What can we do about the obesity epidemic?

[lumberjack_jeff]

69. Something I've completely lost patience with...

Is collective responsibility for individual choice coupled with hypersensitivity about criticism of those choices.

This thread is a perfect example.

Q) What do we do about the social problem of obesity?
A) Compel, encourage and educate people to change the lifestyle that makes them fat.
Q) We can't do that! That's fat shaming!
A) Okay then, it's not my problem.
Q) How can you be so irresponsible and heartless?
A) If none of the tools for fixing the problem that are within our social control are useable, then I'm we're not collectively responsible for the outcomes.

There's an element of having it both ways at work here. If we believe in individual freedom, then obese people should be respected in that choice. If we believe in collective responsibility, then we need to accept that the people for whom we're intervening would prefer otherwise.

Most of the "we can't" responses to this or any number of perceived problems have nothing to do with "can't".

People can't tolerate high gas taxes because they consume so much fuel.
Governments can't afford public transportation because they have so many miles of roads to maintain and police.
Governments can't afford good schools because jails are so expensive, etc, etc.

We can't afford to do the right thing because doing the wrong thing has become so expensive.