Law & Order: SVU Tackles Obesity
Last week’s Law & Order: SVU episode titled “Fat” brings us (in a round about way) to the story of a 20-something man who’s beaten by teenagers for being fat. The 2 teenagers who beat him are released and the victim shoots the male attacker in the police station, killing him in the process. At his trial, his attorney basically blames the food industry for marketing crappy food to this man throughout his childhood. Ultimately, she contends, it’s the industry’s fault that this boy became an obese man, and that the obese man was so traumatized for being obese (again the fault of the food industry) that he killed his attacker. The district attorney ultimately gets a conviction because she gets him to admit he’s not sorry for the crime. By the end of the episode, we find out the surviving attacker, a teenage girl, was once obese herself, and now has a hatred for all “fatties.”
While this is, of course, an extreme case (it’s TV after all), it makes me think about the lawsuits in the news where people are suing fast food restaurants, cereal manufacturers, etc, for making them fat, and the resulting “Cheeseburger Bill” designed to curb the litigation. Where do you think the responsibility lies? Do you think food companies (manufacturers, marketers, restaurants, etc.) should be penalized for contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country? Or do you think it’s a case of gluttony, pure and simple?
Comments
On Jul 5 at 05:19 PM linda brunelle said:
Food addiction is real. A recovered alcoholic can abstain totally, but with food, even with a successful weight loss, you have to make that decision 3 times a day whether to be good or not. It ain't easy. I've been on and off diets since I'm 8 years old, lost 100 pounds twice and gained it all back. Believe me when I say I would have given my right arm to have control over food rather than it controlling me. Finally, finally, gastric bypass solved my problem. Weight discrimination is real and we need to treat it the same as bias because of religion or color. If those kids had beaten someone because of race, they would have been thrown into jail no questions asked.
On Jul 29 at 02:33 AM said:
Everyone is responsible for their own action. It is hard to say "NO" to food, but that should not be a reason to use. Moderation, once in a while, and thinking about one's health should be on everyones mind. No one should be punish for being different, justice should be serve for those who chose to commit crime. We can replace the things we own, we cannot replace our body. What we are is the result of what we do to ourselves.
On Sep 29 at 11:40 AM Iris Elizabeth said:
There is always hatred for a person, whether race, religion, or image profile. I, too, have struggled with weight all my life but I have to make the conscience decision, DAILY, if I am going to do the right thing and eat right or hurt myself and binge. The food industry has nothing to do with my problem. If McDonald's and all fast food disappeared, I would still have regular home cooked meals; should I eat a small portion or oever eat. Should I make some cookies and eat the entire batch or just have one.
This is a real problem and we have to come to terms that we make the ultimate decision on what road we want to ride.
We need to become the better person and smile before being smiled at, say please and thank you, doing onto others as would we like others to do unto us (not doing onto others as they do onto you).
Blessings to all!
On Jun 3 at 02:46 PM said:
Whatever happened to the fact that everyone has a choice?
I suspect that the industry pounds our sensibilities with food, food, food, that one has difficulty with selection.One way to ascertain what we are eating is to cook it yourself. What a unique approach to damage control. I'm a 60 years young woman, and there were no fast food places like there are now. The "treat" was every once in a blue moon, our parents took us to White Castle or Horn&Hardart (remember them?) Well, I love this trend for foodies, however, it can be quite expensive. It's possible to fix good food (with nuttritional value), that is cost effective.