Let's consider the government response to two epidemics: Aids and obesity.In the 1980s newspapers and television news programs were full of stories about the AIDS epidemic. Similarly today, the media are rife with articles about the mushrooming obesity epidemic.
The two health problems are similar in the fact that they both, to a very large degree, are caused by behaviors. Overeating in the case of obesity and male homosexual practices in the case of AIDS. Of course, intravenous drug with shared needles is also a common source of spreading the virus that leads to AIDS.
Not for a moment do I want to deny the seriousness of AIDS and all the heartbreak and tragic loss of life it has caused. I just want to look at the dissimilar ways the government has reacted to the AIDS epidemic and the obesity epidemic.
Today, at virtually every level of government—local, state and federal—there are massive campaigns to change the food people eat. To put it frankly, government agencies don't want people to eat the foods they enjoy: fast food, sweets, etc. They want Americans to change their behavior with regards to food. Essentially advocates like Michelle Obama and others are saying, "Hey, why don't you guys just start eating salads? They're a lot less fattening."
I don't think I would be stretching my point to say that some local governments are actively taking measures they hope will ultimately put fast food restaurants out of business. And, I suspect that the diet police at all levels would be overjoyed it this were to ever happen.
In contrast, government agencies have never proposed that male homosexuals change their behavior with regards to the type of sexual relations they enjoy. I don't think I've ever heard one federal official say, "Hey, why don't you guys just start having heterosexual sex instead? It's a lot safer."
The government response to AIDS was to encourage "safe homosexual sex" and invest billions in research to find a cure. Again, don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I'm glad that effective treatments have been developed over the years.
But, there is no denying the fact that both of these public health problems stem from human behaviors that when changed, would dramatically decrease the incidence of disease.
If the government were to take the same approach to obesity that it has to AIDS, it would be investing billions to find a medical cure that would allow people to consume fatty foods and sweets and not gain weight.
It's interesting that both of these "epidemics" are directly related to what must be the two biggest human urges: having sex and eating. I think one of the main reasons the government's response has been different is because fat people are not at all politically organized, while homosexuals have a lot of political power.
If America's fat folks could just get an emblem as eye catching as that multicolored flag the gays have adopted, then maybe we could get a low fat bacon cheeseburger that tastes good.
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