Fatshaming

[travelinterest]

After a conversation with friends, and with obesity (especially in young people) becoming a bigger crisis than smoking in our society, am I unreasonable to think that as we villanise smoking and drinking, should we fat shame more to encourage people to change their lifestyles. It's certainly worked with reducing smoking rates. Don't attack me (I've lost 2 stone). Just wondering why we target smoking more than fast food?

But obesity doesn't have an impact on people stood around them.

Snoking is foul because I can smell the disgusting stench and it clings to my hair and clothes. It makes my asthma bad and passive smoking is unhealthy. Dirty cigarette ends are thrown on the floor and litter.

I can't usually smell an obese person, they don't tend to stink, leave their vile breath all over me and litter the place as well as have a negative impact on my own health.

Obesity impacts everyone. It costs tax payers billions per annum to thr nhs. Money that could be spent on many other things to improve quality of life.

So yes, it impacts everyone standing round the person sadly.

How much does dying 20 years earlier save? That bit always gets conveniently forgotten about when there's a fat bashing thread to indulge in.

How much does dying 20 years earlier save

I don't think that's quantifiable easily or reliably really, as age and health care required in those additional twenty years will differ for everyone. Many people can live to a ripe old age with little to no health care requirements, others clearly will have many.

Yes indeed.
everyone is in poor heath when they die!,

So does smoking, Bluntness. It does all that AND is absolutely fucking disgusting for everyone around them which obesity isn't.

Not sure fat shaming is the answer although it seems on here sometimes skinny shaming is thought of differently and is fair game..
I think educating children at school on healthy lifestyles overall would be useful. Both physically and mentally. They seem to obviously cover food groups and balance but not portion control or the importance of exercise for physical and mental health.
We do talk to our kids about this to try and help them learn and we also try and show that exercise is an important part of life.

So does smoking, Bluntness

Sure, but two wrongs don't make a right. I'm sorry in this i don't get your point.

In fact in terms of smoking, the money the government raises in taxes means they contribute more than they take.

Either way though, as said, because smoking is bad, it doesn't lessen the cost or impacts of obesity on both the individual and society in general.

How much is spent treating serious injuries caused by playing sport?

I guess playing sport has significant health advantages for many participants.

Either way, it's not a competition really. A race to the bottom.

I just don't think the two are comparable, sorry.

By being obese, I'm not deliberately killing myself. It isn't my fault, I can't do anything about it and I'm not having a direct impact on anyone else.

The NHS has far more problems with smoking, drug related injury/illness, alcohol related injury /illness and sport related injury.

Do fat people not also pay tax? Being the greedy disgusting articles that they are stuffing themselves with takeaways they must pay a shitload of VAT.

I'm not sure where this is going. One of the biggest costs to the nhs is obesity. We can't change that fact.

Of course other things cost the nhs, the point on smokers were they pay such a high level of tax on cigarettes they pay more than they cost.

But of course smoking is bad, as is alcohol when abused and drugs.

I genuinely don't get thr argument here. As said, two wrongs don't make a right, and other things being bad doesn't lessen the impact of obesity.

The thread is also about obesity in society, I don't think anyone is disputing it's not the only problem in society, and as said, it's not a competition on which is worse.

I think it's the blame.

Where as smoking is a choice. Playing sport of a choice. Taking drugs is a choice. Drinking alcohol is a choice.

For some, obesity may be a choice, yes. However, for many, obesity isn't a choice. Some people are uneducated in diet and nutrition. Some are disabled and find it difficult to prepare healthy food and exercise. Some have eating disorders or mental health issues. Some take medication or have illnesses that make them susceptible to weight gain.

If you ask most obese people if they want to be fat, I don't think many would say yes. Drinking alcohol though is "fun" and "social" and for some the only way they can exist. Smoking is "cool". Sport is "healthy". They're all choices.

Sure, I agree, but I think we have to stop trying to absolve people of any form of personal responsibility when it comes to their body weight.

The simple fact is many eat too much and move too little. I've done it myself. I am not disputing for some it's due to factors outwith their control, but for many, very, very many, it's about poor lifestyle choices day in and day out.

At one extreme we have fat shaming, which is no way acceptable, but it's also not ok to to go the other extreme and say there is no personal responsibility or accountablity. That helps no one either.

I completely agree. As someone said earlier, the stats for obesity due to medication or disability are very low.

I do think that we need better education though, plus a really good look at food prices, packaging and the type of crap that's available to buy at rock bottom prices.

"Where as smoking is a choice. Playing sport of a choice. Taking drugs is a choice. Drinking alcohol is a choice."

Being an alcoholic or a drug addict is no more a choice than being obese. Less so, I would argue.

Tobacco, alcohol and drug addictions can be very hard “choices” to change! As can being overweight.

I do think that we need better education though, plus a really good look at food prices, packaging and the type of crap that's available to buy at rock bottom prices

I agree but there is a balance to be had between help in terms of education and a nanny state that penalises everyone with food control through taxation etc .

I think This thread has shown whatever the answer is, it's not just one answer and it's not easy either.

"I do think that we need better education though, plus a really good look at food prices, packaging and the type of crap that's available to buy at rock bottom prices"

I agree and normalising or even glamorising overweight and obesity means these things won't happen. We have to recognise the problem and act on it.

I disagree, Gwen. I've chosen to not take drugs, smoke or drink. It's quite simple. Not once you're addicted, no, but it's a choice to begin with. I'm also a survivor of CSA, I have complex PTSD and I'm chronically ill and in a wheelchair, before people say "oh but addicts have it so tough".

Agree, Bluntness, it's not a simple thing to tackle by any stretch of the imagination.

"glamorising overweight"

Without mentioning Tess Holliday, examples please?

I really don't think anyone choses to be an alcoholic or addicted to drugs, but it's like obesity, a series of bad choices that lead to that.

So for example with obesity, no one goes from slim to obese over night
No one goes from lighting up a cigarette to being addicted thr next day, no one picks up their first glass of wine and is an alcoholic the next day, no one takes their first snort of coke thinking they would love to be an addict. The end result is never the choice. It's simply the end result of a serious of bad choices.

All of them take some effort. Bad choices, day in and day out over a period of time. All of them take some considerable effort to reverse out.

True, but sometimes with obesity, it isn't about bad choices, it's about no choice.