In a speech to the American Medical Association in Chicago today, President Obama mentioned video games as a factor in unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles.
As reported by the New York Times, Obama addressed the AMA as part of his drive to build support for sweeping healthcare reform. The Wall Street Journal's Health blog has the full text of the President's remarks. Here's what he said about video games:
The second step that we can all agree on is to invest more in preventive care so that we can avoid illness and disease in the first place. That starts with each of us taking more responsibility for our health and the health of our children. It means quitting smoking, going in for that mammogram or colon cancer screening. It means going for a run or hitting the gym, and raising our children to step away from the video games and spend more time playing outside.
In other speeches, Obama has frequently linked video games to academic underachievement.




Comments
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
"Firearms == sport shooting is the safest sport in the world"
Tell that to Dick Cheney
"we remove suicides with weapons (as much as 58% of firearm deaths)"
If you remove killing from war, war causes no deaths
I don't have a point really, but as a Canadian living in a country with extremely low levels of violence (one of the lowest per capita) and where guns are very illegal and gun crimes are nearly unheard of, it's always hilarious watching Americans defend them.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people, right?
Doesn't seem to work that way here..
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Ignore Pinworm, he's either not Canadian or an idiot.
Guns are totally legal in Canada, they are just more regulated. Shotguns and non-automatic rifles can be had fairly easily. You just need to take the short course, do the exam, and have a quick psychological test/background check. It's all quite easy to do, cheap, and in most cases, you will hold that license for the rest of your life. Handguns and automatic weapons... not so much. In most cases, you will find it very difficult, if not impossible, to get your hands on these (legally anyway).
Virtually all gun crime is done with illegally owned firearms, with the exception of suicide. Of course, you can't blame suicide on guns, because there are many other very effective ways to kill yourself.
Don't be fooled by some of the uber-left here in Canada, we have a lot of hunters here who know guns and are very skilled with them... and these people just don't kill other humans.
EDIT:
Unless they serve(d) in the military.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Fire arms ain't "Very Illegal" in canada, but what do I know I'm just a dum americun.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/gunlaws.htm
Wait, firearms are illegal in Canada? Sounds like you're full of shit to me.
Also, one example does not a dangerous sport make.
'If you remove killing from war, war causes no deaths'
And if you continue to make idiotic comparisons, we could all have fun with this stupidity. By its nature, war involves deaths. By its nature, suicide does not involve firearms. If someone's committed to committing suicide, they'll do it whether they can get a gun or not.
And yes, people kill people. For example, an 88 year old asshole the other day killed a black guard at the holocaust museum. A person killed a person.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
People would actually have healthcare.
I don't see what is so bad about government healthcare. It's something people need, so the government providing it isn't a bad thing. To be pissed that the government provides healthcare, to me, is just the same as being pissed that the government provides a police force.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
People would have healthcare.....
Clearly when the government starts shifting around huge amounts of funding it happens within a totally isolated bubble that does not effect the system that the money is connected to.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Our health care system would suck ass, things would be written off as 'unnecessary' (you should hear some of the horror stories I've got from Canada, France, England, Germany, and many, many more. Especially Cuba), spending would spiral even more out of control, and it would give Obama another excuse to dip his hand into corporations.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
That is so interesting, considering I've heard plenty of pretty good stories about the healthcare in those countries too..
Either way, your argument is invalid, considering Obama himself has stated that he wants to model his system off of what we currently have, rather than overhaul it completely, to what Canada or England has..
When you jump to conclusions, it really makes you look stupid..
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
If the idea of socialized health care is so good, why do people come to America from nations with it? Also, why do the rich people always come to America from these nations for health care? His argument isn't valid, because he has said that he wants to overhaul health care to what Canada or England has. Look up his speeches in Chicago.
Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
To be fair, Obama also claimed he didn't want to do anything to the 2nd amendment, but within three months of being in the house, he had already signed a bill trying to vastly slow the production of .223 ammunition (one of the most popular rounds).
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Heh, in all technicality.. He didn't do anything to the Second Amendment.. You still have the right to bear those arms of yours.. Just might be a bit harder to find the ammo..
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
So I just get cheaper, better ammo from my friend who handloads it?
Okay cool.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
That's like saying I'm not going to tax people with big cars, I'm just going to increase the taxes on larger tires. It's bullshit plain and simple.
Also, his original decision to stop sale of brass to the private sector was overruled by the military and the private sector.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
"People would actually have healthcare."
OMG NOOOO!!!!
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Where is John Mayor with his song "Change" cause Obama sure isn't bringing it.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I love the way people seemed to expect him to be different from any other politician.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Well, he brought that reputation on himself. I never expected him to, but there are a lot of idiots who fell for it...
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Well of course he did. He was running for President. It happens every 4 years and people STILL act surprised when their candidate doesn't do what he promised.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I'll keep my kids inside. I've put my trust in Al Gore who says outside enviroments are getting worse everyday due to globel warming. Protect the kids, buy them games.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I know that you both have the "Conservatism" disease, but I really hope it hasn't clouded your judgement so much that you didn't realize this guy was being sarcastic.. I mean, I guess I can understand Jedi doing something that stupid, but Austin, I thought you were smarter than that..
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Oh, I knew he was being sarcastic. I just can't refrain from an Al Gore dig, especially with that setup.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Congrats, you've put your trust in a jackass who managed to get 2 journalists arrested in north korea.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
They revealed in a statement that the two of them entered the country illegally.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
No shit. Doesn't mean that they weren't there doing Al Gore's bidding. You know, researching the sex trade for him.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
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Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
(comment deleated)
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
America has just became its own version of the Jerry Springer Show after a bizarre moment in Florida involving a carnival worker.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
You know that science has proven that we are now in a global cooling trend, right? That's why it isn't called global warming anymore. It's called climate change.
Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Glad to know we have stopped teaching basic data analysis and statistics.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Not only that, but all four global temperature records show no warming trend and relatively stable temperatures for the last decade.
It's gotten really hard to ignore, and later hide, these last ten years.
The sad thing is that the media has been going back and forth between "global cooling" and "global warming" since at least 1850. (And there are plenty of archived newspapers for anyone interested in verifying that for themselves). They've reversed positions so many times it'd make your head spin. In the end it's all about selling their product.
The sayings "Fool me once" and "Those who do not learn from history" come to mind.
Oh, and I'd like to add my standard disclaimer that, judging from the geological records, the earth is preparing to go back into another 100,000 year ice age in the next 1,000-2,000 years. Perhaps we should be looking for ways to *cause* global warming, not prevent it.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
But... what IS so great about the outside? I mean c'mon. Solve the problems we have with gangs, and stupid drivers and maybe I'll go outside more often.
Other than that, I will stay as a defensive/aggressive driver and will continue to carry my sleave knife, and boot knife.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Obama is just Grandstanding with his attempt to use OUR tax dollars for Nationalized Health care and the possibility of a vat tax, soda tax and beer tax. reason why, Obama wants us to go his way or the highway(and pay taxes to fund his vision of a nationalized healthcare(not acting like zerodash here))
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
America has just became its own version of the Jerry Springer Show after a bizarre moment in Florida involving a carnival worker.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
The NHS works pretty good over here in the UK and most of Europe. I really don't get why Americans want to stick with the system you have.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Because any implementation by our current government would be a complete clusterfuck. It would be burdened by our issues with medical malpractice. The bureaucracy that would pop up around it would be a nightmare. The massive number of people who are activly trying to kill themselves would bankrupt the system
Any good vision would get covered in riders, everyone would try to take their pound of flesh from the legislation, and the end product would be.... bad.
TL;DR we have to many unhealthy people to make it effective unless the government begins taxing and regulating a ton of things that many people don't want to be regulated.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
It(like all frivolus legislation) a waste of time and will put us in more debt
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
America has just became its own version of the Jerry Springer Show after a bizarre moment in Florida involving a carnival worker.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I especially love how he said that we have to do it now or our current medical care system will bankrupt the country. I had a laugh at that one.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
No kidding.
I'd say buying a Twinkie would bankrupt the country, but I'm not irresponsible enough to suggest the federal government be trusted with managing the funds necessary to purchase said Twinkie.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Obama wants us to go his way or the highway
Because lord knows he's the only politician that acts like that. Amirite?
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Are you referring to Obama as Lord Art God?
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Goddammit dude, can you stop with your completely insane rants? Every time I read a post by you it's about how the Jews are controlling the world, Obama is a lizardman, and that we're all being brainwashed by the government.
You are a sick person.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I apoligize for my comment, I just don't like obama's policies
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
America has just became its own version of the Jerry Springer Show after a bizarre moment in Florida involving a carnival worker.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I think he was replying to NeoKefka. Your comment, although still in the realm of the right, was based on your ideals and what you hear is coming down the road. Kefka's comments are nothing but stupidity and unfounded paranoia..
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Wait, Obama is a lizardman?
Interesting..... lol
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
No you d**khead, I'm saying he's just like every other politician going.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
And again, no mention of books.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
Videogames? How about office work? Or school? Because games and TV are not the only sedentary activities on Earth.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Obama Names Video Games as Health Concern in Speech to ...
I would submit that excessive stupidity, your own and being forced to endure that of others Is even more hazardous to ones health (at least mental).
Pity, there was a time I actually liked Obama but alas that has long since worn off. Think frends. What will happen if his government manages to grab more control of the privite sector (which is not so private nowadays). We would all be forced to live by his opinion, and last I checked that was not the way of democracy. He is entitled to his opinion but not entitled to shove it down the throat of others.
What we do in the privacy of our own homes. Um well no, not apparently if he has it way.