Can Blaming People for Being Fat Help Curb Obesity?

US News and World Report ^ | May 22, 2008 | Katherine Hobson

[Eric Blair 2084]

Stigma can be a powerful force in changing behavior. Just ask smokers, whose once accepted habit is now so marginalized that the prevalence of smoking has dropped to about 19 percent of U.S. adults from nearly 24 percent just a decade ago. A lot of factors figured into the decline since smoking's mid-20th-century peak, but the sense that smoking is disgusting as well as unhealthful and socially costly has certainly contributed to many people's decision to quit.

Now that smokers have been taken care of, the obese are the new scapegoats for a lot of our ills. Last week, a letter published in the Lancet noted that the obese contribute more than their thinner compatriots to food scarcity and global warming, given that they eat more and require more transportation energy to move themselves around. While the authors' intent was probably not to make the obese feel worse, the media translations of the study in my quick Google search turned up headlines such as "Fat People Cause Global Warming, Higher Food Prices" and "Scientists Blame Fat People for Global Warming."

You might think that the obese could use some blame. As obesity increasingly becomes the norm, maybe society has grown too accepting. Perhaps what is lacking is the same thing that helped smokers lose their butts: a healthy dose of social stigma. If only there were more shame in being fat, maybe more people would be motivated to lose weight. But in fact, researchers say, stigma does very little to motivate overweight or obese people to change.

[Eric Blair 2084]

I've always known that much like other seemingly invincible forms of fascism...Nazism, Communism, Totalitarianism...they are all doomed to fail. I never knew how. But from studying history and observing current events, now I get it. I would normally be fearful of giving them advice but they wouldn't listen anyway.

Anti-tobacco will fail too. Has anybody figured out why yet? I did.

[Seruzawa]

So I guess we can solve all social ills by engaging in constant “you’re a jerk” campaigns. Those campaigns all funded by the “jerks”.

Typical looter do-gooders. There’s a lot of evil hidden behind that false front of “caring”.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junkie, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Egalitarian, Central Planning, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi, Socialism, Collectivism

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We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, teetotalers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Smoking used to be cool — obesity has always been stigmatized. Some people eat “comfort food” to make up for feelings of rejection — more stigmatization will only make matters worse.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Yes, given enough push and brainwashing from the MSM you can convince most people of anything. You can even convince them that wiping their ass with 3 pieces of toilet paper instead of 30 will save the planet.

Hard to believe.

[gracesdad]

“...obesity has always been stigmatized.”

Including all too frequently right here on FR.

[Eric Blair 2084]

In all seriousness, why do you think smoking has been made to not look cool? And more importantly...how?

[robomatik]

how about a social stigma for liberal idiots?

[umgud]

None of this social change could not happen without the media who not only report it, but promote it.

[gidget7]

Only reason I know of is to rob people via taxes on tobacco.

[Eric Blair 2084]

I like that. Social stigma against Marxists, liberals and ungrateful America hating losers.

Sounds good to me. How do we get the NY Times, ABC, NBC, CBS and USA Today to play along?

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Whether you call it “social engineering”, “social marketing” or just plain “health-Nazism” — the focus of anti-smoking campaigns has been to “denormalize” smoking.

The part of that campaign that bothers me the most is the attack on “second-hand” smoking. It bothers me, because it's all based on lies and exaggeration. The strategy was to scare people about the “dangers” of second-hand smoke; so that they would support bans on smoking indoors. It's worked so well that they're even banning smoking outdoors (in parks, near government buildings, etc.) The smoke-fascists know full-well that second-hand smoke isn't harmful. The real intent is to turn all smokers into social lepers — and that's working too. It's scary how easily public opinion can be molded.

(BTW, I don't smoke & except for smoking a pipe for a while in college, and the odd cigar — I never have.)

[gidget7]

How? was it made not cool? Through the media and even more forcefully, by using kids taught to shame their parents.

[Eric Blair 2084]

I mock the obese. But it’s for a higher purpose.

[elkfersupper]

"Now that smokers have been taken care of, the obese are the new scapegoats for a lot of our ills."

I find this very telling and reason for a giant "See, I Told You So".

[Eric Blair 2084]

You’re smart. You get it. Most people don’t.

[TornadoAlley3]

bookmark for after I finish eating.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I also wonder if the number of smokers has actually declined or just the amount of people who admit that they do.

[Hildy]

Sorry, I don’t think that shaming people into a better lifestyle for their health and for Society’s health is necessarily a bad thing. Gluttony is a sin, is it not?

[elcid1970]

Fat people suck. Bottom line, end of discussion.

[elkfersupper]

Including all too frequently right here on FR.

You mean like this?

[GOPJ]

While the authors' intent was probably not to make the obese feel worse...

Ummmm, I was born - but not yesterday. Yes, the authors' intent was to make the obese feel worse. This same "author" probably would gush over the rights of pedophiles to live near schools.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"Including all too frequently right here on FR."

Are we supposed to be celebrating obesity diversity and I didn't get the memo, or what?

[SuziQ]

A lot of factors figured into the decline since smoking's mid-20th-century peak, but the sense that smoking is disgusting as well as unhealthful and socially costly has certainly contributed to many people's decision to quit.

The difference between smoking and obesity is that with smoking, the anti-smoking folks were successful in creating the notion that others would die from second-hand smoke, so the smoker was supposedly harming others, not just him or herself.

That argument can't be made with folks who are obese. And the idea that the obese should be shamed because they are going to put too much of a strain on the health care system might just blow up in the faces of those who want to make that argument. There are other lifestyle choices that do the same thing, so if the anti-obesity crowd were to try to attack the obese, the question could be asked why isn't anyone telling homosexual men that they shouldn't be engaging in sexual activity because it could kill them, and anyone with whom they have sexual relations? After all, their care puts a strain on the health care system, too, and whereas obese people can lose weight, people with AIDS don't get cured, they can only extend their lives a few years with medication. But since AIDS is the only disease that seems to have it's own civil rights, and obesity doesn't have that same protection, I don't think that subject will be broached.

[GOP_Lady]

Sir Eric, when I go to Vegas in July (where hubby can once again enjoy a cigar with his adult beverage with other like-minded adults), I, being UNDERWEIGHT, will skip the creme brulee at the end of finishing my buffet, in honor or OBAMA, of course, who said we can't be expected to eat as much as we want, because the rest of the world doesn't like it.

[Revolting cat!]

The fat sweat, stink and overflow. Let them do it all out of my presence!

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Including all too frequently right here on FR.

There are more than a handful of crypto-liberals on FR.

They front as conservative until something comes along they disapprove of, then they would give the scumbags at DU a run for their money.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Substitute __________ (fill in the blank, whatever you want), into the anti-tobacco playbook, it will work.

Why should my tax dollars go to pay for the lard ass who can't stay away from BK Whoppers and the KFC drive thru window. As a taxpayer, I am paying for his/her diabetic testing equipment and high blood pressure meds.

I won't stand for it. Then these stinky people have the nerve to stick their fleshy elbows in my ribs for 3 hours on an airline flight. I want action. Second hand obesity is not only annoying, it's a killer to my wallet.

[GOP_Lady]

That’s the truth — no true principles. Dishonesty.

[Marie2]

I think they are trying to make the obese feel as though they are harming their fellow world citizens with their carbon footprint, excessively large to to their excessive size.

Of course smokers weigh less. Perhaps smokers will start getting some rights back, while the obese get to be targets for a while.

Personally I think we should ostracize homosexuals (bad for your health, spreading disease), jet setters (carbons polluting my air etc.) and organic farms (decreasing the overall food supply.) But that’s just me.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

And the rights of butt humpers to have unprotected anal sex in bath houses.

[bill1952]

Its way down.
Back when I was a kid in the late 60s & 70s everywhere you looked you saw people smoke.
Smoking was cool. I smoked.

Now, its nowhere near that common.

[sheik yerbouty]

All it will do is guive the food facists and other apparatchiks the power to make people miserable. it will only raise the rate ouicide..

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

How about some good ol’-fashioned shunning of gun-grabbers?

[gidget7]

That too Eric! And you play the part so well! It’s a psoition we have all been in and I can see some taking it that far.

[sheik yerbouty]

Even Rosie O’donnell balked at that, exclaimning; “Did you ever see the size of my a*s?”

[Mr. Mojo]

There are more than a handful of crypto-liberals on FR. They front as conservative until something comes along they disapprove of,

Only if they demand government action to "solve" the "problem." But obviously the mere expression of disapproval or disgust for something isn't a liberal attribute. Every last one of us does that all the time.

[TheWasteLand]

Man, reading all that whining made me hungry. I think I’ll get me a burger.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I, for one, would eat a double helping of creme brulee to honor OBAMA’s pronouncement.

[GOP_Lady]

Tisk. Tisk. OBAMA has told you that you can't. You had better mind him.

[GOP_Lady]

That’s it! I’ll have four instead of one.

[Mr. Mojo]

Spot-on zinger.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

In case you’re interested...

[GOP_Lady]

Hey, as long as they don’t pick on Twiggy types (like me), it’s groovy and I’m cool with that. :-)

[Eric Blair 2084]

The NRA is well organized and have an answer for every stupid liberal argument, God bless them. They are a shining beacon to demonstrate exactly how to fight simplistic retarded feel good legislation.

Unfortunately, the oil, food and alcohol companies are falling right in line behind the tobacco companies in trying to appease liberals hoping they will get what they want and go away. They’re the next ones to go over the cliff.

They’ll learn their lesson the hard way.

[GOP_Lady]

Thanks for inviting the great and gracious and eloquent Madame. :-)

[thulldud]

Even Rosie O’donnell balked at that, exclaimning; “Did you ever see the size of my a*s?”

File under "Mental images I could have done without."

OTOH, we may have just found a use for the Sunday New York Times.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

You can express disgust, contempt or anything else you want, that’s perfectly fine, but it rarely stops there.

[freedomfiter2]

Smoking used to be cool — obesity has always been stigmatized. Some people eat “comfort food” to make up for feelings of rejection — more stigmatization will only make matters worse.

In most cultures including America (at least for men) being fat was a sign of prosperity.

[Lizavetta]