Overweight? Try this

I've been slow to post these days, for which I am sorry. Life is hectic right now.

But plenty of other people have been posting these days. One of my favorites of recent weeks is Carrie Arnold's post from yesterday. It's parody of the best kind--sarcastic as hell and oh-so-true in spirit. Jonathan Swift would have approved.

The obesity paradox

Thanks to fat fu for pointing me toward this article on the so-called obesity paradox. It reads like something straight out of Jonathan Swift. Or Lenny Bruce. You can just hear it, can't you?

Judge: You say that fat people live longer after heart attacks? Impossible.
D.A.: I know, your honor. Fat kills! Most of the time.
Judge: What's your evidence, counsel?
D.A.: Everybody knows it's bad to be fat!
Defense: Objection! "Everybody knows" is not admissible in court.
Judge: Overruled. In this case, no evidence is necessary. [rises from seat, points accusing finger at defense counsel] You're not eligible to serve as counsel in this case, Counsel, because . . . you're FAT!

And so on.

The real obesity paradox, of course, is our culture's blind and stubborn insistence on vilifying and demonizing fat people and fat, in the face of any and all evidence to the contrary.