Alberta Newspaper Says It Fat Shamed Health Minister By 'Mistake'

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Debate the merits of having an obese person as the health minister all you want, making fun of her weight just doesn't seem very nice and I don't think the headline was appropriate.

[Torture]

I don't think being a skinny is a job requirement for being health minister. It's more about policies, etc. Maybe if she was a bootcamp instructor or something I'd question it but come on people.

Headline was clearly inappropriate whether she's a man or a woman. We should be asking our journalists to stick to the facts of her policies rather than name calling. We're not in elementary school.

Here's quebec's health minister btw

[V]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I think this all much ado about nothing (or very little anyway). But it is an interesting question to ask: would the Sun (or whatever paper this was) have been as likely to run the same headline if it was an overweight male health minister? I don't actually know the answer but I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the answer is "no" (probably impossible to actually measure though). Anyone recall any headlines mocking Klein's weight?

There were tonnes of news items mocking Ford's weight, among other things.

I can tell I'm an old fart because I have no idea when I'm being mysoginist, or racist, or sexist or anything. I feel like my grandpa.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by V

There were tonnes of news items mocking Ford's weight, among other things.

I can tell I'm an old fart because I have no idea when I'm being mysoginist, or racist, or sexist or anything. I feel like my grandpa.

Yeah, but Ford was on the Right, so it's OK then.

[Wiggum_PI]

Originally Posted by Torture

I don't think being a skinny is a job requirement for being health minister. It's more about policies, etc. Maybe if she was a bootcamp instructor or something I'd question it but come on people.

Headline was clearly inappropriate whether she's a man or a woman. We should be asking our journalists to stick to the facts of her policies rather than name calling. We're not in elementary school.

Here's quebec's health minister btw

Spoiler!

Looks like the Penguin villan from the old Batman movies.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Debate the merits of having an obese person as the health minister all you want, making fun of her weight just doesn't seem very nice and I don't think the headline was appropriate.

Knowing some of the people at the Sun/Herald, I sense a kind of 'fug it' juvenile irresponsibility behind the headline. The Herald building used to house 600 employees. The combined Sun and Herald staff who work there now number 100. In a year or two they'll all be gone. It's not an excuse, but I imagine there's a very weird vibe in that building these days, closer to a university paper than a traditional news room.

[PsYcNeT]

It's pretty cool that we're unironically posting Milo Yiannapolous videos now tho.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

It's pretty cool that we're unironically posting Milo Yiannapolous videos now tho.

Trump's America Canada, baby.

[Mister Yamoto]

We should have an unhealthy health minister. We also have an energy minister who hates energy. It all matches nicely.

It's like letting Ralph Klein be environment minister.

[northcrunk]

NDP just needs to hire David Miscavige as culture minister.

[OMG!WTF!]

Wonder what the GoFundMe page will get to.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

We should have an unhealthy health minister. We also have an energy minister who hates energy.

Being unhealthy is the same as hating health?

(EDIT: Not to mention as has already been mentioned being overweight and healthy aren't necessarily mutually exclusive)

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I don't see how it's insulting or misogynist, but kudos to the levels of "PC"-hate it inspired in this thread.

Great memes everyone. Down with those triggered feminazis, amirite?

Take it up with HuffPo then for printing that junk.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Take it up with HuffPo then for printing that junk.

Getting working up about some left-leaning something-from-nothing piece from HuffPo is your first problem.

Funny aside: I clicked on that article again and an auto-play video ad for Weight Watchers started playing. I don't have a point, I just thought it was kind of hilarious given the article.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Take it up with HuffPo then for printing that junk.

HuffPo is junk... So...

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by V

There were tonnes of news items mocking Ford's weight, among other things.

I'm sure there were a few but I can't really remember any. A Google search didn't really help. Found a number of articles about Mr. Ford missing his weight loss targets during one of his weight loss programs (and falling off the scale at the weigh in) but they were all quite respectful. I remember the late night shows making some weight jokes, but that seems different to me.

[GaiJin]

I'm guessing we'll never see a sugar levy from this government.

[V]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I'm sure there were a few but I can't really remember any. A Google search didn't really help. Found a number of articles about Mr. Ford missing his weight loss targets during one of his weight loss programs (and falling off the scale at the weigh in) but they were all quite respectful. I remember the late night shows making some weight jokes, but that seems different to me.

I'm not going to spend a tonne of time on this, as it really doesn't matter, but a quick google search shows this: http://torontolife.com/city/globe-an...larity-ensues/

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by GaiJin

I'm guessing we'll never see a sugar levy from this government.

She'll introduce a soda tax the same day Trump increases the Capital Gains tax rate.

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by V

I'm not going to spend a tonne of time on this, as it really doesn't matter, but a quick google search shows this: http://torontolife.com/city/globe-an...larity-ensues/

That's pretty insensitive of you.