Fat Lib?
The oxymoronic and the just plain moronic
According to the entry of page 36 of the Douglass Dictionary, the word "activist" is defined as: Activist - noun 1. One who acts (as opposed to thinking), on behalf of a cause about which he knows only enough to utterly misunderstand. 2. One whose activity volume exists in directly inverse proportion to his knowledge. By definition, activists are people of extreme viewpoints (ironically, this is what most activists say about everyone else). And I take pride in having ruffled the feathers of a great many of them in this very venue, and in my newsletter. Over the years, I've run afoul of environmental activists, animal-rights activists, women's health activists (see also: mammogram mavens), anti-gun activists, exercise activists (redundant, I know), and just about every other kind of activist out there, except maybe anti-activist activists, if such a thing exists… And now, I'm about to add one more to the list: Fat activists. Now, I've touched on the fact (Daily Dose, 11/18/03) that fat acceptance has become trendy here in the U.S. - and that accommodating the overweight in this country has become big business (no wordplay intended, honest!). But I did not know that there were actual political organizations formed for the express purpose of promoting obesity as an acceptable lifestyle choice. Yet recently, I discovered the existence of at least two: The NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) and the International Size Acceptance Association, based in big-and-proud-of-it Texas (how fitting). Aside from the fact that "fat activism" is somewhat of an oxymoron, anyone who actively promotes fatness is just a moron. Look, it's one thing to not be able to help one's own size. But to actively convince others that obesity is not only acceptable, but something to strive for and be proud of, is misguided to the point of being criminal. I HOPE I offend these folks. I hope they all get so mad at me that they can't even eat. That would be the best thing I could ever do for them… Believe me when I tell you that fat - and I don't mean the kind of fat the anti-meat activist are talking about - kills. Fat-related diseases (diabetes, cancers, heart disease, etc.) kill more Americans in JUST ONE YEAR than were killed in all of World War 2 - 300,000. Obesity costs this country more than $100 billion annually, according to the government. And despite what you hear from the fat-sympathetic, obesity is NOT a natural condition, and the vast majority of overweight people don't have a problem with their glands or hormones - they have a problem with breads, sodas and desserts. Yet fat activists aren't the most insidious lobby promoting obesity today - at least they can be forgiven as simply ignorant or empathized with for their basic desire for love and acceptance. (At least that's what the psychiatrists say.) There's another, much more powerful lobby doing it, too - one that knows better, and should be doing EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. Keep reading… Not all of the blame for the obesity epidemic belongs on the well-padded shoulders of the overweight in this country. At least some of the responsibility rests rightfully with… THEIR DOCTORS. According to a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, 6 out of 10 mainstream MDs are not advising their patients to lose weight despite the growing epidemic of obesity which affects 30% or more of American adults. This represents a decrease of several percent since just a decade ago, when obesity numbers were far lower than they are today. That's right: Ten years ago, a lot less of us were dangerously overweight, yet MORE of our doctors were telling us to "drop a few." But now they're in mass denial! Why is this happening? Some say it's because most doctors are relatively clueless about nutrition, but I think that's a naïve viewpoint. To me, it's a very simple dollars-and cents proposition. Think about it: There are more doctors per capita today than at any point in our history. All of these doctors need sick patients to treat, or they'll starve… And what's one of the number one causes of the kinds of prolonged sickness and disease that requires expensive drugs, tests, and surgical procedures? You guessed it: Obesity. Some might be shocked at my "extreme" viewpoint (especially those activists), but what can I say: I call 'em like I see 'em. That, and I always follow the money for the answer.
Always an "activist" (and never in denial) about what's best for your health,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD | 
