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

[GGG]

This is a pretty terrible thread. I suspect a thread like this will be bumped in about 5 years and the posts will look even worse.

The original headline was in bad taste but no worse then the rest of the suns reporting like Nenshi face or as others alluded to rob Ford or Ralph Klein coverage. The comments in here really go over the line. It certainly isn't misogynistic of them as they try to be as unflattering as possible to all politicians.

The questioning ones ability to do their job because of their weight? That's pretty brutal. Running a health care system has very lottile if anything to do with actually being health

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

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.

On the first: As soon as I saw that headline while waiting for my coffee order, I knew the Sun was going to take heat. If it wasn't Huffington Post, it would have been something else. But that's fine. The answer to speech is more speech.

On the second: Google et al use key words to target ads. Which is why airline deals frequently showed up as sidebar ads to stories about plane crashes before algorithms were changed to reduce the frequency of that.

[SeeBass]

Good lord.

I wait for the days when people that cry we want to be equals, then get treated as equals and stop complaining when they do.

If this was a male politician we would hear crickets.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by GGG

This is a pretty terrible thread. I suspect a thread like this will be bumped in about 5 years and the posts will look even worse.

The original headline was in bad taste but no worse then the rest of the suns reporting like Nenshi face or as others alluded to rob Ford or Ralph Klein coverage. The comments in here really go over the line. It certainly isn't misogynistic of them as they try to be as unflattering as possible to all politicians.

The questioning ones ability to do their job because of their weight? That's pretty brutal. Running a health care system has very lottile if anything to do with actually being health

No way, in 5 years the MRA party will be jockeying for at least 10 seats in parliament and those posting super-sick memes will be our neckbearded MPs.

[Thor]

If I see someone smoking, I mind my own business.. If I see someone drinking, I mind my own business.. If I see someone doing drugs, I mind my own business...

How about we mind our own business about people's bodies, big, small, its not your job to tell them how to live or if they are unhealthy or not.

[Weitz]

I always thought fat shaming, cigarette shaming, drug abuse shaming etc.. should be encouraged for the betterment of society.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GGG

The questioning ones ability to do their job because of their weight? That's pretty brutal. Running a health care system has very lottile if anything to do with actually being health

I suppose that's true. To be clear here she's not a little overweight. She's close to obese. A lot of people struggle with weight so a health care minister that's in great shape may not be able to relate or not have experience with wait times at hospitals, clinics, etc. On the flip side a person in her position also fully knows first hand that those who don't take care of themselves physically are a strain on the health care system so she's essentially part of that problem yet is employed to be a part of the solution. At the end of the day I don't think it matters in regards to her doing a good job but she should probably know better than anyone that she's putting her personal long term health at risk with her current lifestyle.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I suppose that's true. A lot of people struggle with weight so a health care minister that's in great shape may not be able to relate or not have experience with wait times at hospitals, clinics, etc. On the flip side a person in her position also fully knows first hand that those who don't take care of themselves physically are a strain on the health care system so she's essentially part of that problem yet is employed to be a solution as we are talking about a person that is not just a little overweight here.

I think you are missing the point. The question isn't does an overweight person or a person with a normal weight make a better health minister. A persons health has no bearing on how well they can do the job as health minister. This notion that fitness and healthiness should have a bearing is ridiculous.

I want someone who understands how to get people to implement workflows that eliminate waste and how to implement programs to get doctors to wash their hands between patients. Someone who will decide things that should no longer be covered, stand up to unions and limit the inflation in health care costs to pop growth plus inflation.

None of those things have anything to do with weight.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think you are missing the point. The question isn't does an overweight person or a person with a normal weight make a better health minister. A persons health has no bearing on how well they can do the job as health minister. This notion that fitness and healthiness should have a bearing is ridiculous.

I want someone who understands how to get people to implement workflows that eliminate waste and how to implement programs to get doctors to wash their hands between patients. Someone who will decide things that should no longer be covered, stand up to unions and limit the inflation in health care costs to pop growth plus inflation.

None of those things have anything to do with weight.

I'm not missing the point at all. She could do just as good or better of a job as an Olympic athlete at that position. It's just the optics are bad like having an alcoholic being the director of MADD.

[PsYcNeT]

How much do optics actually matter to those who actually pay attention and aren't trying to score political points?

I mean at it's core, isn't optics just saying that something looks poor on the absolute base superficial level? Kind of a lousy way to assess something for anyone with half a brain, no?

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm not missing the point at all. She could do just as good or better of a job as an Olympic athlete at that position. It's just the optics are bad like having an alcoholic being the director of MADD.

It's a lazy argument though. Despite the fact that I disagree with the flavored tobacco ban (why not liquor too?) she gets thrown to the wolves all the time. She's shown much more poise than Notley has so far.

I'd much rather criticize her for bad policy than keep harping on her weight.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think you are missing the point. The question isn't does an overweight person or a person with a normal weight make a better health minister. A persons health has no bearing on how well they can do the job as health minister. This notion that fitness and healthiness should have a bearing is ridiculous.

I want someone who understands how to get people to implement workflows that eliminate waste and how to implement programs to get doctors to wash their hands between patients. Someone who will decide things that should no longer be covered, stand up to unions and limit the inflation in health care costs to pop growth plus inflation.

None of those things have anything to do with weight.

How about the concept of buy-in? We show up for job interviews in suits because presentation and image is important.

If she supports or opposes changing Canada's food guide, are you more or less likely to accept her proposal (at face value) than someone who is athletic. There is a certain value in competence, much like there is also a certain value in advocacy for this position.

I think we do have a certain unconscious bias for things like this. Would you trust a dietitian who is morbidly obese? An addictions counselor that is high? They may be giving good advice, but you are going to have that voice in the back of your head saying "look how they are following their own advice".

In a perfect world, you are correct, it shouldn't matter. But I think it does in this one.

[Zarley]

The headline would still work if the health minister was skinny. I can't believe they issued an apology for this.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

If she supports or opposes changing Canada's food guide, are you more or less likely to accept her proposal (at face value) than someone who is athletic.

If you're more or less likely to accept her proposal based on what she looks like rather than the merits of the proposal, you're really not worth consulting on the matter.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

How much do optics actually matter to those who actually pay attention and aren't trying to score political points?

I mean at it's core, isn't optics just saying that something looks poor on the absolute base superficial level? Kind of a lousy way to assess something for anyone with half a brain, no?

Is it a superficial level though? She may be great at her job but at the end of the day she's part of the problem with our health care system being overburdened.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

How about the concept of buy-in? We show up for job interviews in suits because presentation and image is important.

If she supports or opposes changing Canada's food guide, are you more or less likely to accept her proposal (at face value) than someone who is athletic. There is a certain value in competence, much like there is also a certain value in advocacy for this position.

I think we do have a certain unconscious bias for things like this. Would you trust a dietitian who is morbidly obese? An addictions counselor that is high? They may be giving good advice, but you are going to have that voice in the back of your head saying "look how they are following their own advice".

In a perfect world, you are correct, it shouldn't matter. But I think it does in this one.

But the health ministers job isn't to give diet advice or be anyone's personal trainer. I'd agree that in those types of positions my bias's would be more prevalent. I think the reason is that I am looking for both information and inspiration when I purchase a dietician, addictions councillor or personal trainers service.

This is not the case for a health minister. Her job is to make the largest bureaucracy in Alberta more efficient.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

I think we do have a certain unconscious bias for things like this. Would you trust a dietitian who is morbidly obese? An addictions counselor that is high? They may be giving good advice, but you are going to have that voice in the back of your head saying "look how they are following their own advice".

These analogies don't work in this case though. She isn't a medical professional. She isn't a doctor. She is a bureaucrat.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GGG

This is not the case for a health minister. Her job is to make the largest bureaucracy in Alberta more efficient.

Despite the fact she's failing at it on a personal level? I'm not saying she's not fit for the job and should step down but of all people she should realize the value on society as well as her own well being of taking better care of herself.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Is it a superficial level though? She may be great at her job but at the end of the day she's part of the problem with our health care system being overburdened.

Is there evidence that this is true.

People who die of heart attacks early in life are very efficient for the healthcare system. Not to mention out CPP and OAS systems. I think it is an open question whether healthy people cost the system more than obese people. I think their was a study on smokers that considering all effects that smokers cost less for government services than non smokers specifically because they died earlier. I will see if I can find it.

But is the system overburdened by the unhealthy? I'd be interested in seeing a study on the lifecycle costs.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Despite the fact she's failing at it on a personal level? I'm not saying she's not fit for the job and should step down but of all people she should realize the value on society as well as her own well being of taking better care of herself.

The first issue is that you are assuming that obesity is a 100% choice. You wouldn't be saying this if a person had Cancer. Would you have the same position if a person had Aids?