Certain politicians and medical authorities are waging a "war on obesity."

This war is NOT what it seems. It's supposed to be about health. Actually, it's based largely on prejudice and doubtful science.

There are good reasons why citizens should NOT go along with this war, and should work to stop it.

This page doesn't give health or diet advice. It won't tell you whether or not to lose weight. Instead, this page points out some facts and ideas that the obesity warriors might not want you to know about!

• The real connection between weight and health is not simple.
  
  The obesity warriors quote scientific studies to try to prove that fat will kill you. However, some experts have pointed out that it is not that simple — that the so-called obesity deaths may have other causes more complex than a high body weight. Some of the original obesity studies, which seemed to prove the dangers of fat, later turned out to be based on bad science. At very least, the relationship between weight and health is complicated. Some health professionals now advocate "Health at Every Size" instead of trying to make everyone become thin. [1]
  
  

• Being fat is genetically natural for some people.
  
  Fatness can be a result of genetics — something that is part of a person's natural makeup. Some people who start out slim gain weight from poor diet and lack of exercise, but this does NOT imply that all fat people got fat that way! And it does not imply that everyone can lose weight, keep it off, and become permanently thin. [2]
  
  A genetic tendency to be fat is NOT a sign of personal weakness! It is NOT caused by overeating, lack of self-control, or lack of willpower! It is time for the world to learn that some people are naturally fat — just as some people are naturally thin, tall, short, etc. Fat people and thin people are examples of human diversity. [3]
  
  

• Fear and hatred of fat is a form of prejudice.
  
  In our society, many people consider fat people ugly or disgusting. These feelings have no basis in reality — they are just prejudices! People absorb these prejudices from society. There is evidence that the dislike of fat people is NOT natural and is NOT built in. The evidence is that many of the world's cultures think fat people are beautiful. [4] We can see this beauty too, if we learn to see with unprejudiced eyes. The "war on obesity" pretends to be scientific, but it gets most of its energy from our society's hatred and fear of fat people. There is no reason to hate fat people — and there is no reason to dislike yourself if you are plus-sized!
  
  

• The "war on obesity" is extremely cruel to children.
  
  In our society, fat children often are subjected to constant cruelty through bullying, teasing, and social rejection. Few thin people realize how severe this cruelty can be. No doubt many lives have been ruined by this form of hatred. The government's war on obesity can only make this tragedy worse! It gives bullies an excuse to beat, humiliate, and sexually harass naturally large children. It gives schools an excuse to humiliate children with cruel measures like "obesity report cards" (which tell children that their bodies are no good). And the war on obesity will not even succeed in making all children thin — because many children are genetically destined to be heavier than average!
  
  

• Your weight is none of the government's business.
  
  In a free society, the government should not meddle with intimate personal matters like body weight. The government's effort to eliminate fat people is a serious intrusion of government power into our personal lives. Enough is enough! Some claim that the "war on obesity" is justified because fat people cost the health care system too much. This is a bad argument, because it seems likely that most of the illnesses said to be caused by weight actually have more complex causes. Also, if the obesity warriors are so anxious to lower health care costs, then why don't they also ban cars, which kill and maim tens of thousands every year? It is impractical to ban everything that has some risk or expense connected with it. Eliminating fat people is just as stupid.
  
  

• The movement to stop weight prejudice already has begun.
  
  The Size Acceptance Movement is a civil rights movement that opposes discrimination and prejudice against people regarded as fat. Those who wish to oppose the "war on obesity" should learn about this movement and consider becoming active in it.
  
  

IT IS TIME FOR ALL CONCERNED CITIZENS TO RESIST THE "WAR ON OBESITY."

LET THE POLITICIANS KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT TAKE IT ANY LONGER.

Prejudice against large-sized people is not acceptable under any circumstances!

References

[1] For documentation of what is wrong with the war on obesity, including the facts given here, a good place to start is the book by Paul Campos titled The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight Is Hazardous to Your Health (New York: Gotham Books, 2004). See especially p. 174. There also are other good books on weight and health, but Campos' book covers many of the most important ideas.

[2] For documentation of these ideas, see Campos's book (cited above).

[3] Campos (cited above) has pointed out the relationship between weight prejudice and other kinds of prejudice, including racial prejudices. The idea that weight differences are part of human diversity is one of the ideas associated with the size acceptance movement.

[4] See Campos (cited above), pp. 49-50.