Good piece on Slate.com over the weekend in which it is suggested that “in the war on fat, fat isn't just winning, it's crushing the opposition. A new study reports that in the course of a lifetime, 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women are going to become overweight. The CDC says that a third of the country is currently obese. This puts a large portion of the nation's population in an unenviable predicament, since antipathy toward the fat, it's frequently remarked, is the last sanctioned form of bigotry. But bigotry is traditionally the plight of minorities, and the fat are fast becoming a majority. So, is America's spreading waistline at least a plus for anti-fat-discrimination efforts?”
The article makes clear that while the obsession with fat is making some people go on diets, it is just making a lot of other people angry, and they are demanding that “society transform its bodily ideals, instead of agreeing that they should try to transform their bodies.” Many of these people questions the research on why people get fat, argue about whether fat is really unhealthy, debate whether overweight people should have rights under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and form activist organizations to rail against the demonization of their plight.
“The real bottom line is that processed food—which generally means higher-calorie food—is more profitable than raw food,” Slate writes. “Flavor is eliminated, then artificially added (usually meaning fat or sugars); nutrients are lost, then artificially added. The more additives, the higher the price. And we all know where this money trail leads: to our stomachs and hips.”
The article makes clear that while the obsession with fat is making some people go on diets, it is just making a lot of other people angry, and they are demanding that “society transform its bodily ideals, instead of agreeing that they should try to transform their bodies.” Many of these people questions the research on why people get fat, argue about whether fat is really unhealthy, debate whether overweight people should have rights under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and form activist organizations to rail against the demonization of their plight.
“The real bottom line is that processed food—which generally means higher-calorie food—is more profitable than raw food,” Slate writes. “Flavor is eliminated, then artificially added (usually meaning fat or sugars); nutrients are lost, then artificially added. The more additives, the higher the price. And we all know where this money trail leads: to our stomachs and hips.”
- KC's View:
