Organisations representing nearly every doctor in the UK have come together to promote ridicule as the most effective measure in combating obesity.
Royal Medical Colleges spokesman Prof Terence Stephens said: “So much has been tried in the past; weight management clinics, health promotion campaigns, food labelling, etc and yet still more and more people are obese.”
“However, when we looked at nearly 40 years worth of televised football matches we saw that good old fashioned ridicule was the most successful intervention. Thousands of people shouting phrases such as “you fat bastard’, ‘who ate all the pies?’ and ‘have you ever seen your dick?’ were incredibly effective in raising weight awareness issues in those with a Body Mass Index above 30 be they players or fans. We also found that the more bile and invective used, particularly if accompanied by pointing and making balloon faces, the more effective the slogan.”
By encouraging every health professional to shout such phrases during patient contact Professor Stephens is convinced this could be the ‘silver bullet’ the fight against obesity needs. “With time in consultations limited doctors really need to get the point and deliver cutting edge advice” he said. “The ‘you fat bastard campaign’ will help cut through the mixed messages on obesity that people complain about”.
He added: “We really want the public to play their part too. If every schoolchild can tease a fat classmate, if every worker can ridicule a fat colleague and if every married couple can point out unflattering love handles we can really get this sorted once and for all. Granted this could lead to increases in eating disorders, mental health problems and suicides but you can’t make a low fat omelette without breaking a few organic eggs”.
