In nine concise chapters, author J. Eric
Oliver takes an effective stab at unraveling Americas "so
called" obesity epidemic. It is this suspicious tone
that informs this latest investigative installment that attempts
to shed some light on the tangled web that is American health
policy.
Fat Politics: The real Story Behind Americas
obesity epidemic is an articulate and accessible read that
exposes the man behind the star-spangled curtain who's been
wagging the dog of fat fear in America since the industrial
revolution - and this man is concluded to be none other than
Uncle Tom himself.
For the first four chapters Oliver does a compelling job
at weaving together the social and political atmospheric
pressures that epitomize the tempestuous climate leading
up to the epidemic. He does so first by posing the question
'What is fat?' and he continues along in call answer fashion
with 'How obesity became an epidemic' and, 'Why we hate fat
people.' His most impressive investigative work comes to
the fore when he explicates why in the west, Caucasian women
reap the bulk of the burden. This he explains is the result
of an intricate system of -ism's stemming from early puritanical
ideology dealing with virtue, moral obligation and freedom – the
very tenets the US was founded on. Through a social observational
lens reminiscent of early feminist he discusses all too briefly,
Oliver insinuates that the same force of fear driving fat
hatred in the States is/or could inform the question Betty
Friedan posed years before regarding 'the problem with no
name'.
By chapter five, the material becomes a bit more challenging
for the reader with a marginal understanding of genetics
or genetic theories. Although the author makes a laudable
attempt at explaining the various medical perceptions and
political influences on the issue of 'weight' the waters
he wades through are murky and any suggestion as to which
theory or theorist may be on to something is unclear. When
looking at the intelligibility of the publication as a whole,
it stands to reason that this unclear dip in the argument
is more emblematic of the indecisive and convoluted reality
of the greater issue at hand and less about the authors'
shortcomings as an analytical writer.
In chapters six through eight Oliver redeems himself when
he tackles the political and shows how it become personal
in school cafeterias and doctors offices across the continent.
He closes out this massive undertaking by offering up some
tangible solutions as to how his government might proceed.
Among these are: a call for government re-assessment of
political priorities regarding Health Vs Net Profit and to
treat Fatism or Sizism as the human rights issue that it
is. In his closing remarks it become apparent that J. Eric
Oliver's intended audience is the medical and health establishments
when he challenges its affiliates to step off the proverbial
scale and up to the plate, and stop using weight as a barometer
for measuring health and human worth.
This is an important read for the professional in related
fields, the activist, the health enthusiast and the lay person
who's ready to trade in their myriad of contradicting ideals
about what makes one healthy, for a hearty and healthy serving
of facts.
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