Is Obesity Justifiable?
Question by Nicholas: Is obesity justifiable?
Granted there are individuals that have serious medical conditions that impede to a normal loss of weight, as a nation and society we cherish the ‘extra baggage’ as a realistic expectation for human development. There are an overwhelming number of critically obese people (and I speak of 300+ lbs here) and I feel it is sad and melancholy experience from multiple perspectives.
On one hand, we have the argument that – “They aren’t hurting anybody. Leave them be.”
On the other hand, the contrast to this is – “They are naturally that way due to health conditions.”
I have to disagree with both of these arguments, as they are indirectly affecting a LOT when you back up the chain. Obviously one person isn’t having a dramatic effect, but en masse and on a national scale it’s been stated that obesity in our country “has the highest preventable cause of death and surmounts to a massive drain upon public resources for health care and public EBT assistance.”
I can’t help but ask myself why this is allowed to continue? This is a seriously creeping problem and there appears to be no action to assist with resolving it.
I love a few extra lbs in bed (180 for a woman?). Some of my best friends are pushing 300 (and I feel sad for them every day). I’ve had my own addictions (I was a hefty heroin addict for 3 years – now 12 years clean and sober).I’ve packed on an extra 40 lbs, and noticed it occurring so I worked out every day and ate half as much. Lost 42 lbs in a month and a half.
So don’t tell me “they can’t help it” or “it makes them feel comfortable” or “its their life, let them live it.” Those are ridiculous excuses assisting with the justification and enabling of such behavior. I see people not even being able to get onto the bus! Do we truly want to continue spreading these genes through our future?
Should we have better public assistance to help end obesity or simply ignore them entirely and let the fat waste them
Best answer:
Answer by Vincent
Of course we should help them. Same way we should help anyone with problems.
Answer by Beery
I agree with your opinion regarding the excuse that fat people use to defend their obesity.
The idea that they aren’t hurting anyone is wrong: they pull resources from our health care system that ought to be used for actual diseases. As for obesity being a disease – it’s not – it’s a lifestyle choice. If that were not a fact, people would gain weight even if they starved themselves, and that just does not happen.
Obesity is a disgusting form of adult delinquency comparable to drug addiction. In my opinion, obese people ought to be placed in court-mandated rehab, just like drug addicts.
The problem is, unless we start incentivizing healthy weight, this problem is liable to get worse. It’s about time society put some kind of charge on obesity, so that these folks stopped being a drain on everyone’s insurance premiums. If we did that, THEN they could say that they weren’t hurting anyone. Until that happens, they ARE hurting all the rest of us.