Brown University’s college prep program offers a course on obesity phobia, where students discuss “the social, medical and cultural impacts of obesity” as an introduction to the emerging academic field of “obesity studies.”
Titled “The F-Word: Examining the Science, Culture, and Politics of Obesity,” the week-long class “applies major theoretical perspectives to the study of obesity, including feminist/gender perspectives, reader response perspectives, historical perspectives, and race perspectives.” While there are no mandatory prerequisites (yes!), enrolled students should come to the class “open-minded and ready to engage respectfully with others,” according to the course description.
Brown isn’t the only Ivy League school to offer such courses: Cornell University offers a freshman seminar called “Have You Eat Yet? QTBIPOC Care,” and Princeton University offers a course called “FAT: The F-Word and Public Institutions.”
These courses hit all the classic left talking points, but in a humorous and predictable way: phrases like “systems of oppression,” the explicit emphasis on intersectional identities, and the anti-capitalist rhetoric that are ubiquitous in university humanities departments.
At a time when Harvard is seriously offering classes on Taylor Swift and “obesity research” is the hottest new field, it’s hard to look at even the most “prestigious” universities in our country and still see them as prestigious.
The humanities, philosophy, literature, journalism, history, sociology, etc. have been completely hijacked by Marxist and postmodern perspectives, and now produce courses exploring the “pathologization of obesity in the medical world.”
The market forces and intellectualist nature that underlie the incentive structure of academia are to blame.
In reality, there are only a limited number of philosophical questions to consider, historical perspectives to view, and papers to publish. Paradise LostTo some extent, academics have run out of things to talk about.
But by nature of their profession, researchers must continue to conduct research, conduct investigations, and write academic papers: that is their job, and if they don’t, they will lose their job.
Leftism and its egalitarian theoretical pursuits offer a lifeline to disengaged academics in their ivory towers. There are an endless number of social justice-oriented issues to explore, and humanities scholars take advantage of this reality by disproportionately studying such issues.
What further galvanizes left-leaning scholars is the fact that such scholarship generates moral praise: standing up for the oppressed means being a good person in their eyes. It is certainly a laudable endeavor, and they have little qualms about it. The problem is that the way they achieve their goal does more harm than good.
The far-left, while well-intentioned, is often deeply misguided.
Brown’s new course perfectly illustrates this unfortunate predisposition and its damaging effects.
The course description reads, “Furthermore, while thousands of nutritionists and even the CDC continue to speak of the so-called ‘obesity epidemic,’ several recent sociological publications have detailed the racial origins of obesity phobia and have gained recognition for denouncing the anti-obesity sentiment of many in authority.”
This raises the question: Is this a public health issue or a social justice issue?
Nearly 40% of Americans are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Obesity can shorten your lifespan by nearly 14 years.
No, the “so-called obesity epidemic” is not a social justice issue.
To say so is to actively belittle those who suffer from the illness and their families.
Should we be more accepting of people of different body types and take steps to ensure their mental health? Of course. But we also need to provide people with the medical care they need to live longer, healthier lives. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive. To suggest that they are shows not only an embarrassing lack of self-awareness, but also an uncomfortable performative virtue signaling.
To read more from the Washington Examiner, click here
The far-left denizens are far more concerned with making themselves feel good and superior to others than they are with actually helping people.
Remember when Michelle Obama was trying to fight childhood obesity? According to these new course offerings, that’s racist!
