Mainstream medicine has traditionally stressed that obesity poses a serious risk to public health, and indeed there appears to be ample evidence that vindicates this conclusion. In recent years, though, especially following the rise of the social justice movement, some scholars and political commentators have argued that health concerns about obesity only provide cover for “the belief that people who have overweight or obesity are lazy, lack will power and even have low levels of intelligence,” as Live Strong recently put it.
Adherents of this “Fat Justice” view point to evidence indicating that thin individuals can experience the same diseases that befall overweight people, emphasizing that body mass index (BMI) is a poor metric for metabolic health and, according to BuzzFeed, “served as a steppingstone to the creation of eugenics.”
So, who has the upper hand in this argument? Has the risk of obesity been exaggerated to justify anti-fat bias? Listen in as Chuck and Cameron explore the many facets of this controversial dispute on America Out Loud’s radio show The Other Side of the Story.
