I much prefer rye or old wheat varieties such as spelt, but some of the healthiest people I know eat wheat bread for lunch every day, and occasionally for breakfast as well, with no ill effects.
The blog you linked seems needlessly alarmist to me, as if the author has found the one true cause of all modern dietary problems.
Not gonna comment on the rest of your post, we agree on at least 90% of both our points, so no need:-)
But
Actually, I cut out *all* carbs, not just simple ones. The problem I was having wasn't because of sugary soda, it was because of that starchy baked potato and whole wheat bread, both of which are touted as "healthy" by your average USDA indoctrinated nutritionist.
Surely the baked potato recommendation is severely outdated? White bread is obviously worse, but potatoes (baked or mashed in particular) are still very starchy with not many fibers. The only benefit over white bread is the token amount of vitamins and minerals they contain. If that is still the advice given by US dietitians (not nutritionists, that title is not legally protected and they are usually self-appointed quacks), that is a severe problem.
On the other hand, there isn't really a whole lot wrong with proper whole wheat bread with loads of kernels, or preferably whole rye bread with loads of kernels. Unfortunately, most ready-baked breads you find these days are absolutely loaded with added sugars and salts to make them "palatable", which is a problem with just about any ready-made food now.
And really, all carbs? Including dark leafy greens, carrots, beets, onions, the whole lot of them in addition to bread, rice, potatoes etc?
No thank you, I've read enough useless fad diet and fad workout "miracles" and "revolutions" to last a lifetime. I looked at the "Slow Burn" thing a while ago, and while slow strength exercises have their place, the needless putdowns of every other kind of exercise smacks of a fad-like ideology. Besides, explosive strength should not be neglected.
Let's take a look at your progression:
Year 0, you ingested way too many carbs. We agree 100% that eating a lot of simple carbs is bad. What you did wrong was try to cut down on total calories while maintaining your level of carb intake. It's a quality of nutrition vs. amount of calories thing. If you want to cut down on calories, always start with the carbs. Proteins should be last to go, as they take the most energy per calorie to digest and because they stimulate the metabolism. I have a feeling your 7 hours of cardio a week were around mid-level strenous. Cardio only works if you really push yourself to the limit, preferable with a HIIT method. It's very hard work, but it does show actual results in improved endurance and improved cardiovascular health. Your high intake of what I presume was almost 100% simple carbs contributed to your health problems.
Year 1, you cut out the simple carbs, good for you. It's also basic knowledge to anyone with the slighest idea about nutrition and/or exercise. Ask any dietician worth his or her salt (as it were).
Year 2-4 you added some exercise to your program. That's a good thing, we're not meant to sit on our asses all day. You should be doing more per week and preferably add some explosive training to your regimen, but it's a good start.
My point here is that you're absolutely right in saying that exercise is not essential for weight loss. In fact, most people put on weight while becoming healthier if they run a good heavy weight lifting program. That's because exercise doesn't burn fat, it adds muscle. A common phrase heard in weight lifting-focused training circles is "you gotta get bigger before you get smaller". That's because a pound of muscle burns a certain number of calories per day, just by virtue of existing. Thus, the bigger you are, the higher your calorie burn rate is and the easier it is to lose fat.
But weight loss is not the end goal. Greater fitness is the end goal. In the end, your weight is just a number on a scale. It's irrelevant as long as you're fit and healthy. My BMI is almost 31, for crying out loud. Yet I pump out pullups, burpies and tire flips and whatnot. I also deadlift 150kg for reps and squat 120kg for reps, raw. According to the BMI scale I am "Obese Class I (Moderately obese)", based on my weight and height. That's bullshit of the highest degree, I've never been healthier in my life.
No one is really interested in losing pounds, it's just a metaphor for losing fat that comes mostly from diet, lowering the amount of calories you consume and increasing the nutritional quality of the things you eat.
But cardio does work, it just isn't the end-all, be-all of exercise. You need to back it up with strength training to see the benefits. Would you say a marathon runner or bicycle road racer should completely neglect his cardio and just lift weights? If so, you have a hell of a lot to learn.
And as we all know, the human body is exactly the same as every wild animal's. Because we haven't been constructing tools and conveniences to make our life easier or cooking food for tens of thousands of years, right?
We don't need milk, unlike hundreds (thousands) of years ago when milk was one of the only reliable food sources during long cold winters. Dark leafy greans are a good source of calcium if you don't like milk.
Milk contains protein, calcium, vitamin C and a host of other important nutrients that you can get in other places as well. But milk packages it in a tasty, refreshing and versatile liquid.
You see, because I eat a healthy diet 99% of the time and work out, eating the odd snack or bowl of ice cream makes no difference. I'm still losing weight and getting stronger.
And yet I find that besides my full-time job, I have plenty of time to visit restaurants, socialize with friends, go to the theater, watch movies, ride my motorcycle, go to concerts, read books, play video games, go on dates etc. in addition to my exercise regimen.
You must be doing something wrong if you are unable to find the time.
I expect to die in my 50s anyway. I really don't care to spend any of the precious little time I have sweating and out of breath. That is, unless I get an orgasm out of it.
So you've given up and resigned yourself to being a drain on humanity.
Well done. I'm glad my taxes don't pay for your dead-end lifestyle.
Cutting board: $15. Seriously? And don't get a wooden one; dangerous if not cleaned thoroughly.
Actually, wooden cutting boards are much more hygienic than plastic boards, as long as you wash them regularly.
Cuts and scrapes in cutting boards will harbor germs that are hard to get rid of. But cuts in wood tends to close themselves, hence wooden cutting boards are actually cleaner than even slightly used plastic cutting boards.
Lean protein is good for you. Your body uses more energy per calorie to process protein than any other macronutrient and it stimulates the metabolism.
On the other hand, a normal burger bun is nothing but simple carbs. It's all white flour and sugars. Completely devoid of any meaningful nutritional value.
80-90% of what goes in your mouth should be animal proteins and fats and lots of vegetables.
Milk is animal protein and fat;-) Drink skim milk, it's refreshing and good for you (unless you're lactose intolerant, of course).
There's no need to go full-on complicated with a diet, easier diets (actually lifestyle changes) are easier to maintain. Try eating using the 3-2 method:
Three daily main meals consisting of two fist-sized components. One fist lean protein. The other 50/50 veggies and complex carbs, like whole grain bread. Veggies can be fresh or frozen, depending on convenience, it doesn't matter.
Two smaller meals consisting of a piece of fruit or a couple of carrots etc. plus a small portion of lean protein of some kind. I use 30 grams of whey protein powder mixed with skim milk because I buy it anyway for my post-workout protein+carbs and it fits my busy work schedule, I can drink it at my desk.
Much easier to remember and stick to. No counting calories, no paleolithic philosophies etc., and no fads. Just a solid calorie deficit and a healthy combination of macro and micro-nutrients, especially if your protein comes from fish and/or you supplement with fish oil and a vitamin pill once in a while, depending on how varied your diet is. The key point is that this method works and is fully compatible with a busy lifestyle.
Frozen veggies are often more nutritious than their fresh counterparts. Fresh veggies start losing their nutritional value as soon as they are harvested, but freezing them preserves the vitamins etc.
I'll repost something from a forum I frequent, that I found highly inspiring:
"I run slow
I work in the social services, and a lot of the people we work with have a lot of regrets. I've asked our case managers to have their clients come out and watch me run. I run so slow, time run backwards. As I waddle along, your life runs in reverse. Scars becomes wounds become chances to exercise better judgement. I run slow.
Like most people, I enjoy running in the mornings, before it gets to hot. Unlike most people, I've been pushed over by a squirrel.
I run slow. Sometimes when I am running, I think of those zen fountains that absorb a drip drip drip of water down a bamboo tube before finally tipping over and dumping their contents into a pool. Each step I take is another drip. I think, that fountain would call me a pussy.
I run slow. But I know where I have been.
Six months ago, I didn't run.
Six months ago, I had heartburn bad enough to keep me from sleeping through the night. Six months ago, I felt like I needed to go to sleep at 2pm. And six months ago, running felt impossible.
I run slow, and I have ways to go. But I can sleep. I feel alive. I can run two, slow, miles. Slowly.
Sometimes I get discouraged. I compare where I am to where other people are. But all that matters is where I am compared to where I was.
Once something good becomes something you are going to do for the rest of your life, the pace becomes less important. I know that my drip drip drip will amount to that deluge, eventually. Someday I will run 3 miles, slowly."
Just get out there and run those 100m. When you can't run anymore, walk. Start out by going a mile. Soon you'll be up to 2 miles. At some point, you'll suddenly find that you can run for miles without being completely out of breath. Just keep working at it, and it will come:-)
the more vegetable oil I put on the pan while making hash browns in the morning, the better they taste (up to the certain limit of course).
Instead of greasy pan-fried starches for breakfast, try something healthy for a change.
Like a bowl of rolled oats (not sugary instant oats!) with hazelnuts, raisins and skim milk. It even saves you time in the morning!
The above has been my staple breakfast for 10 years. It is both filling, nutritionally sound and leaves me feeling energized all morning instead of bloated and lethargic as fatty starchy foods would.
Now exercise: it's really stupid activity to do physical work for the sake of physical work, talk about Sisyphus. You either have to bring out your inner child capable of having a joy of moving around aimlessly spending all this energy or you have to be really determined on losing your weight.
One word: endorphins.
Or how about the joy of feeling your strength increase and discovering that it's much harder for you to run out of breath? How about the challenge of seeing that big-ass dumbbell and thinking to yourself "hell yes, someday I will lift that sucker" and then working towards that goal? How about the camaraderie you get in a good gym, working out with friends and expanding your social circle?
Or if that's too dull for you, how about mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, climbing and so on. These are "hobbies", but they are also damn good exercise.
People tend to have a maniacal focus on weight, as if it's the one true parameter of how healthy you are.
Exercise is essential not for losing weight, but for forcing your body to build muscles and to maintain your physical condition and abilities. Muscles burn energy simply by existing, so the fitter you are, the more you can eat. Unless you want to end up as a weakling couch potato when you grow old, get out there and get moving! It'll strengthen your bones, too.
My BMI is close to 31 and I have a bit of a belly that I'm working on losing (through diet and lifestyle). But I am also physically active and in by no means a slouch when it comes to lifting weights or other exercises. A usual warmup session consists of something like 80-100 burpees in 10 minutes. This is usually followed by plenty of weight lifting, squats, pullups, tractor tire flips and so on. I do this for 2-3 hours a week. Anyone can dedicate at least 2 hours a week to keeping in shape, think of it as a hobby instead of a penalty. Try kayaking or bicycling or climbing or hiking or whatever strikes you as fun.
Exercise matters a lot, just not as much weight-wise as previously thought.
It still matters a whole lot in forcing your body to build muscles instead of fats depots and increasing cardiovascular health. Which is why you can have a high BMI and still be in great physical condition.
That's the entire problem! People are thinking "how can I get the most amount of calories for my money?", when they should be thinking "how can I get the best nutrition for my money?".
Genocide is defined as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
You are absolutely insane to use that word in the context of "poor suppressed white people" being scared because their neighbor is suddenly brown or wears a scarf. Big. Fucking. Deal.
In other words, you are a bigoted racist cunt. You make me sick.
Signed, A white, blond, blue-eyed Scandinavian man of viking lineage as well as a staunch supporter of equal rights and worth for all humans, no matter race, creed, religion or skin color.
In every single online discussion I've been part of, the people who use the word "feral" to refer to other people always turn out to be racist dickbags.
I think the sick fucks who frequent that site need to be called out so people will at least be aware of just how insane they really are before they listen to anything they have to say.
But much of what you said was aimed at Bush in harsher terms than Obama...traitor, not fit for office, destroying the ecomony (hell, the Obama's are still saying that about Bush and what they inherited from him)...
Uh no, it's every bit as harsh with racism added on top of that.
Slashdot Mirror
I much prefer rye or old wheat varieties such as spelt, but some of the healthiest people I know eat wheat bread for lunch every day, and occasionally for breakfast as well, with no ill effects.
The blog you linked seems needlessly alarmist to me, as if the author has found the one true cause of all modern dietary problems.
Not gonna comment on the rest of your post, we agree on at least 90% of both our points, so no need :-)
But
Actually, I cut out *all* carbs, not just simple ones. The problem I was having wasn't because of sugary soda, it was because of that starchy baked potato and whole wheat bread, both of which are touted as "healthy" by your average USDA indoctrinated nutritionist.
Surely the baked potato recommendation is severely outdated? White bread is obviously worse, but potatoes (baked or mashed in particular) are still very starchy with not many fibers. The only benefit over white bread is the token amount of vitamins and minerals they contain. If that is still the advice given by US dietitians (not nutritionists, that title is not legally protected and they are usually self-appointed quacks), that is a severe problem.
On the other hand, there isn't really a whole lot wrong with proper whole wheat bread with loads of kernels, or preferably whole rye bread with loads of kernels. Unfortunately, most ready-baked breads you find these days are absolutely loaded with added sugars and salts to make them "palatable", which is a problem with just about any ready-made food now.
And really, all carbs? Including dark leafy greens, carrots, beets, onions, the whole lot of them in addition to bread, rice, potatoes etc?
No thank you, I've read enough useless fad diet and fad workout "miracles" and "revolutions" to last a lifetime. I looked at the "Slow Burn" thing a while ago, and while slow strength exercises have their place, the needless putdowns of every other kind of exercise smacks of a fad-like ideology. Besides, explosive strength should not be neglected.
Let's take a look at your progression:
Year 0, you ingested way too many carbs. We agree 100% that eating a lot of simple carbs is bad. What you did wrong was try to cut down on total calories while maintaining your level of carb intake. It's a quality of nutrition vs. amount of calories thing. If you want to cut down on calories, always start with the carbs. Proteins should be last to go, as they take the most energy per calorie to digest and because they stimulate the metabolism. I have a feeling your 7 hours of cardio a week were around mid-level strenous. Cardio only works if you really push yourself to the limit, preferable with a HIIT method. It's very hard work, but it does show actual results in improved endurance and improved cardiovascular health. Your high intake of what I presume was almost 100% simple carbs contributed to your health problems.
Year 1, you cut out the simple carbs, good for you. It's also basic knowledge to anyone with the slighest idea about nutrition and/or exercise. Ask any dietician worth his or her salt (as it were).
Year 2-4 you added some exercise to your program. That's a good thing, we're not meant to sit on our asses all day. You should be doing more per week and preferably add some explosive training to your regimen, but it's a good start.
My point here is that you're absolutely right in saying that exercise is not essential for weight loss. In fact, most people put on weight while becoming healthier if they run a good heavy weight lifting program. That's because exercise doesn't burn fat, it adds muscle. A common phrase heard in weight lifting-focused training circles is "you gotta get bigger before you get smaller". That's because a pound of muscle burns a certain number of calories per day, just by virtue of existing. Thus, the bigger you are, the higher your calorie burn rate is and the easier it is to lose fat.
But weight loss is not the end goal. Greater fitness is the end goal. In the end, your weight is just a number on a scale. It's irrelevant as long as you're fit and healthy. My BMI is almost 31, for crying out loud. Yet I pump out pullups, burpies and tire flips and whatnot. I also deadlift 150kg for reps and squat 120kg for reps, raw. According to the BMI scale I am "Obese Class I (Moderately obese)", based on my weight and height. That's bullshit of the highest degree, I've never been healthier in my life.
No one is really interested in losing pounds, it's just a metaphor for losing fat that comes mostly from diet, lowering the amount of calories you consume and increasing the nutritional quality of the things you eat.
But cardio does work, it just isn't the end-all, be-all of exercise. You need to back it up with strength training to see the benefits. Would you say a marathon runner or bicycle road racer should completely neglect his cardio and just lift weights? If so, you have a hell of a lot to learn.
And as we all know, the human body is exactly the same as every wild animal's. Because we haven't been constructing tools and conveniences to make our life easier or cooking food for tens of thousands of years, right?
We don't need milk, unlike hundreds (thousands) of years ago when milk was one of the only reliable food sources during long cold winters. Dark leafy greans are a good source of calcium if you don't like milk.
Milk contains protein, calcium, vitamin C and a host of other important nutrients that you can get in other places as well. But milk packages it in a tasty, refreshing and versatile liquid.
Sure, I like cookies. Chocolate chip?
You see, because I eat a healthy diet 99% of the time and work out, eating the odd snack or bowl of ice cream makes no difference. I'm still losing weight and getting stronger.
So cutting out cardio wasn't the solution, it was adding strength traning.
That's a hugely important detail to remember, since proper strength training gives you a reasonable amount of cardio workout as well.
And yet I find that besides my full-time job, I have plenty of time to visit restaurants, socialize with friends, go to the theater, watch movies, ride my motorcycle, go to concerts, read books, play video games, go on dates etc. in addition to my exercise regimen.
You must be doing something wrong if you are unable to find the time.
I expect to die in my 50s anyway. I really don't care to spend any of the precious little time I have sweating and out of breath. That is, unless I get an orgasm out of it.
So you've given up and resigned yourself to being a drain on humanity.
Well done. I'm glad my taxes don't pay for your dead-end lifestyle.
Cutting board: $15. Seriously? And don't get a wooden one; dangerous if not cleaned thoroughly.
Actually, wooden cutting boards are much more hygienic than plastic boards, as long as you wash them regularly.
Cuts and scrapes in cutting boards will harbor germs that are hard to get rid of. But cuts in wood tends to close themselves, hence wooden cutting boards are actually cleaner than even slightly used plastic cutting boards.
No, you're wrong.
Lean protein is good for you. Your body uses more energy per calorie to process protein than any other macronutrient and it stimulates the metabolism.
On the other hand, a normal burger bun is nothing but simple carbs. It's all white flour and sugars. Completely devoid of any meaningful nutritional value.
The things that will make you fat:
Too much Dairy
80-90% of what goes in your mouth should be animal proteins and fats and lots of vegetables.
Milk is animal protein and fat ;-) Drink skim milk, it's refreshing and good for you (unless you're lactose intolerant, of course).
There's no need to go full-on complicated with a diet, easier diets (actually lifestyle changes) are easier to maintain. Try eating using the 3-2 method:
Three daily main meals consisting of two fist-sized components. One fist lean protein. The other 50/50 veggies and complex carbs, like whole grain bread. Veggies can be fresh or frozen, depending on convenience, it doesn't matter.
Two smaller meals consisting of a piece of fruit or a couple of carrots etc. plus a small portion of lean protein of some kind. I use 30 grams of whey protein powder mixed with skim milk because I buy it anyway for my post-workout protein+carbs and it fits my busy work schedule, I can drink it at my desk.
Much easier to remember and stick to. No counting calories, no paleolithic philosophies etc., and no fads. Just a solid calorie deficit and a healthy combination of macro and micro-nutrients, especially if your protein comes from fish and/or you supplement with fish oil and a vitamin pill once in a while, depending on how varied your diet is. The key point is that this method works and is fully compatible with a busy lifestyle.
Frozen veggies are often more nutritious than their fresh counterparts. Fresh veggies start losing their nutritional value as soon as they are harvested, but freezing them preserves the vitamins etc.
And frozen veggies keep really really well ;-)
I'll repost something from a forum I frequent, that I found highly inspiring:
"I run slow
I work in the social services, and a lot of the people we work with have a lot of regrets. I've asked our case managers to have their clients come out and watch me run. I run so slow, time run backwards. As I waddle along, your life runs in reverse. Scars becomes wounds become chances to exercise better judgement. I run slow.
Like most people, I enjoy running in the mornings, before it gets to hot. Unlike most people, I've been pushed over by a squirrel.
I run slow. Sometimes when I am running, I think of those zen fountains that absorb a drip drip drip of water down a bamboo tube before finally tipping over and dumping their contents into a pool. Each step I take is another drip. I think, that fountain would call me a pussy.
I run slow. But I know where I have been.
Six months ago, I didn't run.
Six months ago, I had heartburn bad enough to keep me from sleeping through the night. Six months ago, I felt like I needed to go to sleep at 2pm. And six months ago, running felt impossible.
I run slow, and I have ways to go. But I can sleep. I feel alive. I can run two, slow, miles. Slowly.
Sometimes I get discouraged. I compare where I am to where other people are. But all that matters is where I am compared to where I was.
Once something good becomes something you are going to do for the rest of your life, the pace becomes less important. I know that my drip drip drip will amount to that deluge, eventually. Someday I will run 3 miles, slowly."
Just get out there and run those 100m. When you can't run anymore, walk. Start out by going a mile. Soon you'll be up to 2 miles. At some point, you'll suddenly find that you can run for miles without being completely out of breath. Just keep working at it, and it will come :-)
the more vegetable oil I put on the pan while making hash browns in the morning, the better they taste (up to the certain limit of course).
Instead of greasy pan-fried starches for breakfast, try something healthy for a change.
Like a bowl of rolled oats (not sugary instant oats!) with hazelnuts, raisins and skim milk. It even saves you time in the morning!
The above has been my staple breakfast for 10 years. It is both filling, nutritionally sound and leaves me feeling energized all morning instead of bloated and lethargic as fatty starchy foods would.
Now exercise: it's really stupid activity to do physical work for the sake of physical work, talk about Sisyphus. You either have to bring out your inner child capable of having a joy of moving around aimlessly spending all this energy or you have to be really determined on losing your weight.
One word: endorphins.
Or how about the joy of feeling your strength increase and discovering that it's much harder for you to run out of breath? How about the challenge of seeing that big-ass dumbbell and thinking to yourself "hell yes, someday I will lift that sucker" and then working towards that goal? How about the camaraderie you get in a good gym, working out with friends and expanding your social circle?
Or if that's too dull for you, how about mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, climbing and so on. These are "hobbies", but they are also damn good exercise.
People tend to have a maniacal focus on weight, as if it's the one true parameter of how healthy you are.
Exercise is essential not for losing weight, but for forcing your body to build muscles and to maintain your physical condition and abilities. Muscles burn energy simply by existing, so the fitter you are, the more you can eat. Unless you want to end up as a weakling couch potato when you grow old, get out there and get moving! It'll strengthen your bones, too.
My BMI is close to 31 and I have a bit of a belly that I'm working on losing (through diet and lifestyle). But I am also physically active and in by no means a slouch when it comes to lifting weights or other exercises. A usual warmup session consists of something like 80-100 burpees in 10 minutes. This is usually followed by plenty of weight lifting, squats, pullups, tractor tire flips and so on. I do this for 2-3 hours a week. Anyone can dedicate at least 2 hours a week to keeping in shape, think of it as a hobby instead of a penalty. Try kayaking or bicycling or climbing or hiking or whatever strikes you as fun.
Exercise matters a lot, just not as much weight-wise as previously thought.
It still matters a whole lot in forcing your body to build muscles instead of fats depots and increasing cardiovascular health. Which is why you can have a high BMI and still be in great physical condition.
That's the entire problem! People are thinking "how can I get the most amount of calories for my money?", when they should be thinking "how can I get the best nutrition for my money?".
And while your weight is lower, you have trouble lifting the remote control.
OR you began strength based exercises instead of cardio and you've "accidentally" left out that very important fact.
If not, get back to me when your skinny-fat ass can do 10 pullups.
genocide against my race, the white race
Genocide is defined as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
You are absolutely insane to use that word in the context of "poor suppressed white people" being scared because their neighbor is suddenly brown or wears a scarf. Big. Fucking. Deal.
In other words, you are a bigoted racist cunt. You make me sick.
Signed,
A white, blond, blue-eyed Scandinavian man of viking lineage as well as a staunch supporter of equal rights and worth for all humans, no matter race, creed, religion or skin color.
I stand by my words and actions, unlike you.
Following the OP's logic, they're empty some of the time, which means they're empty all the time and a waste of HIS TAXES!
In every single online discussion I've been part of, the people who use the word "feral" to refer to other people always turn out to be racist dickbags.
I think the sick fucks who frequent that site need to be called out so people will at least be aware of just how insane they really are before they listen to anything they have to say.
And by "ferals" you mean "blacks" and "muslims", right?
Go back to freerepublic.com with your thinly-veiled racist slurs, bigot.
Where did you get such a twisted and biased version of the events? Freerepublic.com?
But much of what you said was aimed at Bush in harsher terms than Obama...traitor, not fit for office, destroying the ecomony (hell, the Obama's are still saying that about Bush and what they inherited from him)...
Uh no, it's every bit as harsh with racism added on top of that.