NOW IS NOT THE TIME
Warning: you are about to read my thoughts on two controversial subjects: guns and obesity. Fun stuff. Some of you might get triggered, because these are both heavy subjects. (See what I did there?)
*****
“Now is not the time.”
Whether it be the Las Vegas shooting in 2017, the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, or the Columbine school massacre in 1999 – or for that matter the countless other examples of senseless mass shootings in this country over the last few decades – how many times have we heard from a too large percentage of our politicians, pundits, media and citizenry that “Now is not the time” to discuss gun violence and the need for sensible gun control…because of their stated desire to be “sensitive to the victims’ families”?
Can’t we be sensitive to not only those families and to future survivors of victims of gun violence by actually addressing the problem now?
Those who have a vested interest in gun manufacturing and/or placating gun manufacturers, along with gun nuts who have a distorted and outdated view of the second amendment have a vested interest in NEVER discussing the need for more effective gun regulation.
I don’t know what the answers are, and I’m not suggesting that guns should be confiscated. That isn’t workable or sensible. And more resources allocated to addressing mental health issues has to be a part of the solution.
But I know we can do better.
Now is not the time?
Bullshit. The time is at least twenty years past due, if not longer.
*****
I will submit that we are now in that same arena as guns when it comes to the public discussion of obesity in this country and the poor health outcomes that are directly correlated with that. Many (including me) have brought this issue up before and have been accused of fat shaming or of picking on poor people.
The United States leads the world in the percentage of obese people. The illnesses, deaths, and the health care and societal costs associated with obesity are staggering.
Yet now is not the time to discuss obesity, say many. Maybe even some of you reading this. Try writing about this on social media and see how much blowback you get. I have.
In the summer of 2020, in my book “Life is a Ride: My Unconventional Journey of Cancer Recovery” I wrote:
We hear very little about how unhealthy this country is and how that has contributed to the spread of COVID in the United States. That’s not to excuse the federal response to this—plain and simple, it has been a major clusterfuck. But Trump is not responsible for the decline in the health of our citizenry. That’s been going on for decades. And when you combine a very poor response to the virus with an unhealthy population, along with a medical system that ranks very low in industrialized nations and with the fact that we’ve been conditioned over the years to wait for a magic pill or a vaccine to cure us instead of focusing on eating healthier and exercising more—well, it’s the perfect storm.
I long for the day when I hear an American politician, epidemiologist or a member of the media say to the public: “Hey, while you’re waiting for a pill or a vaccine over the next one to two years, you might want to do what you can to eat healthier, move your body more and adopt better living habits.” Our society can debate various strategies to lessen the effects of the pandemic like wearing masks, social distancing, shutting down the economy, etc., but there is no debate when it comes to getting healthier. We know that getting healthier and building our immune system work to help us from catching viruses and fighting them off if we do catch them. And there are no side effects from getting healthier.
Since then, I have occasionally written and posted similar things on social media, and the blowback has been intense.
Bill Maher isn’t afraid to confront the issue. Back in 2019, months before COVID hit, he brought up the issue:
“In August, 53 Americans died from mass shootings,” the host of Real Time with Bill Maher told his live studio audience in Los Angeles. “Terrible right? Do you know how many died from obesity? Forty thousand. Fat shaming doesn’t need to end it needs to make a comeback. Some amount of shame is good. We shamed people out of smoking and into wearing seat belts. We shamed them out of littering and most of them out of racism. Shame is the first step in reform.”
And if you are a regular viewer of Maher’s show, in the last 18 months he has brought up obesity several more times, as it relates to COVID outcomes.
Michelle Obama wasn’t afraid to talk about obesity, though she may not have used that word or specifically mentioned “weight”. Back in 2010, she made it a plank of her First Lady platform, the “Let’s Move” movement to help raise a healthier generation of children.
https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
Further, I invite you to take 5-10 minutes and read the article in Politico linked below. (If you have trouble opening the link to the article, message me and I’ll send it to you some other way.) It perfectly encapsulates the mess we are in, how other countries are starting to address the problem, and how here in the United States we aren’t doing….anything.
https://apple.news/AYeZ00izETgyXQwKnJbdEcg
And even with the best intentions from people like Bill Maher and Michelle Obama, we really aren’t discussing this much publicly.
The leading public health expert in this country (or at least the one who is now the acknowledged spokesperson for COVID) is Anthony Fauci. He knows – and the data backs this up – that obesity in this country has contributed tremendously to an increased propensity to catch the virus and also poor outcomes (hospitalizations, long-term COVID, and death) from it. And how many times has Fauci mentioned obesity in his speeches or interviews, and talked with the public about what we can do?
I’m going to guess: he never has. You can show me if I’m wrong about this.
What politicians do you know of here in the United States that are addressing this? I can’t think of one, or certainly one that has a national platform.
Why aren’t we talking about this????
The reality is that obesity is even a larger and longer-term health and fiscal concern than COVID. We will get past COVID, eventually. But until we start eating healthier, eating less, and moving our bodies more, we will continue to be in a world of hurt.
A side note: I’m mindful that some can’t afford healthier food. And the income disparity in this country is off the charts and growing even wider. These huge issues need to be addressed, and certainly not just because of the obesity issue.
But can poorer people still make healthier choices, even despite that? Can they move their bodies more? Watch calorie counts? Not reach for a Pepsi, and drink water instead? To be clear, I’m not picking on poor people, any more than I am fat shaming.
We can ALL make better lifestyle choices no matter what a person’s income level is.
We can choose to face these issues and try to address them, or we can continue to ignore them at our own peril.
Now is the time.
As always, thanks for reading.
-Chris
#lifeisaride