Recently I heard a friend make a comment that was somewhat sarcastic and somewhat meant to be a joke but it made me wonder. The comment was if we yell at smokers for smoking and tell them to stop why then should we refrain from yelling at obese people and tell them to stop eating. Now this is a hard topic to cover because there are so many outside factors that this does not even consider. Yes, before everyone comments I know that not all obesity is caused by overeating. However, for the sake of this argument I am going to be following on the assumption that what if it was. Well would it be correct to harass people that overeat and cause their own obesity. Is overeating an addiction just like smoking? Do we have the right to harass people for their overeating? Probably not, I know so do not post me a million times telling me I do not know anything and that I am wrong.
However, it made me wonder though. Overeating is considered an addiction just like everything else seems to be. The difference is that while yes it causes so many health risks to the person it does not hurt anyone besides the person them self. Nevertheless, why I wonder are we so polite about our discrimination against obesity. People have been known to lose jobs because of this discrimination. While you may hear someone yelling at a smoker on the street preaching about all of the health risks of smoking, you will not hear someone yelling at an obese person preaching the statistics to them and telling them to stop eating. It is just not socially accepted to harass overweight people but it is all right to go after the smokers, why?
I am not trying to justify it I am just trying to address a problem and find the root of it. As a society, we crucify people that smoke, drink, and do drugs. However, on the gray areas of obesity, we discriminate against overweight people but no one steps forward to speak against it openly, why?
I agree, I think that overeating is an addiction that needs to be addressed. My logic for not saying anything to a big person is that their overeating is not affecting my health, but smoking is. I have a hard time breathing around smoke, so if someone is smoking in a prohibited place I do ask them to stop. If they don't I call the police or security. Of course, if it's permissible in that area the smoke is my problem to deal with and I keep my mouth shut. Overeating, however, doesn't affect my safety or comfort.
http://progressiveu.org/blog/leslieq
Check it out...it's a work in progress.
I also agree... overeating is horrible and deadly addiction. Unfortunately it can be as bad or maybe even worse than smoking. I think if we see a loved one or someone that we are pretty close to overeating than you should give them a nudge and say " hey, you can do yourself some great harm if you keep living that way". We would do it to smokers, without hesitation. I guess it really is just the way we say it. We don't want offend anyone. Eating is definitely a sore subject.
Jasmin Muniz
I think that people do talk to others about obesity problems, when it's a close friend or family member. When you're very close to someone, you worry about them and their health. I think it's out of place for someone who isn't close to the person to comment on either their over eating OR smoking habits. However, it definately is more socially acceptable to comment on someone's smoking, and I think this makes sense. Obease people are usually self-concious about their weight, and it's rude to bring attention to someone's flaw that they may be embarassed about. Smoking isn't usually an insecurity for most people, and if it is, it's something that can easily be hidden.
Obese people already are subjected to a lot of rude comments and jokes, and they are generally very insecure about their weight, while smoking has been "cool" with westerners since Columbus. I think the huge emphases the government puts on not smoking (commercials, flyers, health class) is because celebrities do it. Celebreties are not fat, and therefore the public must already want to eat less. Considering the fact that our culture is steered by television, we are already getting weight loss commercials with every tv show we watch, which just happens to be a lot more than the occasional comercial about not smoking.
Overeating doesn't harm anybody but individuals, I don't think we need to really address it any more than it is being right now. What else can we really do? Hide food? I don't think so. I am not being sarcastic or rude here, I am serious.
Après la pluie le beau temps. ♥
Check out my latest blog! :]
at some point in time, it has become socially acceptable to preach the health risks of smoking to the man on the right with a cigarette in hand, and the dangerously obese man on the left to join in also. Today heart disease is the leading killer so why not preach to the obese man on the left? surely they realise that the man on the left is at just as much danger if not more then the smoker.
smokers are often well aware of the risks and dangers of smoking
alot of people who are obese do not recognise nor acknowledge their problem
are we all in denial?
Several people above made the point that over-eating does not harm anybody but the person doing the eating. In a world where everybody was forced to take responsibility for and pay the costs that ...
Private insurance companies "socialize" medicine in the same way. Premiums go up, whether you are healthy or not, so the insurance company can make up the losses they suffer on the less healthy.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Even in a non-socialized healthcare system, others are affected when people have health issues related to obesity. The demand shifts from primary care physicians to those who treat specialized conditions, such as the heart disease and other problems that accompany obesity. This takes away from the first line of defense that most people have against diseases, simply because we only have a set number of people going into medicine, and more and more of those are moving away from primary care.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
only hurt themselves by over eating. They hurt their families and loved ones when they die early, especially if they were a breadwinner. Few of them have life insurance because they couldn't afford the high premiums they would be charged.
They hurt their families and the rest of the community when they require intensive medical care like kidney dialysis and heart surgeries. Diabetes is major cause of serious medical conditions that cost everyone a lot of money, from the glucometers and test strips, insulin, all the way up to prosthetics and scooters. SNF care and home wound care are more expenses. What about the families who don't have medical insurance? their loved ones get the privilege of caring for them themselves.
I don't mean to be rude, but it is true. I think that as a matter of choice, we all owe it to our families to take care of ourselves so that our children can grow up without having to ever worry about us not being able to survive without them. With that said, smokers have the same obligation.
One thing that really pisses me off is that insurance companies don't cover smoking cessation treatment, but they'll pay for chemo and oxygen therapy. They won't cover the lap-band (except for some PPOs) but they'll cover all the complications caused by obesity. They cover gastric bypass, which is not very effective and causes a lot of side effects, but not cheaper, less invasive and more effective treatment. It makes me crazy when i think about how poorly ran medical insurance companies are, including the ones funded by the state.
If you like this post, please tip me. All tips will be forwarded to ProgressiveU.org. Keep the site alive!