Notably absent from this list of harms is the potential of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation to create or exacerbate stigma, including weight stigma. Weight stigma in health policies has received global attention, and there are many calls to action to end weight-stigmatizing policies.
Stigma occurs, in part, when a label — such as “obesity” — is associated with negative stereotypes, leading to discrimination and loss of status. Weight stigma includes stereotypes of laziness and stupidity. It can lead to discrimination in health care and workplace settings.
Weight stigma has negative effects on mental and physical health, including health care avoidance, disordered eating, self exclusion from sport and exercise and stress. Contrary to what many people think, stigma is not an effective strategy for weight loss.
We shouldn’t tax fattening foods because it makes lardbuckets feel bad about themselves?
Sure, I can think of reasons why a sugar tax is very silly indeed but this given reason is even more silly than that.
He’s currently on the Jeremy Vine show on R2, pontificating about the budget. And how Britain is ‘a massively unequal society’.
Contrary to what many people think, stigma is not an effective strategy for weight loss.
Citation needed. For women, the shame & stigma of being fat at the beach / at the wedding is a huge motivator for weight loss.
Doesn’t work as well on men though.
Since it’s probably the last remaining obstacle to the bastards introducing a sugar you should be right behind it. Let’s hear it for the fat cunts’ feelings! Porky rights! When do we want them?
When I got to reading the reference behind the article that Tim referenced it turns out that one of the reasons that the obese are not responsible is that fattening foods are heavily advertised!!!
No American can be expected to exercise self-control in the face of advertising …
There are many people who register a BMI above 30 who are perfectly healthy, just as there are many of us with a BMI below 18 who are perfectly healthy, but almost invariably those who are both capable of taking exercise and obese have considerable personal responsibility for their obesity.
So we can stop forcing chain restaurants to display calorie counts on their menus as well? Can we allow food manufacturers to use trans fats? Was Mayor Bloomberg a bigot for wanting to ban large soft drinks?
I seem to see a lot of adverts for expensive watches at the moment. (Is there some sort of festive season approaching?) But I still feel absolutely no desire to blow £000s on a piece of jewellery that won’t do as good a job as a Casio I can buy for £20. But if I did suddenly experience an overwhelming urge to splash the cash, the adverts might lean me towards an Omega rather than a Rolex.
The same is true of adverts for fatty/sugary food. They won’t make you run out and buy a 1kg block of chocolate, but they might influence your preference between Lindt and Cadbury should you choose to do so.
Contrary to what many people think, stigma is not an effective strategy for weight loss.
Never thought it was, I just like to laugh at fatties.
“Can we allow food manufacturers to use trans fats?” Sounds like a winning policy – suck the fat from fat trannies and save the environmental cost of other animal fats.
Jesus H Christ
I thought the U.K. higher education sector was in bad shape. Maybe Murphy should look for a position in Ottawa.
Much of the blatant bullshit that comes out from supranational Organizations seems to use the old Dominions as a test bed. South Africa, NZ, Australia, Canada and Ireland all seem to be ‘woker than woke’ – I wonder why?
South Africa, NZ, Australia, Canada and Ireland all seem to be ‘woker than woke’ – I wonder why?
To ensure there’s nowhere to run too.
‘To ensure there’s nowhere to run too.’ Must admit I think that’s quite unfair Flubber, since I’m already here.
As for the popularity of wokism in Oz, I’m damned if I know why. It’s not something I share.
Though working from my example, it might be simple laziness. After all, Dad used to be a staunch public spirited type who’d audit the books of the Liberal party, the local schools, the netball players etc for free. Whereas I just loll in front of a computer.
For those who are concerned though, I have the perfect cure for obesity. I make myself eat my own cooking!!!
South Africa, NZ, Australia, Canada and Ireland all seem to be ‘woker than woke’ – I wonder why?
Citation required.
Jacinda Ardern has a reputation for being woke that is not entirely deserved. She has an authoritarian streak, loving almost anything that increases central government control, but her government hasn’t really done much in the social area. Euthenasia is now legal, and they tried drug reform, but neither are particularly woke.
Politically she is in about the same place as your Conservatives, except that she is solidly anti-immigration and is nowhere near as gung-ho about “Net Zero”. Now I accept that your Tory party is wet left, but half your country is to the left of that and think Boris is a fascist.
Meanwhile we’re about to vote Jacinda out. She’s way more popular outside NZ than in.
@Chester
She has an authoritarian streak, loving almost anything that increases central government control
^ definition of woke right there. They want to use the coercive power of the state to make you do what you don’t want to. There is no particular strategy or movement towards a bright new future: the exercise of power is the one and only goal, and making you do what you do not wish to do is how the exercise of power is measured — because if you wanted to do it anyway, or were indifferent to it, it would hardly the exercise of power, would it?
Chester Draws
The UK Conservatives are well to the Left of North Korea in almost every aspect. Comparing Ardern with them doesn’t make me think she’s a raving libertarian. You’re telling me NZ has rejected ‘Net Zero’? Is clamping down on Trans activists? Is saying diversity is a source of extreme weakness not strength? Is asserting Islamic extremists will be imprisoned or extradited? I doubt it.