'Fat shaming' or fact sharing

[Deleted member 142]

Yes, it does. Obese parents fairly frequently have obese kids so they are directly affecting their own kids/family and setting them up with bad life time habits. Obesity is having a direct impact on the NHS services/budget for example. For example, Diabetes costs the NHS 10% of its budget, about 1.5% of the 10% is due to non-preventable Type 1 whereas 8.5% is for Type 2 Diabetes (as per https://www.diabetes.co.uk/cost-of-diabetes.html). One of the major risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes is being overweight. Then chuck in Cancer as in the original article, specially adapted equipment needing to be provided, bed blocking as morbidly obese people need specialist social care/recovery beds causing other people's care being cancelled etc, so it is directly and indirectly affecting other people.

Also, the argument was about shaming causing mental health issues well I'm sure shaming somebody for smoking, taking drugs etc would have the same mental health issues but that seems to be acceptable to shame them. I certainly don't see much, if any, outrage when they get shamed.

I made the point earlier about parents and kids and I agree with you.

As for the NHS stuff, I understand the maths, but those people have paid NI for it, too. Insurance pays out for some and not for others, that's the nature of it. What next, do we stop people going to the NHS for injuries they sustained while taking part in extreme sports or doing something stupid? After all, they did it to themselves, right? Many people are not visibly obese but have conditions caused by dietary choices, how about them?

We should educate and ensure that business does not prey upon the weak, rather than shame anyone. Take a look at a film called 'That Sugar Film', which, if you haven't already seen it, is a real eye opener to the immoral way people are manipulated by food producers.

 

[Marked Ox]

I made the point earlier about parents and kids and I agree with you.

As for the NHS stuff, I understand the maths, but those people have paid NI for it, too. Insurance pays out for some and not for others, that's the nature of it. What next, do we stop people going to the NHS for injuries they sustained while taking part in extreme sports or doing something stupid? After all, they did it to themselves, right? Many people are not visibly obese but have conditions caused by dietary choices, how about them?

We should educate and ensure that business does not prey upon the weak, rather than shame anyone. Take a look at a film called 'That Sugar Film', which, if you haven't already seen it, is a real eye opener to the immoral way people are manipulated by food manufacturers.

I agree education is the way but when that is done, it is remarkable how often those doing the educating/pointing out the facts (ie. Cancer Research for example) get accused of "fat-shaming".

Also, smokers will have paid their taxes/NI, as will drinkers (there are plenty of functioning alcoholics) and plenty of drug takers (not all drugs are from the street of course) and they get shamed for their issue. But those groups get criticised for having access to the NHS for their treatments as well and that seems acceptable.

I'm not saying obese people should be charged or denied access to the NHS, just pointing that there is a direct/indirect impact on other people.

I agree that something has to be done about the food producers as well.