My New Ham Rant Hey guys. Wrote this to help me deal with my anger with fatties. It's my first draft with only light editing.  Thoughts?  Obesity worldwide has reached a tipping point and obesity in America has reached disgusting proportions. Two thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight[4] and around one in every six children is already overweight[2]. The individuals cost of healthcare is on average 25% higher than for a normal-weight person[3]. Despite that, there have been many attempts to normalize overweight/obesity socially, such as HAES{1}, all of which are misguided. Any person who is even just 30 pounds over a BMI of 25 should change their habits as even a 5% reduction in weight could help correct their changing metabolic stasis[1]. We tend to now think of overweight as being reserved for those who are explicitly obese, but that is not the case. Anyone over the age of 20 who sees weight gain in the range of 5 pounds should see that as a sign on lost health[1].  Obesity is actually very similar to most addiction in it's hormone regulation and loss of impulse control[5]. We don't treat it as such because we have been conditioned to let people 'accept their bodies'. This line of thinking is eerily similar to saying that we shouldn't judge someones forearm tract marks because their heroine addiction is just their way of expressing themselves. A study in 1992 found that all obese and overweight weight loss participants either had NO idea how much they were consuming or were lying about it to reduce what they knew to be bad[6]. These kinds of behaviors are consistent with a normal addicts 'denial of problem'[7]. You'll notice addicts will usually clump together because they will justify each others actions when the rest of the world denies them acceptance. This has been shown in social groups surrounding obesity[8]. We treat obesity very differently from how we treat other addictions, but the point of the matter is they aren't that different. They both contribute to very high healthcare costs, they both lead to early deaths, high rates of both affect children in very undesirable ways, but yet we subsidize high fructose corn syrup.  The last major point is the children. The WHO(World Health Organization) estimates there to be about 42 million preschool children who are overweight worldwide[9]. The problem is that obesity is still growing, not being slowed down[8]. The drug of choice is still widely and cheaply available and most people take little or no personal responsibility for their weight or changing it. George Bray said “Obesity is a loaded gun, environment pulls the trigger”. Like with any addiction, some are more predisposed to it. Some people have weird chemical balances of certain hunger and satiety regulating hormones that make it harder for them to not overeat[5], but this does not mean they can't regulate or help their problem. It does show that overall we're enabling their addiction. The fact that society is 70% overweight/obese, and that people who are around overweight/obese people are more likely to become so means that there will ,probably, be a rise in obesity affecting children. Children are the ones most prone to environment based obesity development[9]. That is why I believe it is the individuals job to help stop the spread of obesity. You, the obese, and your actions are causing harm to entire generations. People will be denied good, healthy lifestyles because of your environmental influence and your acceptance of self-inflicted suicide. The children will suffer for your actions with obesity just as they will with economic, environmental, and resource based carelessness.  [1] http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/ask-the-expert-does-being-overweight-really-decrease-mortality-no/ [2] http://www.obesity.org/resources-for/childhood-overweight.htm [3] http://www.barillacfn.com/en/position-paper/obesita-gli-impatti-sulla-salute-pubblica-e-sulla-societa/ [4] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm [5] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-obesity-an-addiction/?page=2 [6] http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199212313272701 [7] http://azureacres.crchealth.com/recovery-addictions-articles/stages-of-denial/ [8] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/social-spread-obesity/ [9] http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/facts/en/index2.html {1} http://www.haescommunity.org/