Hegemon

I was reading this interesting article in Slate Magazine and it got me thinking about the obesity problem in America (and in the world, for that matter).  First of all, I'll say flat out that I may sound really ignorant and biased in my opinions because I honestly haven't put alot of effort into researching the topics; I come from the background of my training and thats all I really know.  The article discusses the politics of fat and they are tremendously more complex than I ever thought.  It explains that there is a growing civil rights movement amongst obese communities.  Like any movement there are a number of groups that have formed to champion these rights.  And I agree that EVERYONE should be treated equally and fairly and I also agree that obesity in America is seen as social stigma.

          What I do not agree with, however, is some of the ideas set forth by these groups.  One of them is that obesity is no fault of the individual but rather because of genetics and society.  Granted, overconsumption is an inherent part of our society, and I realize that genetic makeup plays a role.  However, the trend toward blaming others and hiding behind our genetic code in lieu of taking personal responsibility is ridiculous.  We harm our bodies all day and expect someone else to clean up our mess.  You can't forget to pump gas in your car (or even worse, put sugar in your tank) and expect it to run smoothly always....and if things go wrong, you can't say that "society" drove me to leave my tank empty because of oil prices or my tank was empty because the make/model of my car wasn't designed to hold a million gallons.  [hmmm, contrived metaphor, sorry].

There is gaining drive amongst these civil rights groups toward regarding obesity not as a disease, but a distinct minority group.  But that doesn't make complete sense to me....probably since I think it IS a disease.  I don't see how anyone can argue that obesity isn't harmful.  Study after Study has shown the benefits of weight loss and the harms of increased weight and overconsumption.  I feel obesity needs to be pathologized because it IS a problem, akin to alcoholism or other addictions.  I do completely understand that people are made to feel badly about their weight and that is where the social difficulty is.  Fat may be beautiful, but you can't argue that fat is healthy.   I think there is a huge difference between wanting fair treatment and wanting distinct minority status (especially since overweight people make up the majority now).  I find it ridiculous that people are saying "wanting to be thin [for an obese person] is like a black person wanting to be white."  I think these groups are misguided and their practices could be very dangerous. 

Alright, I'll get off my soapbox, I just thought it was an interesting article and thought I would comment.  Let me know if you think I'm way off base.