Changing Attitudes
I came across an interesting tidbit of information on the radio this week. If you live in North or West Belfast you will, on average, die three years younger than if you you live in South or East Belfast. Tribal affiliation has nothing to do with this even though West and North Belfast are predominantly Nationalist and South and East predominantly Unionist. Though even this may be changing - South Belfast returned a Nationalist MP which shows a growing Nationalist population and West and North Belfast contain some significant Unionist enclaves.
No, the reason for this more likely has got something to do with class - East and South Belfast are home to the majority of the cities middle-class population. Notice I did not say that this problem is to do with poverty. Rather, the real cause of this is ignorance.
I've bemoaned before the fact that even the poorest in this city have enough to live a healthy life yet it is among the disadvantaged that smoking, alcoholism and obesity are highest. The St George's Market I wrote about last week is frequented nearly exclusively by the middle-classes from East and South Belfast and those recent immigrants who come from countries where the supermarket culture has not yet taken over and where people still buy their food from local growers. There are few or no members of the working classes of the North and West (or any other) quarters of the city. The immigrants (and perhaps even some of the middle-class shoppers) are not well-off, yet they care what food they eat and what is good for them.
Why does a whole section of our community (perhaps the majority - even the vast majority) no longer care what it eats or the harm that is done by overindulging (in food, alcohol or tobacco)? This is same in the UK and the US (although perhaps not in continental Europe so much). More inportantly, what will it actually take to wake people up to the fact that they are cutting years off their lives?
No, the reason for this more likely has got something to do with class - East and South Belfast are home to the majority of the cities middle-class population. Notice I did not say that this problem is to do with poverty. Rather, the real cause of this is ignorance.
I've bemoaned before the fact that even the poorest in this city have enough to live a healthy life yet it is among the disadvantaged that smoking, alcoholism and obesity are highest. The St George's Market I wrote about last week is frequented nearly exclusively by the middle-classes from East and South Belfast and those recent immigrants who come from countries where the supermarket culture has not yet taken over and where people still buy their food from local growers. There are few or no members of the working classes of the North and West (or any other) quarters of the city. The immigrants (and perhaps even some of the middle-class shoppers) are not well-off, yet they care what food they eat and what is good for them.
Why does a whole section of our community (perhaps the majority - even the vast majority) no longer care what it eats or the harm that is done by overindulging (in food, alcohol or tobacco)? This is same in the UK and the US (although perhaps not in continental Europe so much). More inportantly, what will it actually take to wake people up to the fact that they are cutting years off their lives?
posted by voluntarysimpleton at 10:20 AM
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