The Obesity Witch Hunt Continues

In their never-ending quest to give us the gift of wellness whether we want it or not, medical experts have—using the finest available quackery—"proven" that obesity can be contagious. "Even social interaction with a friend of a friend could have an impact on a person's weight," the article sombrely warns.

This is a classic example of causation inferred from correlation, and the sociologist in me cannot abide such nonsense. Yes, I'm sure fat people have been known to befriend other fat people (and vice-versa). In other words, consciously or not, we seek the company of others like ourselves. Fine, but to make the conceptual leap that befriending the obese causes one to gain weight is as absurd as asserting that if I listen only to punk rock, my grandmother will, too.

If this drivel is to be believed, then without your knowledge or consent, your best friend's beer-guzzling uncle (whom you met just once) is slowly, insidiously changing your waistline for the worse. Clearly, the fat brigade is out to strip you of your wellness—that's if a smoker or some other degenerate doesn't beat them to it.

So, let's lock ourselves in the closet before it's too late, yes? Allow me again to quote from the article: "Experts say the study offers insight into why obesity is spreading rapidly. 'As the proportion of people that are overweight or obese increases rather dramatically, then one could imagine this spread occurring almost to the entire population.'" (Huh?)

Those deemed undesirable by the elite are vilified by stigmatizing them as "diseased." From there, a bogus pandemic is fabricated in order to create the appropriate level of perceived threat. Under such a scenario, panic appears the only sane option.

What can you do? For starters, don't believe the hype. Use your critical faculties. Be especially vigilant when vicious, discriminatory claims against an outgroup are couched in pseudo-scientific bafflegab.