Weight of the World

To claim "Yo' momma so fat that when she wears a yellow dress, people flag her as a taxi!" would be a bit of an exaggeration but even so, it makes a good point. A recent study has shown that in the US, just over fifty-percent of the population is obese. Not merely overweight, but full-on obese. As if that weren't bad enough, a massive portion of the non-obese population is still fat- surprising, considering the country's obsession with "beauty" (the standards of which border anorexia). As a result of all this, I have often heard the claim made by those overweight "Sure I could lose of a few pounds, but I'm not morbidly obese!". Granted, they are not obese, but does that fact absolve them? After all, claiming that "I could be a nicer, more compassionate guy but at least I'm no Marquis de Sade!" doesn't make me any less of a jerk.

At this point, it must be stated that this is not directed against those who are fat as a result of a glandular disorder. If the pituitary is out of whack then's there nothing that can be done about it. No, this is directed to those who are fat as a result of personal choices.

True, no one chooses to be fat, but then again, it's not something that's completely out of our hands. Sure, with the increasing number of desk jobs and advancements in technology, it has become easier to be fat, the individual is not without blame. Choosing the elevator rather than the stairs, the brownies rather than the apple, the half-hour on the couch rather than on the treadmill- it all adds up in the end.

So what? Some may ask. So what if people are fat? Is that really such a crime?
Let's take a look at it.

Firstly, we have to ask ourselves, is it right for so many of us to be fat (not only fat but obese) when others starve? What does that say about us, especially at Houghton? Is this something we can condone? I doubt it.

Secondly, what are the religious ramifications? There isn't a religion on earth where being unhealthy is commendable and in many cases, fat, gluttony, and excess are considered sins. Should any religious person, bound by religious and ethical law, also be fat (or at least, fat to the point of being unfit or unhealthy)? Probably not.

Thirdly, there's the social issue. What does having a high number of fat individuals do to a society? In the case of manual labor, a healthy balance between underweight and overweight is required for the optimal results. As harsh as it may sound, when it comes to physical labor and athleticism, being fat really doesn't help anyone. True, athleticism and manual labor weren't meant for all, but even so, should push come to shove, everyone should be able to pull their own weight. So does being fat necessarily hurt society? No, but it certainly doesn't help either.

So after taking these three points into consideration, let us observe the reasons to be fat.

Let's see there's... there's...

Well, it doesn't seem that there are any benefits. Granted the extra layers of adipose tissue with help deal with cold, but only for a very brief period, after which movement- not fat- becomes the body's means of warming itself.

So what's the end result? Is it alright to be fat?

Of course. We have the rights to be whatever we want to be. It is our actions and choices, not our bodies and belt-sizes, that make us who we are. Nobody as the right to tell you to be or not be fat any more than someone can decide what kind of hairstyle you go for. But is being fat advisable? It it commendable?

Absolutely not.