The War on Fat rages on. The latest dispatches from the front lines:
World War: The once “exclusively ‘Western’ disease” of obesity has become a “global epidemic of fat,” invading the developing world, some claim. “The fast food culture is causing a worldwide epidemic of obesity,” screams Ananova.com. “Western influence has meant the harmful effects of poor diet and lack of exercise have spread far beyond the industrial centers of the West.”
Battle of the Bulge: “If Americans want to blame their expanding waistlines on something other than their lack of willpower, new research now finds fault with huge cookies, bulky bagels and massive muffins,” HealthScoutNews proclaims. “Increasing portion sizes appear to be directly related to the obesity epidemic… increased food intake probably explains why we are becoming so fat.”
The War at Home: ABC News helped a family “jump off the fast food track” to change their diet. The network linked restaurant foods to addiction, noting that “children who get hooked on fast food may wind up with serious health problems.”
America’s food choices are spreading to other nations, restaurants and vendors are providing more food for the same prices, and families can enjoy dining out at reasonable prices. To an increasingly vocal minority, all of this is bad news. Think that’s crazy? It’s the latest slide on the slippery slope of restricting consumer freedom that has been promoted by ABC, Fox News, Time, CNN, and even People. The media “air war” goes on — but who’s winning?
