Alabama is passing a new state law that will require workers to pay an extra $25 a month for health insurance which would otherwise be free, if the employee doesn’t show signs of slimming down to a “healthier” size. The article starts out by saying that,
“Alabama, pushed to second in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat.”
That statement seems way more personal than scientifically factual. Deep-fried Southern favorites?? They create this image of just a bunch of obese people sitting around all day eating Momma’s fried chicken! My issue with articles like these is that they are loaded with many widely accepted misconceptions about weight such as…
1. Your weight is directly correlated with your health.
2. Fat people are fat because they just can’t stop eating.
3. That being obese is an epidemic which needs to be stopped.
4. Penalizing people for their weight will force people to lose the weight and/or be an affective means of changing them.
As many of our faithful readers will tell you, this just simply isn’t true. However the article attempts to redeem itself by saying,
“A recent study suggested that about half of overweight people and nearly a third of obese people have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while about a quarter of people considered to be normal weight suffer from the ills associated with obesity.”
That means big or small there is as least a 25% chance that you will have these health problems. If this is the case, then why are we so preoccupied with weight? Clearly other things must be factored in the pursuit of “health” such as genes and lifestyle habits. Besides that fact, as the article suggest, this whole idea of enforcing weight control laws just seems way too “Big Brotherish”. I’d like to say sorry to the folks of Alabama. My advice: either move or start saving up now cause fat won’t be cheap anymore.
Click here if you’d like to enjoy this lovely article.
Yep. I’ve always thought that the War on Obesity is really the War on Fat People. And what is considered NOT fat is constantly being redefined downward.
When will ‘fat camps’ be obligatory?
wierd.
Something like this sounds as surreal to me as having a….I dunno….government-regulated haircolor! Or something!
“…Citizens will be required to make the switch from their ‘natural’ haircolor to the new state-endorsed regulation shade for all hair: Wella #1200 (otherwise known as platinum blonde). Those with darker hair are encouraged to use straight peroxide. Citizens refusing to abide by the new haircolor regulation could face jail time or fines.
What about the impact on a mostly-brunette population?
While most of the rest of us will be reaching for the peroxide in November, when the regulation takes effect, at least one American citizen won’t have to take the plunge into Lake Platinum – ‘I won’t be affected,’ smiles NJ resident Inga Svoorkveltnen,‘I’m naturally blonde! I’ve been blonde my whole life without haircoloring, tints or henna! I’m just lucky I guess!’ “
On another note: damn…I have had a craving for fried cheese lately!!!! *hahaha!* The kind you get at the state fair or at the mall…just…a chunk of cheese, batter-fried, on a stick.
mmm.
I ordered some “mozzerella sticks” at a local restaurant to try to satisfy my urge – no. Not nearly melty enough. And too salty.
As “fat” as I am, I should be eating more fried things.!..people look at me and probably assume I eat like a horse.
I don’t.
And when I do eat, also unlike a horse, I seldom really “enjoy” it.
But if god came down right now and handed me some fried cheese on a stick, man, I would promise to enjoy it. Really.
Oh my gosh, hope505, I LOVE YOU! You are making me laugh so hard with the whole “I’m naturally blonde!” bit.
I laugh on the outside as I cringe and cry on the inside. The similarities are just too true. This law or whatever in Alabama seems really dangerous to me. And for some of us who are “fat”, telling us so and fining us isn’t going to make us lose weight. No, that will throw us into a depression that will make us eat more (mmmm, fried chicken!!), or will throw us into an eating dsiorder. Neither of which is going to make us healthier. All stuff that has been said on this blog and in comments before.
Oh, and one more message to hope505: I heard some guys talking the other day that the state fair here in Arizona was starting. Come on over and I’ll buy you some fried cheese. You can enjoy it while I eat some funnel cake with tons and tons of powedered sugar. Mmmmmmm…
HOPE505,
CHEESE CURDS is what you’re looking for!! It’s a wisconsin “delicacy”.
Well in New Zealand (where I am from) they stop people immigrating here who are obese to save on health costs later. Thats their reasoning anyway.
I think the concept of lowering costs is a good one – execution or reality are another matter. I think that if they reward employee’s with good health with some perks that might be a nicer way to do it? Of course ‘good health’ being a subjective analysis – oh heck – horrible idea for all of it!