time they go to the ER for the least little sniffle, your tax dollars are also paying for the garbage food that's causing their health problems.
My wife is a pharmacist and used to work at rite aid. She said at Easter time, people would pay for those pre-made Easter baskets at her pharmacy counter when theyd pick up their scripts. You know, the big baskets that are full of candy and toys and cost $50-$75 a pop? Well, in the "great" state of WV, those are considered "food" and you can buy them with an EBT card. There should be a list of what you can and cannot buy with those things. Easter baskets and Mountain Dew are not a necessity that my tax dollars should buy for someone.

It's not a lack of things to do as you stated... Just like the dirty trailers and general filthiness that I mentioned before, the obesity problem goes hand in hand with them. It's a lack of pride and its embarrassing.

What really gets me about this area is smoking. I travel a lot and many cities I go to you rarely see people smoking or smell the nasty smell of a cigarette. Then I get home, I get behind someone smoking, then driving behind someone smoking, see cig butts all over the ground. Its nasty and stinks. I told my wife, if she ever wants a divorce, start smoking. And they wonder why our healthcare costs are so high.

[FlyHawk98]

There are healthy alternatives with really good food in the area.

Just like BOH, I took an interest in fitness and my health. That lead to me owning a restaurant that focuses on healthier choices. Real food sourced from local farmers. Many are starting to get it. We still get people that come in and hear the word healthy and assume that it tastes bad. They are usually obese then they head next door to eat pasta. We are doing our best to help educate the community. We hold free nutrition seminars, we sponsor fitness related events, etc... We get a lot of people from out of state and we always here about how places like ours is the norm where they are from, yet here we are an anomaly. 

What's name of your restaurant? I would like to come check it out.

[svherd]

Nutritionists will tell you not to eat anything that wasn't eaten 100 years ago. That and moderation.

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

Nutritionists will tell you not to eat anything that wasn't eaten 100 years ago. That and moderation.

That's how I eat. Shop the outside perimeter of the stores. Avoid the aisles.  I buy all of my eggs from local farmers, local grass fed beef, local pasteur raised pork, organic whole chicken, have a freezer full of venison, snack with nuts or my homemade jerkys, cook with coconut oil and grass fed butter, grow my own veggies in the summer and buy organic amap in the winter. If i have a craving for bread, i keep a loaf of ezekiel bread in the freezer for occasional treat. Processed garbage is not good.

I have this link bookmarked on my phone for easy access when I'm shopping...

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/mobile/

[FlyHawk98]

Same here for the most part. Hit a bit of a slump last few months but for most part I stick to a healthy diet.

Get yourself a bread maker and make your own bread, that's what I do. Now if I eat bread from the store I can actually taste the bleach and chemicals in it.

Nothing like having your own garden, raising/hunting your own meat etc.

[whf]

Hmmmmmmmm, as someone who has lost 50 pounds twice in my life, and could stand to to it again (I'm a bit heavy, but not obese) I have a different take on all this.  It isn't what you put in that is so much a decision, its what you put out thats the real decision.  As a people who've learned to get by without even a bit of physical work/labor/effort, we just accumulate fat.  If you want to be healthier, don't spend a lot of money on concepts, ideas, programs, etc.  Merely burn more calories than you take in until you've reached the correct body fat, weight, and then maintain.  It takes some physical effort; which used to come from our daily way of living. 

When we're able to subside without physical effort, we get fat, dumb and not-so happy.  The unhappier we get, the more fat and dumb we get.  I don't necessarily mean dumb concerning decision making, I mean dumb about the decisions we have to make.

[exanimate]

What's name of your restaurant? I would like to come check it out.

Butter It Up. We own the one in Barboursville. There are locations in Huntington, Barboursville, Ashland, Hurricane, Charleston and Beckley.

[carolinaherdfan]

In 1953 The American Medical Association said, "Smoking was good for your health."

[Scottyo614]

I gotta say one of my favorite parts of Huntington was how cheap the organic food was at Kroger as well as manager specials on decent meat. Eating healthy was not hard there.

Only when I got to talkin to my grandma and met my fiancé did I realize how little health and nutrition was taught. First time I saw the fiancé put a stick of butter in the pan to cook I almost had a heart attack.

But not to pile it on WV what you can buy in Ohio is the same thing as is Tennessee. I disagree with many items that can be bought. Also regarding health and habitat.. Cocke county down here would make many counties in WV look good. Same drug issues, similar housing issues, weight issues,  people have talked about on here.

I'd like to see WV to succeed. But many have a defeated attitude or just kinda it is what it is. Hopefully one day a younger person can invent or make something that swings the course of the state