Controversy Swirls Around Harsh Anti-Obesity Ads

Controversy Swirls Around Harsh Anti-Obesity Ads

www.npr.org

Stark billboards and television commercials that feature overweight kids are part of a controversial anti-obesity campaign in Atlanta. The goal of the "Stop Sugarcoating It, Georgia" ads is to shock families into recognizing that obesity is a problem.

The campaign is making an impact, but the tactics are raising questions.

One of the ads features a little boy and his mom entering a room with two folding chairs. They're both clearly overweight. They sit and look at each other.

"Mom, why am I fat?" the boy asks her.

The mother bows her head, and the tag line appears. It reads:

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i have no problem with this. like it says further down, same with the new tobacco and meth ads.
scare tactics work, or do they?

"Based on his research, Lyn says, the ads can hurt the very market they're targeting. "We know that stigmatization leads to lower self-esteem, potential depression. We know that kids will engage in physical activity less because they feel like they're going to be embarrassed. So there are all these other negative effects," he says."



www.npr.org
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Whatever happened to personal accountability?

its an old saying but its true....
The truth hurts.

reply to post by Lysergic


It went out the window about the time that it's almost impossible to get your hands on food that doesn't contain some kind of additives or chemicals that make you sick, weak, or gain weight.

Originally posted by Lysergic
Whatever happened to personal accountability?

"Mom, why am I fat?" the boy asks her.

because we shop at walmart.
we don't eat real food, and i can't stay out of the chips, candy, cookies and ice cream aisle.

I'm totally anti-fatty as I've been there (18 Stone at 5'7" tall) and I know that the only way to improve your health, looks and confidence is to actually try to lose weight instead of moaning about it the way most fatty's (myself included at first) do. Sadly, as with most things that require willpower a lot of people find it nearly imposable to get in to the right mindset because their preconceptions about healthy food and exercise belong in the dark ages.

I'm all for ad's that have a profound effect on fatty's, smokers, drug users, etc. Sadly however you'd have to go a very long way to get you're average person to change their lifestyle on any level.

Oh and for the record. 10 years on I'm around the 13.5 stone mark and have no trouble keeping the weight off because I now eat quite sensibly and walk everywhere. And if I can do it anyone can.

Rev

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck


But that is the "users" fault...

espeacially in the UK, you can got to the butcher and veg shop if you want,

even in the large chains, you can buy meat for very cheap and veg and make your own food...

Like dont get me wrong im not exactly a stick person, but i eat well, proper food cooked from scratch, i just like food so i eat large portions but i rarley eat junk, rarley drink carbonated juice, usually sugar free diluting juice or water or green tea, cook all the meals in the house on occasion from jars but usually from scratch, i enjoy cooking i enjoy food.

no excuse to be hugley overweight though,

i mean if your a male an your 16/27 stone you should lose a few pounds/stone, if your 20 stone plus though its your fault, it really is, if your kid is getting there again its your fault, even the sustaining such girth is difficult as you need to eat sooo much.


you let people get x-rayed in horse x-rays because of there size, let them by multiple seats on public transport because of the size and claim being fat is a disability, it is not.

it now seems to be an excepted affliction and shouldnt be!

What threw me was the vid of the kid and the mom. Mom was big, yes. The kid looked average to me. I guess it's perception.

reply to post by sarra1833


At the risk of sounding rude (which is not my intent) Could that be because that's what you're used to seeing where you live?

Rev

reply to post by revmoofoo


there is areas around here, parts of new mexico, where the average human is pretty much round.
normal to us looks anorexic to them.

Nice, i don't have anything against fat people, but there is a point where being fat is very gross and i really can't understand how can they feel confortable with themselves, maybe the ads are cruel but sometimes cruelty is necessary.

Personally ROFLMAO!
Maybe they'll recognize they have a problem now and stop stuffing their faces with the junk they put in it 24/7.
If my kid looked like that it'd be straight to fat camp for them immediately!

Originally posted by Lysergic
Whatever happened to personal accountability?

Kids are not personally responsible for their diets - their parents are.

IMO this campaign reinforces that - making people confront the results of their personal choices - especially on their children, is a pretty powerful tool.

well done!

Why only Atlanta?

Whole America is fat

Why is it I always see heavy people drinking "Diet" soda? Because that crap makes you FAT! As does Weight Watchers and a zillion more...know why? Because if you get completely thin guess what WHY WOULD BUY THEIR CRAP??? So you loose a little at first then gain more lol! I never eat that Junk!

And unfortunately Fat is the new poor problem. Why? Cause good decent food is expensive PERIOD! You see a lot of Fat rich people? LOL MCCrap oh $1 menu OH get some! Feed a family of 4 for $4! Good meat and veggies and fruit gonna cost a lot more than that!

In the 70's people were starving so big GOV stepped in and got Science to fix that because we couldn't produce more food and guess what WE STILL CAN'T!!! So they modified our foods, transfats, high fructose cornsyrup, Hydrogenated CRAP!!! Back then the FAT kids parents were rich and he was just lazy. You see many rich Fat people or kids? NO!

reply to post by flexy123


far to many.
i usually carry around a few extra pounds, it's the obesity problem.

Dear rubbertramp,

I know the world isn't here to live up to my expectations, but I hope the thread gets around to discussing one of the points you raised, namely, the effect on the kid.

It's all very well to talk about personal responsibility and shaming people, etc. But while the ad does speak sharply to the parents, the kids are treated as just "collateral damage."

If the ad is talking about a kid's weight, doesn't that make it more acceptable for his classmates to talk about his weight?

It just seems that the kid will have enough problems learning to be healthy and accept himself as a person without adding this stressor.

With respect,
Charles1952

Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul

Originally posted by Lysergic
Whatever happened to personal accountability?

Kids are not personally responsible for their diets - their parents are.

IMO this campaign reinforces that - making people confront the results of their personal choices - especially on their children, is a pretty powerful tool.

well done!

Kids can choose what they eat and they can request to their parents better food, maybe not when they are babies, but at five you are old enough to say "i want to eat this".

I don't see anything wrong with these ads-unfortunately obesity is a major problem in the US but you can't scare somebody into a healthier lifestyle. You can't force it either-acheiving permanent weight loss is hard enough when the person is doing it because they want to. I know because I've done it and maintain 128 pounds at 5'4 -but I can tell you if Michelle Obama and her fat police tried to force it on me I'd have done the opposite. I diet and exercise for myself and no one else.