In the mood for a good parody of the sort of ‘experts’ that often get trotted out in the War On Obesity? I know I am. Luckily, the superfantastic Alexandra Erin has created just such a parody site that has had me getting a great workout with all the belly laughs.
The Health Institute of Nutrition (THIN) is a scienterrific source of ‘good facts’ about the ease and healthiness of staying skinny at any cost. Read a few of these entries, and have a good laugh. Oh, and be sure to comment with descriptions of your efforts to help the cause and links to your favorite ‘good fact’ articles about weight and body image.
Need an example? Here’s a favorite of mine on the importance of BMI:
With just two statistics—height and weight—a physician can determine who is healthy and who is not. Everything about you as an individual—your exercise habits, eating patterns, lifestyle, and general moral rectitude—is laid bare with a single table.
It works like this: imagine for a moment that you are 5′10″ and weigh 173 pounds. You have a Body Mass Index of 24.9, which falls within the normal range. Good! Now imagine instead that you weigh 174 pounds. At a Body Mass Index of 25, you are overweight. Thus, you are an unsightly burden on society, you lazy, stupid cow. You are also going to die of complications from diabetes and heart disease.
Remember, parody is the sincerest form of poking logic holes in a bad argument. Poke away and have fun.
Ah the BMI, it is evil. And Twistie, you totally made me spurt selzter on my work computer. :)
Comment by Tizzy — February 12, 2008 @ 2:59 pm