Teh One Who Knocks
04-18-2017, 11:53 AM
By Lukas Mikelionis - Heat Street
http://i.imgur.com/6dg1NGvh.jpg
A gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete has praised the starving nation of North Korea as a place that has has effectively prevented its population from getting obese.
James Cracknell, a former rower for the British Olympic team, cited Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship alongside deprived communist Cuba as model nations during a Sky News interview Tuesday.
“If you think of the two countries of the world that have got a handle on obesity, what do you think they are? Which two countries?” he asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/jamescracknell">@jamescracknell</a> says North Korea is one of only two countries in the world that has "a handle on obesity" <a href="https://t.co/A71191QRCJ">pic.twitter.com/A71191QRCJ</a></p>— Sky News (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/854242549573103617">April 18, 2017</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“North Korea and Cuba. See they are quite controlling on behavioural change”.
The presenter quickly pointed out that the reason North Korea doesn’t have obesity epidemic is because of lack of food, to which the Olympic medallist replied: “Exactly. But there were sanctions and everything else. But the example is behavourial change.”
His comments caused widespread mockery on social media, slamming Cracknell for ignoring the reality of North Koreans.
“Shameful! NK doesn’t have a handle on it: it’s the tragic by-product of a vicious, brutal regime where millions have died of starvation,” tweeted Neil Saunders.
Another person seconded: “Utterly absurd. Being needlessly starved to death is not ‘having a handle on obesity.’ Satire?”
Gordon Horspool tweeted: “Starving your own people is not exactly slimming world.”
Cracknell has since walked back the comments, explaining that he didn’t mean to praise the communist dictatorships and was merely “illustrating influence state has over behavioural change.”
He also apologized for the comments: “Yeah, sorry guys. I take it on the chin. Trying to make a point that came out badly.”
http://i.imgur.com/6dg1NGvh.jpg
A gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete has praised the starving nation of North Korea as a place that has has effectively prevented its population from getting obese.
James Cracknell, a former rower for the British Olympic team, cited Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship alongside deprived communist Cuba as model nations during a Sky News interview Tuesday.
“If you think of the two countries of the world that have got a handle on obesity, what do you think they are? Which two countries?” he asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/jamescracknell">@jamescracknell</a> says North Korea is one of only two countries in the world that has "a handle on obesity" <a href="https://t.co/A71191QRCJ">pic.twitter.com/A71191QRCJ</a></p>— Sky News (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/854242549573103617">April 18, 2017</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“North Korea and Cuba. See they are quite controlling on behavioural change”.
The presenter quickly pointed out that the reason North Korea doesn’t have obesity epidemic is because of lack of food, to which the Olympic medallist replied: “Exactly. But there were sanctions and everything else. But the example is behavourial change.”
His comments caused widespread mockery on social media, slamming Cracknell for ignoring the reality of North Koreans.
“Shameful! NK doesn’t have a handle on it: it’s the tragic by-product of a vicious, brutal regime where millions have died of starvation,” tweeted Neil Saunders.
Another person seconded: “Utterly absurd. Being needlessly starved to death is not ‘having a handle on obesity.’ Satire?”
Gordon Horspool tweeted: “Starving your own people is not exactly slimming world.”
Cracknell has since walked back the comments, explaining that he didn’t mean to praise the communist dictatorships and was merely “illustrating influence state has over behavioural change.”
He also apologized for the comments: “Yeah, sorry guys. I take it on the chin. Trying to make a point that came out badly.”