SamSaid!

OBESITY

     In yesteryear, people were described as either under weight, about normal, or overweight. Intellectuals often chose “ectomorph” or endomorph” to describe the extremes. When things got nasty, terms like skinny, scrawney, or fat were frequently used. But “obese” was a strongly pejorative word  –  almost like swearing. People were rarely called obese.. Nowadays, I guess it is a clinical term referring to the presence of excessive weight, and medical reports point to the high percentage of Americans who are obese.  And in days of “correctness” and “sensitivity”, obesity is more and more frequently described as a disease, disability or a handicap. Obviously, it is someone else's fault.  

     Without a doubt there is a percentage of overweight people who have a genetice defect. And there are those on the other end of the spectrum who simply enjoy stuffing themselves and could care less about potential health problems. But in between there are the vast majority of heavy folks who simply don't have the self discipline to control their own weight. They eat too much of the wrong stuff and don't burn it off with exercise and physical activity. It is many of these Americans ( and trial lawyers) who quickly point their fingers at the food providers and say “It's their fault”. You can just see the trial lawyers generating a class action suit against McDonalds and other food providers, blaming them for the obesity epidemic. And of course, there are the school administrators only too eager to blame McDonalds for providing menus approved by the schools for their increasingly obese students. .

     One thing is for sure   –  every pound of fat on a person originates with food taken by mouth and swallowed. Lots of food  –  lots of fat. It is not as though McDonalds (I'm not picking on them alone) sends out an army of thugs to capture innocent people, subdue them, pry open their mouths and stuff them full of fries, cheeseburgers etc.  If the McDonalds of the world has committed any kind of crime it is that of producing tasty food that people like. Overeating is not the fault of the food providers. Think about it  –  the role models you see on TV and generally trim and fit. And millions of people have the self discipline needed to keep themselves trim and fit. Unfortunately, many others do not. Ever see a skinny couch potato?

     Lawsuits against food companies is not the answer to obesity.. There are a lot of advantages that come from keeping your mouth shut. Avoiding obesity is one of them.