Personally, I rather wonder what he expected of the papers. Newspapers are operated in the hopes of turning a profit. Everyone wants to live a healthier life, and so health sells copies. Copies, however, do one better and sell advertising. The truth of the matter is that most advertised products are not necessary to sustain life. so to keep up the advertising budget, newspapers must accept the money of those who have it to throw around -- in this case, those companies are the ones who have the most ability to benefit from the same individuals who most need a health reminder. (E.g. those prone to addiction, over-eating, and so forth).

             So it is that newspapers will report on crime in the inner cities, and seldom mention the problems with blighted urban centers and their immediate suburban neighbors as the city increasingly spreads outward into the increasingly over-sized homes which are advertised in full-color on the Realty pages. This is the issue which Deacons points out -- those with finances to do so are supersizing everything; their cars, their homes, their televisions . . . and still there"s more the world wants to sell them. He writes: "Baby-boomers may once have seen themselves as anti-consumerism Woodstockers, they got over it while watching Dynasty and Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous." Once again, on sees the media involving itself into modern life. Certainly the bloated lifestyle of conspicuous consumption is no better --and possibly quite worse-- for an individual than the simple pleasures pursued in a less flashy way. Yet people persist in tearing down old houses and abandoning aged cars in search of something bigger. "There is enormous waste when one monster home replaces two, three, or even four pre-existing houses." (Deacon) .

             Of course, this is nothing new. Nero did the same thing when he burned huge sections of Rome in order to redesign and replant the city.