OPINION & EDITORIAL
Obese must admit own fault
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Also by Joelle Parks:
- Affirmative action has no place at collegiate level (April 13, 2006)
- Local media expedite petty politics (November 29, 2006)
- Campus safety needs high priority (November 21, 2005)
- Obese must admit own fault (April 20, 2006)
- Board of Regents' new disciplinary policy overdue, welcome (December 13, 2006)
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- Gambling ban nonsense (October 13, 2006)
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by Joelle Parks
Thursday, April 20, 2006
There are a lot of people in the world who have difficulty admitting their faults. These faults come in many forms varying from psychological to physical and are constantly being put on individuals that surround them; they are never at fault.
The problem escalates when these people finally recognize their problem but still fail to blame themselves for their circumstances. So, they decide to do something about it. Instead of confronting the problem and conquering it, they sue someone so that the rest of the world can find out through a long, drawn-out court battle that they have a problem.
On Friday, Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill that prohibits this very action in Wisconsin.
Senate Bill 161 was designed to prohibit individuals from suing restaurants for contributing to their obesity. This bill is a necessary addition to Wisconsin State law after several lawsuits across the country have held up the courts. It exempts food manufacturers, marketers, advertisers, distributors and sellers of food from any civil liability lawsuits regarding obesity-related health complications.
Sen. Tom Reynolds, R-West Allis, is the author of SB 161 and its predecessor last session. "The goal of my bill is to place responsibility on individuals for the choices they make," he said in a release. "Blaming the food industry does nothing to remedy the obesity epidemic or to encourage personal responsibility." All of the money that is being spent on litigation should be spent on education. Mr. Reynolds added, "At the same time, a restaurant should be accountable if they're misleading, if they misrepresent their product or break the law."
The problem is not the food industry, it is the consumers. The National Restaurant Association is working with the government to assist in introducing this legislation around the country. At almost every restaurant, there are a range of foods designed to fit different dietary desires; the problem is lack of education and motivation for personal responsibility. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan told the Washington Times, "In a debate in which foods themselves are being held to be largely responsible for increasing levels of obesity, actual levels of caloric intake among the young haven't appreciably changed over the last 20 years." A 2003 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine suggested "A focus on increasing energy expenditure, rather than reducing caloric intake." The facts are simple: A person must burn off as many calories as they eat in a day. The content of the food does not matter, the amount of exercise does.
The irony involved with this law regards the identical bill proposed by Sen. Tom Reynolds and vetoed by Governor Doyle just one year ago. Although Mr. Doyle allowed this bill to slip by the first time, he did not fail to do so this time around. He defended his decision due to an indication of changing times in Wisconsin and since the frequency of obesity lawsuits has increased recently. Governor Doyle's spokesman, Dan Leistikow, told the Badger Herald, "At the time [of the governor's veto], these lawsuits just weren't happening in Wisconsin." Mr. Leistikow also added that the governor's action to sign the legislation reflects recent reforms in other states that have passed similar measures. "The governor certainly thinks it's reasonable that you just can't sue a restaurant because you're overweight," he said.
There is obviously a problem when obese people try to place blame for weight gain on anyone or anything, even if it means a lawsuit. What will they do next, try to eliminate holidays because they promote weight gain? Emphasis needs to be placed on education, personal responsibility, moderation and healthier lifestyles to create a healthier nation. SB 161 just brought Wisconsin one step closer to achieving these objectives by recognizing the source of the problem, the consumer itself.
Joelle Parks (jparks@badgerherald.com) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 9:22am):
I take it that you also feel that a women that gets raped for wearing a short skirt, no panties, and a tube top should also take responsibility for that as well. Or the black person walking at night in the deep south that gets lynched, or the female journalist that gets kidnapped in Iraq...
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 9:29am):
I think the title of this article is deameaning and rude. Although her opinion is well formed and I am actually for this legislative bill, I take offense as to how it was formed.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 10:34am):
Is the USA the only country in the world where the poor people are fat and the rich people are skinny? Must be Bush's fault.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 2:44pm):
Since I can't sue the food people, I'll sue the folks at NBC for their hypnotic broadcasting schedule. Sometimes I neglect to move for several hours straight while watching my shows.
Deal or No Deal... I could watch that for hours and I have no reasonable explaination why.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 3:32pm):
I don't want to be fat, so I exercise and eat right. Take some freaking responsiblity for your actions.
If you're overweight, get off your butt and do something about it. Don't just sue the restaurant that sold you the food and use the money to buy more cheeseburgers.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 3:51pm):
How can you compare rape to obesity? Nobody is forcing people to eat at McDonalds, drink Coke, eat Dorritos, and not exercise. You tell me one example of someone working for a junk food company forcibly shoving food down a consumer's throat. At what point dose it become the eaters fault?
And how is the title of the article "demeaning and rude?" Obese is a medical term. Is this country fool of wusses who can't bear to hear the truth, so it must be reworded and cast into a fasion that has no meaning? I guess fat people should be called "nutritionally gifted."
Fact: You can't gain weight if you use more calories then you eat. So what's the excuse for all you fatties? "I don't have time to work out." "It's too much work to cook good food." "I have to watch Oprah." Shut your mouth, put down the fork, and get off the couch.
And shame on you men who date fat women. Don't encourage them.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 4:33pm):
"And shame on you men who date fat women. Don't encourage them."
You are a bad person.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 5:03pm):
This article and some of the posters fail to recognize other medical reasons why people are obese. Some people have depression which can lead to obesity, others have thyroid problems which can lead to obesity and make it impossible to loose weight. There is a high misconception that overweight people are lazy and sit on the couch all day watching soap operas. The majority of overweight obese not necassarily morbidly obese are not like that.
"And shame on you men who date fat women. Don't encourage them" umm what about overweight men. Way to encourage shallowness, because a person's weight defines their personality and character....people like you make the world a worse place to live
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 7:01pm):
"I take it that you also feel that a women that gets raped for wearing a short skirt, no panties, and a tube top should also take responsibility for that as well."
Completely different. People who eat a lot and sit on the couch all day are not victims of anything, it is their choice. Rape victims don't have that choice.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 7:16pm):
>>And shame on you men who date fat women. Don't encourage them.<<
You are disgusting. People who are obese have made some bad choices just like eveyrone else. There is no reason for comments such as this.
While those who are overweight should try to make better choices, we should recognize that our culture is not exactly conducive to healthy living. We're on the go, and usually, it's either cheaper or easier to eat the processed food or just go out than it is to cook a meal in your home.
>>Is the USA the only country in the world where the poor people are fat and the rich people are skinny?<<
OK, way to use the sterotypes. But try shopping for the produce you need to eat even five a day for a week. It's expensive. The cheap food is the not healthy stuff. That's why those trends exist.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 9:10pm):
"OK, way to use the sterotypes. But try shopping for the produce you need to eat even five a day for a week."
Brown rice, beans and greens - cheap and nutritious but not as tasty as a big mac and fries.
"It's expensive. The cheap food is the not healthy stuff."
BS - you can get healthy food cheap, it just takes a little work and a willingness to put nutrition before taste.
Anonymous (April 20, 2006 @ 9:52pm):
Eating healthy is cheap, exercise is cheaper. Unfortunately, excuses are cheaper still.
Anonymous (April 21, 2006 @ 1:57pm):
"And shame on you men who date fat women. Don't encourage them."
You are so right.
Big IS NOT beautiful!
