Fat-Shaming Goes International

The following paragraph is cut and pasted directly from my blog post of October 23, 2012, on the subject of what I would do if I were President:

"We all know that being fat is unhealthy, unattractive, and in some dire cases downright disgusting. I have said as much before. So when I'm in charge, citizens will be ticketed for every pound over the legal limit, which will be determined by experts such as doctors and insurance actuaries. You might be eating a Whopper at Burger King one day and have a cop come up to you, produce one of those new wrist scales where they can weigh you on the spot, and give you a ticket for breaking the Fatness Law. It might be like $5 per pound, or more depending on how financially strapped my administration is at that point."

Public weigh-in in Turkey.

Well folks, just today I read that something akin to this very plan is currently in practice in Turkey, in order to combat the rising rates of obesity in that country. Started on May 10 and continuing until July 10, Turkish citizens are being weighed in public, at random places, by government representatives. If deemed overweight they are directed to health nutrition centers for counseling and monitoring by dietitians, then re-weighed at a future date.

Naturally there is some pushback from the citizenry, who say it amounts to "fat-shaming" by the government. I say good -- being fat is shameful when caused by gluttony and inactivity rather than an inherent disease. It's about time that someone in a position of authority took steps to halt this widespread scourge that threatens the eventual extinction of our species.

Maybe I should run for president. After all, I'm the perfect age for it: I'm 78 now and I will be 82 at my inauguration. That sounds about right.