Check out Kate Harding on WTTW Chicago
This segment is definitely worth a look. Kate does a great job of presenting a cool and logical argument against the war on obesity. What kills me about the concept is that the doc they had on to discuss the anti-fat side espoused a lot of good HAES principles. How can you get HAES and not get that the war should be on crappy food and sedentary lifestyles, not body size? How can you still be comparing fatness with smoking when smoking is a behavior and fat is a characteristic?
Also, does anyone have any sources for data on whether the rates of fat-correlated disease have actually risen as sharply as fatness is claimed to have increased? Because really, if one in three people is now overweight but fewer than one in three people has a heart problem or the diabetes, doesn't that prove the point right there that there are plenty of non-sick fat people out there and that the government should leave us the heck alone?
Your thoughts?
The Onion Shows 'Not Eating' to be Ineffective | Paul Campos and America's Moral Panic
Posted by CarrieP on July 30, 2009
Here's a citation on how Americans are living more robustly and enjoying a better quality of life than in all of history:
Dramatic Changes in U.S. Aging Highlighted in New Census, NIH Report, news release, March 9, 2006; Mike Berman, contact (301) 763-3030.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/aging_population/006544.html This also links to full 243-page report 65+ in the United States: 2005 [PDF].
Hope that helps.
Now, with regard to this interview, that man is scary. He is very calm, very likable, but his "code language" is just horrifying. In the beginning he talks of "mandatory" measures, which he calmly explains as mandatory access to health care. Fine, but it makes me ask, if people do not comply with their "mandatory access" to certain preventative measures "to help them take better care of themselves," will they then be denied treatment for conditions that later present, but may or may not be related to their obesity. Again, "associated with" becomes conflated with "caused by," and fat people get blamed for their conditions (and possibly denied treatment?) when thin people are not. Troubling.
Later, when talking about Dr. Benjamin, he clarifies that she may not be guilty of "willful misconduct." Yeesh. Criminal language. Yet he urges sensitivity. Yeesh again. Physician, sensitize yourself, please!
I concur entirely on the whole Government leaving us the heck alone thing. That's why even if I WAS into HAES (I'm not) I couldn't support a 'war' on 'crappy food and sedentary lifestyles' - the alleged behavioral causes of fat - any more than the current targeting of fat people themselves. My body, my business; if my behavior doesn't hurt anyone else, why should the Government be interested in my dietary habits or lack of exercise?
"The reward for conformity is that everybody likes you except yourself" - Rita Mae Brown
@richie79 - well yes, you're right, and I don't really support the idea of anyone telling me that I have to eat a certain way or exercise a certain amount. What I really want to see is a refocusing of the health discussion toward habits instead of physical characteristics.
The problem is that when discussing health, too much focus is placed on only fat people and they're lumped into one group assuming all their lifestyles are the same. Only the fat need to change, nobody else does. When you talk health, you need to include everyone and consider other factors such as economic status, genetics, location, employment (or non) and not obsess over body shape.
I can eat at McDonald's three times a day for a week like a thin person can, I can work out the same number of hours as that person, yet because my body is much bigger, I'm always assumed to have diabetes, heart complications, and whatever ailment the medical community blames on fat these days. That is what we need to change---the narrow-minded perception of these so-called experts.
I also thought that guy was scary. That code language and the whole "willful misconduct" thing was horrible--I mean, he can't know anything more about Benjamin's habits than he does about anyone else's, and what he said suggests that she is exempt, but all other fat people are "willfully" being fat in defiance (of moral law?).
But the other really frightening thing for me was the stuff Carrie mentions. He tries to seem nice and pseudo-HAES, but for me he is just coopting our language/philosophy just like people can use PC-language and still do/say racist things. Some people are just becoming more covert about their bias.
I scoffed as soon as he said sensitivity given that one of his first sentences involved the old "elephant in the room" jab. Whether he did that intentionally or not--and I happen to believe he did--people, professionals included, with anti-fat bias do that all the time to demean us. I happen to think that people are very keen on talking about obesity, and I'd suggest there were several other elephants in the room which he clearly tried to avoid addressing.
But really, Kate did an excellent job and I was really impressed with the host--her tone, the points she brought up, and the fact that she seemed to have done her research.
Kate did an excellent job. She is always charismatic, poised and well spoken which makes her perfect for the job. She did us proud!
Dr. Kushner; however, did NOT do Northwestern proud. Obesity has not yet been proven to CAUSE disease. Period. That statement was completely false. If he still confuses correlation with causation he has no business calling himself a scientist. But sadly because obesity is so profitable it seems many doctors ignore the facts for the sake of their pocketbooks.
Smoking and obesity are two entirely different issues. Smoking has never contributed to the survival of the species where obesity has. The fundamental flaw in the obesity debate is they forget that fat has many protective functions. We are here and thriving because fat helped us through famine. In an article I read recently one of those bariatric quacks claimed that obesity is the only "disease" that undermines treatment. With other illnesses the body works to heal itself. But with obesity, the body sabotages weight loss. HELLO!!!!! Maybe it is NOT a disease and the only real problem is the flaws in the medical paradigm.
It is also outrageous and hypocritical for our government to go on an antiobesity crusade when it has ruined the country and created poverty for so many. We need to see this obesity crusade for what it really is. Just another way for the corporations to use government to help them make a profit. And created an even more guilty weight obsessed distracted population blinded to how they are being exploited.
"Fat can be beautiful. Intolerance is ALWAYS ugly!"
As with everyone here I agree that Kate did a GREAT job! and the Doctor was a dangerous moron. I say dangerous because he is advocating a no-win situation and obvious "punishment" for fat people who are already the target of so much hatred and contempt from Society.
As others here pointed out--words such as "mandatory", "Fat CAUSES illness" , rewarding people for going to nutritionists and places of physical activities, which as the doctor stated earlier must be "mandatory". Therefore equating that fat people are stupid and don't know how to take care of themselves and must be taught. And if it's mandatory to have such programs for the dumb fat people then there must be a punishment of somekind when one doesn't lose weight because fat people will be guilty of willful misconduct. Even though the jerk went on a seemingly compassionate statement of sensitivity that fat people may be "victims" of genetics and other conditions that don't have to do with "willfull misconduct", non-the-less by his prior statements where does that leave fat people who are mandated into forced physical activity and taking nutrional classes but still remain fat?... It leaves them guilty and at the mercy of whomever is in charge with what has been decided to try to do next to make fat people thin.
I wonder how much money fat people have REALLY caused the health care industry? Just because they're fat? Because to me, compared to sports injuries with it's multiple surgeries and all those the broken bones and knee and shoulder replacements,and the physical therapy, and all the drunk drivers and expensive medical care for the serious injuries that result, and the drunk and alcohol programs and damage to the liver, kindney etc. and all the care that goes into assisting with these substance problems--- that alone I would
think would far surpass any costs fat may impose on the health care system. To me I wonder if just sports alone is three times the cost they blame on fat people. But I don't know where to begin to get such information. But I do know the idiot President has said that fat people owe the tax payers BACK millions of dollars (more redistribution of wealth) for being a drain on the health care system. (I'm still looking for that footage so I can prove it.) So it's no wonder he wants to target a much maligned and hated segment of Society and turn people against them even more--after all, that his mode of operation.
I will not be forced into physical activity.. I wonder what they'll do to me? I guess I better never get sick as my care will be directly dictated by my weight even if what I"m seeking care for has nothing to do with weight. Well, at least I won't be alone in lacking care as the other group that's going to be targeted is the Elderly. Old people will be treated even worse that fat people. I wonder how they'll stop people from getting old? I expect it'll work about as well as how they're going to make fat people thin.