Thinking of the Wrong Person

The headline screams: New Jersey Woman Wants to Weigh 1,000 Pounds!

The first sentence of the article says it all:

Meet Donna Simpson. She's going to cost you. A lot.

Oh? Will I be unable to walk if she reaches her goal? Will I suffer heart disease, diabetes, joint damage and myriad other health problems if she weighs 1,000 pounds?

What about what this will cost Ms. Simpson? That's only addressed so that the overall cost of obesity can be addressed. The entire article is a great big fat shame as experts review the costs of obesity, with nary a mention of why an individual would wish to eat themselves into complete disability, or what the poor woman's life will be like on her way to her goal.

The picture of Ms. Simpson is an action shot: she's eating. Of course.

“Obesity causes a minimum $1,429 increase, or 42 percent in medical costs,”
Emmer said. “Research shows lifestyle choices and behaviors drive 87.5 percent
of the cost for health care claims."

Well, sure. Living does indeed tend to lead to dying. Funny how I never see statistics on hospital visits for athletes for torn tendons and such. If you watch professional sports, you know injuries run rampant for athletes at all skill levels. Where's the shamy article on that?

As Simpson’s appetite increases, so will the cost of health care for the severe
medical conditions that she is likely to have — conditions that are preventable
by healthier lifestyle choices. Whereas her $750-a-week grocery bill is merely
gastronomical, her hospital bills will be astronomical — and the taxpayers of
New Jersey may well have to pay her tab.

Really? I won't deny that weighing over 600 pounds does put one at higher risk for heart disease and diabetes, but those conditions are not totally preventable through "healthier lifestyle choices". Thin people do indeed suffer from heart disease. Thin people also develop type 2 diabetes. Fat shame all you want, you're at risk too. Asshole.