I am happy that a fellow Marquette student has shown sincere concern in the general health of this great country's citizens. However I am disappointed in the narrow mindedness with which the issue of lifestyle and health was approached.
Obesity, I would like to think, takes on a little bit more color than just the basic black and white of cattle. To characterize the problem of obesity as only a matter of diet and exercise would be naive to say the least. Genetics and oodles of medical conditions play a large role in shaping the body, and diet and exercise are no always the cure.
In addition to physical afflictions, economics plays a large role in sculpting the carcass. As Milwaukee boasts some of the largest poverty levels in the nation, gym memberships and personal trainers remain a fantasy for more than a few. With four hungry mouths to feed, two jobs, and a spouse to satisfy, not everyone has the luxury to visit the gym five days a week.
Philosophically speaking the social stigma of obesity is in the eye of the beholder. While kankles (knee ankles) might be an eyesore to some, history and culture show that society's view of full figured men and women is relative. Fat on the body has long stood as sign of wealth, status, and beauty. Those with money had leisure, and those with money and leisure had time to eat. Ancient aristocratic Romans found plump women sensuous, and there are men and women today who find roomy bodies attractive.
While I personally wouldn't deign to dine on swine, a little meat on the bones makes sweet curves all the more voluptuous. This attitude of shape up or ship out has no place in civilized discourse. The heart of this issue isn't what is right or wrong; rather the heart of this issue is choice.
Whatever the cost to ones health, whatever revulsion it inspires in our peers, the bottom line is that in being an American we have the right to choose what we eat, how often we exorcise and how we live our lives. Give me a cigarette, a mug of beer, a double butter burger and triple thick milkshake and I'll be one happy camper.
I would much rather die before my time in the Epicurean flock then live out the rest of my life on a treadmill. For now let moderation, not only in gluttony, but in all of lives vices be pursued. And for those who wish to deviate and indulge in the desires of the palate, let us respect the fact that as citizens and adults this is their prerogative.
There is no place for ridicule or overzealous preaching, for who are we to judge what others should do in their free time? Let he who is without fault cast the first stone.
