You know things have gone too far when Bill Maher is one of the voices of reason speaking out. Although our economy currently looks like the aftermath of a Category 5 hurricane, our energy independence is in the dumper, crime is out of control in many cities, our border is a wreck, and foreign heads of state openly laugh at our leadership, we’re told things just couldn’t be “healthier.”ĭitto on the sex front, which at times, borders on the ridiculous. Political leaders and their media lapdogs also routinely redefine “healthy” when it comes to our national well-being. ‘Reproductive health’ is used to justify abortion.” ‘Mental health’ is used to justify feeding hormone suppressants to vulnerable children.
Bedford highlights this when he says, “‘Sexual health,’ for example, is used to justify all sorts of perversions in the classroom. The results of such language games, made possible by forerunning philosophers such as Saussure, Wittgenstein, Derrida, and others, are predictable and political. Instead, “healthy” has been redefined to signify that which makes a person feel good about themselves and allows them to have what they want. There’s a lot of talk today about “health,” but the term doesn’t mean what you think it means. Author Christopher Bedford puts it well when he writes, “Regardless of whether you think ‘fat is beautiful,’ it’s not healthy.”Īs we’re about to see, this isn’t the only area of life being culturally redefined as “healthy.” It’s gotten so bad that there’s never been a more appropriate time in our history to hear the words of the Lost in Space Robot: “Danger Will Robinson, Danger!” Maybe you feel the overweight look is attractive and that’s fine, however, you’re missing the point. The risk we’re talking about is with someone who reaches the point of true obesity through lack of personal discipline and constant poor choices and thinks that’s OK.
Hiding from truth never is.īefore I’m tarred and feathered, let’s be clear: we’re not looking at the person who puts on some pounds via age, through moderate over-indulgences, or struggles with weight due to various medical conditions (to be transparent, I struggle with weight gain as I get older). Patients may choose to hide their weight when accessing their post-visit summary.” Says the article: “At One Medical, doctors ask patients whether they are comfortable getting their weight taken at annual wellness visits … If patients do consent to be weighed, doctors give them the option of not seeing or hearing the actual number. This thinking has now trickled down to include doctor’s offices where, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, patients can opt-out of weigh-ins. As is the way in our current culture, anyone not participating in the trend is publicly accused of being fataphobic (is that really a word?) and forced to join in.Īs to whether that’s a winning plan or not, ask Old Navy, a subsidiary of Gap, how well that financially worked out for them when they went all-in with “clothing inclusivity” (not good). Today, it’s not just Sports Illustrated showcasing plus-size swimsuit models - nearly every corporation using digital marketing these days is utilizing large and overweight individuals to sell their stuff. It’s never been a better time to be obese. An obese man sits on a wall in the Canary Wharf financial district of London, April 1, 2009.