President Obama Slams Obese in Health Care Speech
Why Target the Obese?
First some brilliant politician touts genocide as a way to get the senior citizen population off the health care rosters; then President Obama blames obesity for a major part of the nation’s health care costs. President Obama said, “They just need to diet and exercise and lose that weight”. Hey, if it were that easy no one would be overweight. And what? They will never have a health issue if they are thin?
There is no denying obesity causes health issues, but why are the obese being targeted? President Obama needs to take a look at the other groups of individuals whose behavior attributes to the rising health care costs as much if not more than the obese such as those listed below:
Alcoholics/Drunks/Drunk Drivers - Issues: Liver Disease, Reduced Brain Function, Heart Disease, Physical Injuries Across the Spectrum, Mental Health Issues
Smokers – Issues: Lung, Throat, and Lip Cancers, Emphysema, Heart Disease, Subjecting nonsmokers same through side-stream smoke, Stroke (smoking while taking birth control pills)
Drug Abusers – Issues: Overdose incidents, Malnutrition, Open Sores, Heart Attacks, Stroke, Attempted Suicide, Mental Health Issues
Unprotected Sex – Issues: Pregnancy, Abortion, STD’s, AIDS
Reckless Drivers/Speeders – Issues: Long Term Physical Injuries, Paralysis, Brain Damage, Broken Limbs
Anorexics/Bulimics – Issues: Extended Hospital Stays (often numerous incidents) to Treat Malnutrition, Permanent Organ Damage, Mental Health Issues
Stigma of Obesity
Obesity does involve many of the same health care issues as the groups listed above, but the stigma of obesity is it is considered by too many to be a result of laziness and gluttony. President Obama along with all those of the previously mentioned opinion need to be made aware there are root causes for obesity in most cases. If the root cause isn’t addressed, no diet or exercise regimen will work long term.
It is accepted that Alcoholics have underlying problems from heredity to abusive childhoods to heartbreaks and failures as adults. Pretty much the same is an accepted explanation for drug abusers. Those who practice unsafe sex or are anorexic or bulimic often were sexually abused or neglected as children or as adults feel they have no control over their lives. Guess what? All these same issues can apply to a person suffering from obesity. No one says - wonder just how fat I can get - and then proceeds to eat until they wear a size XXXL.
Don't Trivialize Obesity
How many times have you heard a person say they eat for comfort? That is a person who is desperately lonely, clinically depressed, extremely worried or overly stressed. They eat to escape or at least feel better for a while just as the drunk or the druggie might do. And, just like the drunk or the druggie, afterward they more often than not feel just like they did before along with an added dose of I-hate-myself-syndrome. So, the cycle continues.
President Obama would have appeared to be more empathetic and logical if he had suggested healthful treatments to aide individuals in changing the behaviors that may lead to moderate to severe health care issues rather than trivializing their condition by oversimplifying “the fix”. Preventative health maintenance is much less expensive than the treatments for the conditions resulting from escapist behaviors. Unfortunately, President Obama, you just gave a blow to the self-esteem of many already self-conscience U.S. citizens. Telling an obese person to just diet and exercise already is tantamount to telling a drinker, smoker or drug abuser, “Just say no”. That didn’t work so well either, did it?
