I think Ta-Nehisi makes a larger point about American culture here:
There is a culture to being fat, and putting fresh veggies in the hood isn't enough to counter it. The culture is complicated--and its more American than it is hood. I would encourage people to think about all the negative ways we cope. The upper-class may not be fat, but in my experience, they know their way around the tequila bottle.
OK, but the thing is, most American cultural idiosyncrasies that adversely affect those without the financial resources to mitigate the results are "more American than they are hood," whether it's admiration of violence, sexism, materialism, cutthroat capitalism, or even poor eating habits. The hood just provides a convenient scapegoat, a way for the comfortable to remind themselves how much better they are than "those people." Everything that is hood is more American than hood. It's America without the pretense.
-- A. Serwer
