We’ve been hearing ad nauseum that our country is consumed by an obesity epidemic, with 60% of Americans overweight and one in four obese — conditions that are sending people early to their graves.
This is indeniable truth, right?
Not according to the soon-to-be-published book (Oct. 21), Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America’s Obesity Epidemic by J. Eric Oliver, which topples our assumptions.
According to the publisher, Oxford University Press, Oliver — an associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of Democracy in Suburbia and the forthcoming book, The Paradoxes of Segregation — "unearths the real story behind America’s `obesity epidemic.’" The description continues:
Oliver shows how a handful of doctors, government bureaucrats, and health researchers, with financial backing from the drug and weight-loss industry, have campaigned to misclassify more than sixty million Americans as "overweight," to inflate the health risks of being fat, and to promote the idea that obesity is a killer disease. In reviewing the scientific evidence, Oliver shows there is little proof either that obesity causes so many diseases and deaths or that losing weight makes people any healthier. Our concern with obesity is fueled more by social prejudice, bureaucratic politics, and industry profit than by scientific fact.
Such misinformation, Oliver argues, is the true problem with obesity in America. By telling us we need to be thin, the proponents of the "obesity epidemic" are pushing millions of Americans towards dangerous surgeries, crash diets, and harmful diet drugs. Oliver goes on to examine the surprising reasons why we hate fatness and why we are gaining weight, and also the real threats to our health that are being displaced by our fat obsession.
I confess that I’m quite intrigued. I’m telling you I did lots and lots of interviews with experts, who spouted off quite a bit about our obesity epidemic. Were they lying to me? Are they being misled themselves. How can all these experts be part of a scam to make obesity sound worse than it is! I’d sure like to know. Of course, I also wonder if Oliver talks about our sugar consumption at all in his book?
I’m ready to buy it. Darn, it’s not out yet. But it looks like Amazon is taking orders now.
Thanks muchly to my new online buddy Bill Quick over at Daily Pundit for giving us advance word about this book on his blog.
As you may recall, Bill rightly called into question my inappropriate choice of the word "perverted" to describe Seth Roberts’s "Shangri-La Diet." A couple of blog entries and e-mails later, we’ve reached a mutual respect. Fascinating how the Internet can bring people together.
Bill’s pretty interesting, as is his Daily Pundit site. He’s upfront that he has certain biases. He’s also evidently one prolific writer — he’s turned out 28 novels (a few with William Shatner) and a bunch of screenplays. Hmm, I’m in the mood for some fiction. Which novel should I buy when I want to take a break from all these heavy-duty, non-fiction health books? Ideas, Bill?
By the way, Bill’s the man who named the "blogosphere." Pretty cool word, eh?
4 thoughts on “60 Million Amercans Aren’t Overweight? Say What!”
Wholly unscientific as it is, my own two eyes tell me far more people are overweight than 40 years ago when I was a child. I see it mostly in the teenagers – I recall overweight kids, much less fat ones, being extremely rare. Now the non-pudgy (judging by what I see at the bus stops) are the uncommon ones. Perhaps its just a function of where I live and social class, but it always lent weight to the “obesity epidemic” arguments to me.
That said, we are a bunch of social lemmings. It only takes a few voices crying out loudly and confidently to provoke a following. The content of what is raised is almost irrelevant.
WOW – talk about what happens when you’re inside all day manipulating data…you miss seeing for yourself how big people are in the US! You can’t walk down any street in the US without the majority of those you pass by weighing more than they should. I gotta see how the author tries to “spin” the data to show what my own eyes show me each day!
Good work. I like your site. Fantastic blog: http://interactive.usc.edu/members/students/2005/09/carcassonne.php , hours drive from where
So what if people are fat, especially if you are not one of them? If you are fat and it bothers you, then it is 100% within your power to do something about it – i.e. eat less and do some exercise. Going for a 20 minute walk each day will do. Both of these activities tend to be free.
If you are fat and it doesn’t bother you, tuck in. Enjoy the great tasty food that is out there today. I love McDonalds and have done since I was a kid. I remember my first McDonalds. Vividly. It was great.
So what if people object to the fact you take up two seats on the bus, drive around in a gas guzzler because it’s more comfortable, or just plain don’t like the way you look? That’s their problem, not yours.
Fast food sells because it is cheap and tastes great. I’d rather chomp on a burger than a cucumber or lettuce leaf anyday.
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