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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[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.