I went to Europe for two weeks to visit my brother.  There were so much fewer obese people there and public transportation was so much better.  As someone who cannot drive because of poor vision I appreciated that there wasn’t this stigma attached to not having a car and using public transportation there that there is here.  I was pretty unaware of social pressure in junior high and high school but one thing I was aware of was the stigma of walking instead of having a ride or driving.

I think this stigma will abate though in the next 20 years as a lot of the younger generation can’t afford cars and walking, biking, and public transportation is becoming cool in some circles.