In talking about stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, I think it is very important to include the stigmatization of obesity in the conversation. This article captures well the complexity of the issue and a suggestion for a way forward. Katz makes the point that the stigmatization of individuals with obesity remains socially acceptable, a luxury which very few other stigmas enjoy. The reason for this is the automatic attribution of personal responsibility associated with persons who are obese. Labels of lazy and lacking will power clash wholly with the American values of individualism and work ethic, so it stands to reason that obesity is on the front line of stigmatizing conditions in this country.
On the other hand, Katz makes the argument that obesity as a condition should not be fought for with the same tolerance as other stigmatizing conditions. The fact of the matter is, obesity is a problem when it comes to health. Risks for heart disease and diabetes increase significantly when one is overweight, so it is costly for the individual as well as the larger society in terms of medical costs.
The thing I liked about this article the most was that Katz argued against the customary practice of blaming the individual for their obesity. Instead he implicated the way society has become an enabler for such a condition. Modern conveniences, availability of food (not the healthy kind), and entertainment sources enjoyed passively all interact with individual body types and genetics to create the problem. The take home message is that anti-fat biases should be discouraged, but obesity as an issue should be treated as a public health emergency.
Do you think that such obesity is a condition that should be stigmatized like it is? How is obesity as a stigmatized condition different from other stigmatizing conditions? Should anti-fat bias be reigned in with regard to its widespread social acceptability?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/do-we-need-a-fattitude-ad_b_509572.html
On the other hand, Katz makes the argument that obesity as a condition should not be fought for with the same tolerance as other stigmatizing conditions. The fact of the matter is, obesity is a problem when it comes to health. Risks for heart disease and diabetes increase significantly when one is overweight, so it is costly for the individual as well as the larger society in terms of medical costs.
The thing I liked about this article the most was that Katz argued against the customary practice of blaming the individual for their obesity. Instead he implicated the way society has become an enabler for such a condition. Modern conveniences, availability of food (not the healthy kind), and entertainment sources enjoyed passively all interact with individual body types and genetics to create the problem. The take home message is that anti-fat biases should be discouraged, but obesity as an issue should be treated as a public health emergency.
Do you think that such obesity is a condition that should be stigmatized like it is? How is obesity as a stigmatized condition different from other stigmatizing conditions? Should anti-fat bias be reigned in with regard to its widespread social acceptability?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/do-we-need-a-fattitude-ad_b_509572.html
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