Anti-Obesity PSA - why is this "controversial"?

A yahoo headline was calling this PSA "controversial". How? Why? I think it is excellent.

Here is a description provided by YouTube poster:

This powerful PSA from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta reminds us all “that obesity doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a lifetime’s worth of bad habits, bad choices, and bad nutrition.” The 100-second PSA rewinds the life of Jim, “a man whose life flashes right before his very eyes, unhealthy habits and all.”

Is the controversy that we are blaming parents? Yes... parents, don't feed your infants french fries. No matter how much they like them. How is that controversial?


Here is a link to the Yahoo article that first brought my attention to this ad: www.yahoo.com...

This is how they describe the "controversy":

But some obesity experts say that the video carries a potentially off-putting, if not damaging, message — similar to a 2012 poster campaign from Strong4Life, which sparked accusations of “fat-shaming.”

“If you want to draw attention to yourself and your campaign, then this is a helpful video. If what you want is to have a helpful effect on childhood obesity, the research is clear that shocking and stigmatizing doesn’t really help,” obesity researcher and public policy expert Ted Kyle told Yahoo Health. He pointed to two recent studies from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, which found that campaigns that stigmatized obese people were not effective motivators for behavior change. “Shame is not a friend to promoting health,” he added, whether the issue at hand is mental health, AIDS, or cholera. He also noted that shaming only creates defense mechanisms in the targets of such ads, and that “fat activism is born out of that.”

James Zervios, spokesperson for the Obesity Action Coalition, also feels the video comes up short. “It left me feeling a little frustrated,” he told Yahoo Health. “It has a heavy focus on food. But it’s not a one-dimensional problem, and we realistically have to accept that obesity is about more than food — because if it was, then we wouldn’t have a crisis on our hands.” Zervios points to genetics, physical activity, nutrition, and a psychological component as all having a hand in the epidemic, and said he found it “interesting” that the PSA put so much of the onus on the mother, who is seen giving her young son sugary drinks and french fries to soothe him.

“My argument would be, why isn’t the doctor asking him more about his food choices? Obviously there was another issue there that wasn’t being addressed [by doctors],” he said. Zervios did add, though, that he saw the value in starting a discussion through the campaign. “If it’s getting people to think about the disease of obesity, then that’s a good thing at the end of the day.”

I am not trying to be insensitive... but I see no fat-shaming in this PSA. I cannot understand how this is controversial. With the exception of very rare medical conditions (Cushing's Disease, for instance) that are beyond anyone's control, each individual must take responsibility for their own health and food choices. And parents, of course, must do the same for their children.

a reply to: VegHead

Nothing controversial here. Just hits a little to close home for some people. Too bad.

I've been overweight for years and became a vegetarian nearly a year ago plus exercising. This video just reminds me of the years of unhealthy eating and poor choices. I wouldn't describe it as controversial just really overdramatic, nearing a parody.

a reply to: VegHead

I don't see any difference between this and an anti-smoking ad.

Fat people are unhealthy, obesity is a self inflicted disability, and it costs the tax payers just as much as smoking or any other unhealthy vice.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

Congrats on choosing to make healthy lifestyle changes. Habits set in motion from childhood (don't know if that was the case with you) can be extremely difficult to break. I think that was a big part of the PSA message here.

Yeah, PSAs tend to be dramatic. They tend to be cheesy, for sure. They have a short time to make a point, and often on a limited budget. I thought this was one of the best I've seen, though.

People are very sensitive about weight and obesity, in part because it is stigmatized and in part because it isn't something that is easy to hide. But there is a long list of repercussions from eating junk and not moving your body... you don't have to be overweight to suffer health issues from such a lifestyle.

I admit, it really pushes my buttons when I see people feeding their infants junk - fries, juice, etc. Give the kids a chance. You gotta be patient with babies when they are first introduced to foods. I am a mom, I get the frustration... but remember it often takes 3 or 4 or even more tries before a baby decides he or she is willing to like a new food. Fries should never ever be on the menu.
OK... I don't know who I was ranting at there, but it felt good to get off my chest.

I've been telling my brother for years he needs to stop eating like a pig and lose some weight.
He's laid up now. He went camping and shimmied up a tree to jump into a river.
His ribs literally snapped under his own weight.

Well of course it is going to offend some.

We have become such a nation of "Oh, you hurt my feelings", and everything offends everyone.

Especially the truth.


Personally, I see nothing wrong with it, I've certainly seen and heard worse. And wasn't offended.

a reply to: [post=18278295]VegHead[/pos
Anything that promotes personal/parental responsibility will be shunned.

It's easier for people to blame everyone else for their own shortcomings.

Maybe if there was a rule added to food stamp eligibility like if your 5 year old weighs 300 lbs,the "parents" should lose their food stamps/welfare.

But then they would start screaming about "racism" and "bigotry".

O god... my day off. Watching that while sitting in my PJ's still and on my third tall can of beer. Now I feel guilty.
Thankfully I ride my bike about 30 minutes a day.

Obesity isn't the only issue tho, poor nutrition can lead to many complications. I remember a few years back I used to eat extremely unhealthy, but I was VERY active, so I was skinny, I was basically just feeding my body empty calories, with low nutritional value. Then I started to get noticeably sick, my liver enzymes were all screwed up, my heart had an irregular beat, and I was only 22!
I started hitting the gym, and started to look into gaining muscle weight, along with that came just general nutrition know how. After only a year or so I 'fixed' all my problems I had before, it was quite the transformation. I don't follow that life style anymore but it's stayed with me ever since. People just need to educate themselves and want to change their life styles.

because it`s politically incorrect to make people feel bad about themselves and we all know that fat people can`t help being fat it`s not their fault that they are fat.
but seriously I guess they got tired of "shaming" and bashing smokers who are too thick skinned to get upset over stop smoking PSA ads.
With the recent move towards government sponsored healthcare I think we will be seeing more ads like this.
The government doesn`t care if you shorten your life on your own dime but now that they are picking up the tab in the form of subsidies for health insurance they want you to be as healthy as possible so that you can get the cheapest insurance rate and thereby need smaller subsidies.

a reply to: VegHead

It is controversial because it is a myopic view of a complex problem. Not to mention, the aspect where he was "hiding" food in his drawer indicates that in this circumstance that they were attempting to portray the subject of the video as having an eating disorder. The video is absurdly overly-simplistic, insensitive and uneducated. I'm not convinced that they intended to create an PSA where the purpose was fat shaming but with this clumsy attempt they certainly accomplished enforcing cursory, knee-jerk stereotypes that socially contribute to fat shaming.

originally posted by: FalcoFan
a reply to: [post=18278295]VegHead[/pos
Anything that promotes personal/parental responsibility will be shunned.

It's easier for people to blame everyone else for their own shortcomings.

Maybe if there was a rule added to food stamp eligibility like if your 5 year old weighs 300 lbs,the "parents" should lose their food stamps/welfare.

But then they would start screaming about "racism" and "bigotry".

I'm curious what degree of responsibility you think a child has in their diet? Eating habits are established during childhood, a fat kid literally does not have the same chance as someone brought up on a healthy diet. When you are overweight throughout childhood the difficulty in loosing (and keeping off) weight is much much more difficult once you become an adult.

By the time personal responsibility actually plays a part the person is ALREADY handicapped on many levels (socially, physically, emotionally, etc) then people who have been thin their whole life want to act like they are thin because of hard work, which makes them feel entitled to bash overweight people to stroke their own ego.

Sure you can change your diet as an adult, but change it to what? The "mainstream" diet pushes high-carbs and low fat, an absolute disaster for overweight people. They need to cut the carbs and start eating more fat and protein.

So you have people who START out life already in last place because of their upbringing, then as adults they are lied to about how to loose weight and what a healthy diet really is.

Telling fat people to simply stop eating and have some self control is no different than telling a person with zero education and no life experience to just stop being so stupid. Not only is it dishonest it's downright mean.

Also consider the price of eating healthy, compared to the price of eating bad. Feed myself for the whole day on $4 eating garbage or spend a whole week's food budget in one day to buy stuff that's good, and starve the rest of the week.

If people like you want to go around pumping yourselves up by tearing others down that's your choice, but don't act like you are addressing the issue honestly and fully.

Why don't those stupid people living in the ghetto just go to school and get an education? It's so easy, right? Millions do it all the time. The difference is those millions aren't in the same situation those ghetto folk are in. They didn't have parents encouraging them to conduct illegal business to bring money into the home, they didn't have to worry about getting shot and robbed while walking to school every day (so they probably went more often) they didn't have to worry about not having required school supplies, or the lowest-of-the-low teachers and facilities. It's incredibly dishonest to act as if the solution to ghetto situations is entirely one the shoulders of those living there, just like it's dishonest to act as if the majority of fat people are just lazy slobs that don't do anything and stuff their face.

I've been overweight my whole life and also done labor jobs my entire working life. 8-12 hour days on your feet, moving/lifting heavy stuff, all day long. You simply cannot do that kind of work if you are in bad shape. Yet because I'm chubby I must be slothful, even though I'd do more physical activity in a day than most thin people stuck behind a desk.

The best is the skinny fat people. Those who aren't overweight, but are in horrible shape, weak as hell with no endurance or strength. Sorry, their lack of a gut means jack chit as to their fitness level.

I wonder how many of the fat bashing "proud to be thin" club are actually just soft skinsacks that are just small enough to not be considered out of shape.

a reply to: VegHead

This is America, where if you're fat, we let you park closer and give you wheelchairs.

It's hard to get some kids to eat healthy. Our kiddo still prefers hot dogs and mac and cheese, but we're steadily winning. He now asks for fish some nights and he's starting to eat raw veggies like spinach and carrots and he's always like edamame. But for a while ... it was pretty frustrating because all we could get down him was mac and cheese and hot dogs.

At least he's nearly four and hasn't touched soda.

I am 6,2 I use to be 275 played football was happy. Doctor told me I was overweight and needed to lose weight I am at 180 now and in my mind If I know what I know now I would of told him to f off. I can't take much heat anything over 35 out side and I over heat. If it is cool out side I am freezing. Have you ever shivered so hard it gives you pains in your back . I have lived in the same city all my life and enjoyed the winter and summer out side as much as I could now I hide from the heat and cold. But according to my doctor I'm health and at a proper weight. I hate it and joy of life has drop so much. This weight thing dose not take the individual person in to there idea. In my eyes people need to keep out of this. I have yet to have a doctor that has not made the problem when it comes to me. My biggest problem now I can't gain weight to save my life. And I won't even gross you out with the extra skin story. If I knew what I know now I would of stayed obese. At least then I could go snowboarding swimming biking and enjoy the outside. Now I can't swim in a lake because the cold water feels like pins stabbing my skin. I was a water baby all my life now can't even have a cool shower on a hot day

a reply to: James1982

The food stamps are in the "parents'" name-the "parents" have the absolute responsibility of making sure that their kids don't balloon up.
It is entirely THEIR responsibility.
If they aren't even intelligent enough to feed their kids a balanced diet,then they should either lose the food stamps or their kids.
Most of them just use their kids as a paycheck,anyway.

a reply to: James1982

The food stamps are in the "parents'" name-the "parents" have the absolute responsibility of making sure that their kids don't balloon up.
It is entirely THEIR responsibility.
If they aren't even intelligent enough to feed their kids a balanced diet,then they should either lose the food stamps or their kids.
Most of them just use their kids as a paycheck,anyway.

a reply to: FalcoFan
Have you ever been overweight before? You can't stop someone from eating if they want to eat. Most the time it's not how much you eat it's what you eat. If you only have access to low grade foods you will gain weight if you eat a lot or eat vary little. I know people I grow up with that eat more then there fat siblings on a daily basis and do less then them actively but are average weight. I had a friend we called twig who went on meds now we call him biggy never changed how he ate eats more healthy them most people. He'll even the old school actor twiggy would be fat to today's standard. You need to know the whole story before you can call some one fat even your environment can have an effect

Even if you watch what your kids eat they have friends that they can go over to. It's like trying to stop kids from seeing TV or playing video games it's not going to work

originally posted by: cloudsstar
a reply to: FalcoFan
Have you ever been overweight before? You can't stop someone from eating if they want to eat. Most the time it's not how much you eat it's what you eat. If you only have access to low grade foods you will gain weight if you eat a lot or eat vary little. I know people I grow up with that eat more then there fat siblings on a daily basis and do less then them actively but are average weight. I had a friend we called twig who went on meds now we call him biggy never changed how he ate eats more healthy them most people. He'll even the old school actor twiggy would be fat to today's standard. You need to know the whole story before you can call some one fat even your environment can have an effect

Even if you watch what your kids eat they have friends that they can go over to. It's like trying to stop kids from seeing TV or playing video games it's not going to work

Low grade food, meaning what? Overly processed food?

Weight gained typically comes from unsound caloric choices, using the "my friend on meds" is just enabling all to crutch their lifestyle. Too many simple carb grams, too few protein grams, too few complex carb grams and too many grams of HFCS.

You do that equation and what do you get? A generation, a civilization of fatties suffering from malnutrition.

Derek

c'mon...yahoo is trying to get "clicks" onto it's site to sell you crap...that's it....it's all about the money, as my signature has said since i became a member.