Comments on: Does Fighting Obesity Also Mean Fighting Corporations? So it Seems

By: mccloric

mccloric — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:11:48 +0000

FYI-proper nutrition, food preperation, etc. used to be taught in high school health and home economics classes, but most schools decided in the 1970’s & 80’s that doing such was no longer necessary.
Grains, fruit, vegitables and dairy products were distributed by the government to needy families from the 1930’s until the 1970’s & 80’s(again), because it was viewed by liberals as discriminatory.
As for advertizing, that is the case with virtually every product sold and you have to be responsible and do your homework.

By: TerryS

TerryS — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:18:58 +0000

Gravitas wrote:

“Yo-yo dieting programs our bodies to become fatter.”

Too true. Yet neither Marion Nestle, nor Weight Watchers
promote yo-yo dieting, so I don’t think it is fair
to attack them for doing so.

“I could have managed my weight stigma the same was
as Nestle and jumped on the antifat bandwagon too.”

Sooo, you’re saying the obesity epidemic is a good thing?

By: TerryS

TerryS — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:10:58 +0000

mccloric wrote:

“Which specific food company holds a gun to the head
of the general population and forces them to consume
their food?”

Well, none do, obviously. Just like no company forces
anyone to smoke cigarettes. None-the-less it is very
important for people to point out ill-effects of
smoking and eating junk food. And to point out when
the companies selling the junk food, lie, misinform,
and use intimidation tactics against their critics.

“So whatever happened to teaching proper nutrition
in school and serving well balanced meals in the school
cafeteria? Whatever happened to government distribution
of grains, fruit vegitables and dairy products to needy
individuals and families?”

Those are great ideas! Just be aware that even if
the government does end up doing just that, that all
that effort could very well be undone by the endless
junkfood advertising and promotion being done by the
junkfood companies. And by the huge number of hours
that kids spend in front of the TV every single day,
immobilized and watching a huge number of junk food
commercials.

By: mccloric

mccloric — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:12:54 +0000

So whatever happened to teaching proper nutrition in school and serving well balanced meals in the school cafeteria? Whatever happened to government distribution of grains, fruit vegitables and dairy products to needy individuals and families? oh, I’m sorry, could thar make them feel isolated or discriminated against?
Which specific food company holds a gun to the head of the general population and forces them to consume their food? Who prevents anyone from doing daily physical activity? And, who prevents anyone from doing a little research on what is healthy and unhealthy.
I am not talking about those who have legitimate health circumstances, or those who may need a brief bridge to help them get from A to B. I.E., a brief bridge is not multiple years or generations.

By: Gravitas

Gravitas — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:55:53 +0000

As a sociologist/activists who fights stigma, I feel Marion Nestle is more the problem than the solution. She obsesses on food, but rarely talks about other causes of obesity, like stress, lack of sleep, endocrine disrupters or dieting. Weight Watchers has caused just as much obesity as McDonalds. Yo-yo dieting programs our bodies to become fatter. Yet Nestle and Jacobson never harp about that. What is really interesting is that Nestle herself is not thin. At least she doesn’t look it in all the pictures I have seen of her. Yet instead of fighting stigma or at least being the least bit sensitive about the way she promotes nutrition, she and Jacobson go out of their way to fan the flames of hysteria. I can’t help but wonder how much of her motivation comes from self-hatred? Or a need to be the persecutor rather than victim? It is a common defense mechanism and although I don’t know her personally, from what I have seen of her professional activism I really wish she would do some self-analysis.

And NO I am not paid to attack; anticipating the simple minded responses I usually get. Because they just can’t conceive anyone can legitimately be against them. I am a fat woman whose “problem” with my weight came from other people; especially dysfunctional ones who couldn’t resist sticking their big noses in my business under the guise it was for my own good. The food police have institutionalized this practice, convinced scare tactics are the only way to go. I could have managed my weight stigma the same was as Nestle and jumped on the antifat bandwagon too. That would have made me an insider, but I felt the much more authentic path was not to identify with and become the oppressor.

p.s. Marion, while we are talking corporations, lets talk about the Robert-Woods Johnson Foundation (Pharma giant Johnson and Johnson) who your group has received funding from in the past. Is that why you can’t promote nutrition without creating fat hatred at the same time?

By: TerryS

TerryS — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:37:36 +0000

Thank you Marion for writing about Disney’s awful,
thug-like behavior. This is a bit of a stumble
on Disney’s part, usually they are much more savvy
and smart about silencing critics.

As you point out, it is the more subtle co-optations
that really are much more effective at silencing
critics, and putting on a good PR face. Unfortunately
huge corporations in general are just getting better,
and better at snowing everyone, including those on
the left.

What’s really scary is the way Corporations have been
so effective at taking over the universities. Now if
you want to have any hope of becoming a professor,
you have to be pro-GM, pro-agribusiness, pro-TV,
pro-processed food, and most importantly of all,
pro-corporate America.

By: barbandscott

barbandscott — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:38:57 +0000

Let me get this straight. Pepsi is one of the biggest abusers of high fructose corn syrup and aspartame, and they are going to be telling us about nutrition?

Have the people at Yale been raiding the pharmaceuticals?