White Lies
“I cannot tell a lie”, attributed to a young George Washington has always represented American values. The acceptance of lies during the recent Presidential campaign was surprising, why didn’t we object to the obvious prevarications from the candidates? Perhaps this is an example of how we have changed, not just physically but also emotionally.”
The body damage is obvious, but there’s more and it is buried. To understand this change, the impact of 50 years of dieting on its victims needs to be examined. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of the weight loss business because it is big and powerful: more than 100 million dieters account for healthy revenues of $64 billion. Obviously, the most famous and the richest and the smartest woman in America wouldn’t invest in a loser business.
Dieting is a game that has its own special rules — most of them unspoken. Dieters know never to blame any diet program for their failures. Dieting is a serial activity; reports say women start three different ones each year and that three weeks is the typical duration. The chance of winning at losing is worse than in Vegas. Lying is the coping mechanism in this environment. Lying is dieting’s sidekick, the accepted tool to field the questions about what and how often and how much. Dieting is difficult, but also addictive. We hear about losing 20 pounds in a flash — an obvious lie — but still we’re ready to try it. People watch the Biggest Loser show even though they know the contestants will regain the pounds. It’s a lie. It’s Fake News. Fake. Fat. Who cares?
The majority of Americans have played the dieting game or at the very least have friends and family who have tried it. This reality weighs on us all because of the failure and that the sin of gluttony is on display. There is shame and defensiveness so you look away and never confront the back issues. It follows that lying becomes no big deal. So what that politicians lie — they are just people and most are not winning any looks contests either. It’s easier if you don’t look or listen and so avoid the elephant in the room.