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  America has a serious weight problem, but is ‘fat shaming’ the cure?

  Posted by Unknown Member on 8 November 2020 at 1:36 pm

  Americans are born and bred on famous products like Big Macs, Wendy’s, Dunkin donuts and Cheetos, to the point that junk food has been elevated to an art form. But in this age of political correctness, is mocking fat people a good idea?

  While it’s hardly breaking news that Americans are now engaged in an epic battle of the bulge, what is truly astounding is how widespread the problem has become.

  Obesity in the land of Golden Arches has exploded by 70% over the last three decades for adults and by 85% over the same time period for children. Today, almost 100 million Americans are clinically obese.

  Yet, it seems the more that Americans address the problem – remember Michele Obama’s disastrous school lunch program? – the worse the situation becomes. We just yawn and stretch and loosen the belt to accommodate the bursting national waistline.

  The New York Times summed up America’s health crisis in two words: “our food.” In fact, poor diet – not guns, terrorism or car accidents – is the leading cause of mortality in the US.

  The total economic cost of obesity, when cardiovascular disease ($351 billion) and diabetes ($327 billion) are factored in, comes out to an estimated $1.72 trillion annually, or 9.3 percent of gross domestic product.
  

  Those mind-blowing stats are placing a huge strain on the US healthcare industry at a time when sick and obese alike are struggling to pay their hefty medical bills. As healthcare costs rise in direct proportion to the increase in obesity rates, who is going to pick up the tab?

  When US talk show host Bill Maher stirred up a heated debate, this debate extended across the Atlantic Ocean, when he suggested that the US should start “fat shaming” again in order to combat the growing obesity epidemic.

  Many people would agree with that straightforward, gloves off approach, but in these touchy days of political correctness and social justice lunacy, it would probably fail. After all, even Weight Watchers, the decades-old organization devoted to helping millions of people lose weight, was forced to change its name to just ‘WW’ due to negative associations with dieting.
  

  “It’s not surprising that Weight Watchers is distancing itself from dieting,” Vox reported last year. “Talking openly about dieting is becoming taboo, and the body positivity movement is on the rise.”

  Is this the only way to make a fiercely PC culture heed vital advice, when it is delivered like bitter medicine in a heaping spoonful of unabashed and tasteless criticism?

  Fat shaming isn’t the solution, but for some, it’s the only way they can achieve cheap laughs and their 5 minutes of fame. Understanding the underlying problems require more brain power than a few seconds of sarcastic comments, only as a nation can there be a solution

  Unknown Member replied 3 years, 6 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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