So what's hit the news this morning (well, and yesterday - I was probably going to waffle about it then as well) is weight. NHS 'inconsistent' on obesity ops about Gastric bypasses on the NHS.
Now, there's a bit of a waffle waffle about why it's a problem, why it might actually be inconsistent. The on that seems to have been missed is what is - in my opinion - probably the cause.
Prejudice.
I'm not going to say everyone has the problem, but it's definitely something I have run into - the assumption that 'overweight' correlates with stupid and lazy. That because you don't have a problem maintaining your waistline at 32 inches, anyone who does, is by definition, a lazy slob who does it to themselves.
What's worse, is I actually think that those in the medical profession do get caught out by the same thing, perhaps even a little more _because_ of their understanding of the human body. Y'know, a slight twinge of actual contempt that someone could 'let themselves live like that'.
What's worse, is that in some cases, it might actually be true - being overweight _is_ a result of consuming more calories than you burn. I guarantee you though, that no one is overweight by choice - at very best they're saying they don't care. But so what? EVEN if it were true. Even if EVERY SINGLE PERSON who's ever had a BMI over 25 _was_ lazy and stupid... so what? Do you really think bullying them about it is going to fix anything? Because it's not.
I think as a society we all benefit from everyone being fit, healthy and active. I think that if we stigmatize, bully and prejudge everyone who's gained a few kilos, we don't achieve that, any more than we 'cure' people of mental illness by flogging them.
It just doesn't work. It's a wide spread attitude problem, and it's something that _needs_ to change - don't marginalize the people who are overweight, any more than you'd marginalize the people who are diabetic or arthritic. Recognise that it's a problem, and one that can be dealt with, and is actually fairly easy to deal with - provided you give it the support it needs and the relevant background information.