Had Deborah Ross written this five years ago I would have viewed it as a tongue in cheek article regarding the overweight. In fact, as I received this I was actually in chat with an old, dear friend who herself is a little overweight, so I sent her the link to the article. She thought it could be serious!
Her first response was:
Is it a joke?
Her second response was:
So i just put up with it then? Agghhh, that option may drive me nuts. I think it’s awful. The thing is you can see Cameron and what’s his face (Nick Clegg) saying stuff like that until one of their kids ends up fat because of all the pressure on them and suddenly things will be reversed. Thing is there’s nowt people can do really: it needs a mass rebellion for people to take note.
How long will it be before some fool attempts to blame Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on obesity, just as they try to blame it on smokers, without a thought that non-smokers also lose children to SIDS: as do the obese, the thin, in fact every type of human frame is vulnerable to SIDS.
It was predicted by the pro-choice lobby that this kind of bigotry would not stop with the smokers: that they would target the drinkers, the obese and anyone else who does not fit their perfect stereotype. Indeed, it is no different to the ‘Master Race Syndrome’ of a bygone era.