Fat-shaming may curb obesity, bioethicist says page 3

[Leida]

I think it is a horrible idea. Why aim to destroy other people's contentment? There is so little of it in the current society, that adding pressure to this area is just wrong imo. It's not like there is a woman alive in this society that is not brainwashed enough to equate thin with happy. It's not like Americans in particularly are brainwashed to be unsatisfied and discontented with what they have, constantly being bombarded with the message of wanting MORE to achieve the Ultimate Happiness.

Brewing more personal discontent and self-loathing is not going to help anything. Least of all the entire developed world across the board weight loss. In my view the things will slowly turn around as people will adapt to living in the society of plenty.

To be honest the most effective way to a healthy state of the humankind is to slowly start raising the price of food, so it becomes a valuable commodity again, not a dirt-cheap drug, coupled with teaching people to enjoy the meals as an experience and re-connecting with everything that is good about being healthy, active and content. Content with less rather than chasing the ever-elusive more.

[trekfan]

That's what did it for me the first time as well. I used to force myself to do massive amounts of cardio, I'd be running with my eyes closed thinking of hot women and chanting to myself "doing it for the bootie". It worked, lost 100+lbs, got a date with my future wife and then proceeded to pack it all back on in happy bliss. Nowadays, I'm halfway back to where I was when I got that date, but rather than chanting "doing it for the bootie", I get a reminder of why I'm doing this everytime my kid wakes up in the morning.

^That made me smile. I hope that my lost weight results in finding a future wife, but we'll see.

As for kids, I work with kids for a living and let me tell you, Primal has made things MUCH easier with them. I tire them out, not the other way around. I'm able to tire out my 15 year old brother and his friends. The energy, the freedom of movement, is such a huge benefit. If I ever have the pleasure of being a father, I'm gonna be one of those dads that are able to keep up with their kids, do stuff with their kids ... not sit around sadly and watch them do things. Keep it up man, it's totally worth it when it comes to kids.

[JoanieL]

My parents taught me that making fun of the way a person looks is rude.

The reality is that every pack needs a scapegoat. Now that it's unPC to make fun of women, blacks, Jews, etc., we can all just gang up on overweight people. If we get them all thin, I shudder to think who's next.

[sarahelyse]

Doesn't work when everyone around you are obese though. Look at Mississippi. Obesity there is the norm.

This is so true. It took a trip out of state (to Colorado), surrounded by different people, for it to finally click for me that being fat is not normal. When I got home, it was mind blowing to look around and finally be able to see all the people around me as being fat instead of normal.

[Richard Seekins]

I'm wondering what fat people have to do with me? its up to the individual how they live their life.

[sbhikes]

You are correct, we should probably just skip the shaming step and just throw fatties in prison; err, I mean "involuntary weight loss camps".

With armed guards and no food. This way they will eat each other. I mean, you have to eat fat to lose fat right?

As a thought experiment, of course.

I'm wondering what fat people have to do with me? its up to the individual how they live their life.

Bite your tongue! We must shame them! We must! Hitting them with dodge balls all through elementary school wasn't enough.

[Rusty]

This is just my take as a former fatty. Even if I was shamed about being fat, how was I going to lose weight? CW and SAD did not work for me. What did work was hCG, which the FDA says it doesn't work. Had I listened to them, I would still be fat, even with Paleo eating.

Why not have the gov't fund all fatties to have lap band or gastric bypass?

Shaming a street junkie to get help? That works, right? How about alcoholics? We can shame them into not drinking? How about the homeless?

They guy who wrote the article needs to be ashamed.

[qqemokitty]

You know, as a current fat person working to become less so, I have to say this is pretty awful.

Shaming someone for how they look doesn't motivate them. It makes them more depressed which will most likely lead them further down the rabbit hole of binging and crash dieting, making them fatter.

Fat people are still PEOPLE and shaming us for how we look is not helpful. Fat acceptance is about remembering and accepting that no matter what you look like, you are still a PERSON, and you still matter.

So many overweight people in the world, from the massively obese to the mildly overweight (like 20 lbs or so) think of themselves as nothing, as unworthy of love, as unworthy of being healthier or better because the world tells us so, every single day.

How about instead of that, you tell everyone, fat or thin, that the problem is not JUST THEM. The problem is the food. The problem is the society we live in that values appearance over intelligence, manners, and kindness. Tell them they don't have to hate themselves, tell them that WE don't hate them just because they aren't physically ideal.

Fat people are not your enemy. They are human beings deserving of the same basic rights and respects given to anyone of any size, race, color, creed, sexuality, gender identification, or any other arbitrary way we've chosen to separate ourselves.

When you call a fat person a 'fatty' you make them into nothing but a thing, an object to be ridiculed and disgusted by. I have often referred to myself that way, to be self deprecating, and at least because if I say it first it doesn't hurt as much when someone else does.

[Urban Forager]

From my experience most overweight people already have enough shame.

It might be helpful to look at when the rise in obesity occurred (70's) and reverse the changes that were made in food production and commodities subsidies. In addition start preparing real food for kids at schools and teaching them real nutrition. Stop giving schools the lowest quality foods. Stop advertising that's at directed at children.

[bloodorchid]

shaming does not work

any dumbass should know that

educate people, show them why 'healthy whole grains' is still keeping them fat, then they won't wonder why they're not losing weight if they do everything right