Obesity v's tobacco

14th August 06

Before I start, I'd like to preface this with the admission that, for those who are extremely overweight by cause of a genetic disorder or some other such cause beyond their control, I couldn't have more sympathy but for the lard-arses who spend their days lounging on the sofa stuffing cakes and buns into them, I have none.
Read on:

I read in today's newpaper that hospitals have now joined the list of those who are banning 'cakes and pies' and other such 'unhealthy' foods from their menus.


It seems that the obesity epidemic (for that's how it appears to have become) is getting out of control. It's true, that there do seem to be a lot of extraordinarily fat people around nowdays. And it raises an interesting point - which is - have we really become so lazy that we will, without protest, allow ourselves to 'balloon' to (in many cases) twice our original size?
The ease with which fast-food can be obtained, without even having to exit our vehicle and -walk, God forbid, to order our food, is a typical example of how we no longer have to exert ourselves at all.
Actually, an amusing memory has just been sparked. Recently, while at one of the above mentioned drive-ins, I found myself waiting behind another customer while she recieved her meal. The attendant passed an enormous tray of burgers and fries to the car's driver before handing her the (equally large amount) of drinks.
Now this woman was huge; the sort of huge that requires one to lean back and turn one's entire body to reach out and grab the item. You've seen them around, in their cars. Y'know, the ones who, when having to look over their shoulder to, confirm the road is clear to proceed, have to twist their entire body, with the vehicles suspension rocking under the strain. Their necks being so 'lard-locked', that the basic normal free movement is restricted to a great degree.
This is the sort of woman we're talking about here; and here's the funny part. After recieving enough food to feed a small family, she sent the drinks back after discovering they weren't 'diet' drinks. Sort of - 'oh, I'm sorry, could I have the non-fat drink please? There's too ,much sugar in those - have to watch my weight'.
Never mind the half-dozen burger and fries meals you're going to shove down, lady, just make sure the drinks are of the diet variety. Laugh, I very nearly choked on my smoke; which brings me nicely onto my next point - tobacco.
In the US, (home of the fattest people on Earth) obesity is now officially a bigger killer than the much maligned tobacco. So my question is this - when are we going to see the same images plastered all over tobacco packaging, in a desperate effort to reduce smoking among the general population, on burger wrappers. Pictures of clogged arteries, warnings that obesity can cause 'serious health issues'. Fair's fair, if obesity is a bigger killer, then let's see the pictures. Show people the result of living on junk food.

Imagine the uproar! Banners proclaiming 'fatties are people too', and 'don't discriminate against the overweight!'. Hundreds of obese (and there would be at least that many, believe me) choking the streets, like a herd of elephants (no offence to the tusked ones, cause they're elephants too ) chanting and generally causing a nuisance the way such protestors do.


It would seem that the hassled smokers of the world have become public enemy No 1. From every direction, they are being told to quit; being treated like modern lepers, forced to smoke away from society like some disease carriers. As they say in the good ole US of A, enough already, or at the very least, level the field.