Goodbye, metabolic

Earlier today, my mother was recounting a conversation she had with a girlfriend who was grumbling about the $15 cost of checking one bag on American Airlines. Her friend had gone on to say that skinny people like her are picking up the extra fuel costs of transporting heavier passengers, and that what the airlines should really do is charge people by weight. While a part of me agrees with the sentiment behind what my mother's friend is saying, I realize that any such fees would result in quite an uproar and would be unlikely to pass.

The Japanese, however, are embracing the concept of charging people for being overweight. National law now mandates that companies and local governments must measure the waistlines of those aged 40-74 in an effort to help people slim down and stave off rising health care costs. Companies and local governments that fail to meet targets -- reducing the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years -- will be subject to financial penalties.

My favorite part of the Times article about this new legislation, is the fact that the Japanese -- who create shortened nicknames for everything (i.e. Brad Pitt = Burapi) -- have coined the term "metabo," short for metabolic syndrome, and have even written a song about it:

“Goodbye, metabolic. Let’s get our checkups together. Go! Go! Go!
Goodbye, metabolic. Don’t wait till you get sick. No! No! No!”

Now, all they need is a cutesy little cartoon character to go with it.