Attention
Deliciousness kills!
Everyone knows that the world is getting smaller. Borders are tightening and people are spreading. But as the population grows, so too does the average waist size. The shocking news isn’t this decade-old fear which has been disseminated to the point of redundancy, but rather that it is becoming a global affliction. Is the world getting butter with its rolls, or is the planet finally shrinking?
Most credibly experts believe the former. The human condition has swayed from the tragic melodrama to extra fries on the side of a triple cheese burger. But is obesity an individual clinical condition? Society says yes. The idea here is that people are in charge of their own lives and therefore determine their own dietary and exercise habits. Although in lieu of increased technological barriers to personal fitness, the downward slope of healthy meal options, and the trite image of nearly unattainable aesthetics in advertising – it isn’t hard to see why many are starting to see obesity as a growing health problem.
The exciting and sensationally-charged other side of the fence screams pandemic, and after reviewing the numbers it’s hard not to join in. Like our chain restaurants, cheap music and obnoxious slang did decades earlier, North American medical conditions are now creeping across the globe. A French study released its findings earlier this week which revealed that roughly half of the world’s women and nearly two-thirds of the world’s men are obese. Now Mandeep can enjoy diabetes with his Big Mac without leaving the comfort of his own country.
What does this mean for culture and the future of science itself? The major concern is that obesity is leading to a greater incidence of diabetes, increased risk of dying young and high ratio of unattractive people in our society. The insight that this new study brings to the table is that these problems are quickly becoming global. New methods of food production as well as action-oriented technology will need to be uncovered if we ever plan to turn this sinking ship back to shore.
One idea coming out of the pharmaceutical conglomerate Roche and Abbott is drug therapy for the global population. This of course will come at a cost, which makes you wonder if this wonderful and selfless corporation had any hand in producing the foods which got us here in the first place. But I digress; two pills, one solution. The red pill will break down the existing fat cells in your body, combating your current weight problem while the blue pill suppresses your appetite. This of course comes as a shock to the coffee-and-cigarette population who have already been skipping breakfast for years (but no one asked those skinny bastards.)
The alternative is to hire someone to yell at you 24/7 for even thinking about eating obesity-inducing foods as he chases you down the block forcing you to sweat out those extra pounds. However, if paying someone to stalk and verbally abuse you isn’t your idea of a ‘solution,’ simply eat right and exercise regularly.
The first step is to promote this positive choice without the use of stigmatizing labels. Experts say that calling someone, especially those who are younger, terms such as overweight or morbidly obese can be damaging. So if the beautiful models plastered every five feet aren’t soul crushing enough, demeaning comments coming from authority figures will be the factor leading to eating problems and the avoidance of exercise.
Social ills such as decreased self-esteem and discrimination can be brought on by this unfortunate affliction. These are issues that an individual can carry with them for life, and that’s no laughing matter. Additionally, medical conditions such as heart disease and ultimately premature death are areas of extreme concern. Obesity is a serious pandemic that has swept
No comments:
Post a Comment