An obesity gene: fat bodies or fat minds?
Peter C Glover
in Morality, Culture, Science
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1 Comment
One of the great marks of our age is the determination to absolve ourselves of personal responsibility and guilt (what the Bible calls 'sin' - but let's not upset peoples psyche by mentioning that too often as it implies there is a God to whom we are answerable for that sin). And nowhere is this propensity found more keenly than in the current attempt to blame our genes for our personal 'wrong-doings'.
It seems the 'experts' believe (i.e. employ faith) they have discovered an obesity gene. So getting fat is not really anyone's 'fault' it is an inescapable fact of life for some people. Now here's a shock. But even if there was such a thing as a 'pre-programming obesity gene' it doesn't make a scrap of difference to the moral lifestyle choices some believe that implies.
Let us say, for instance, the 'experts' (who say butter is bad for you one day then good for you the next) believe that there is a paedophile gene. Would that 'fact' exempt the 'carrier' of it from moral and social norms? Would it mean treating him any differently after he raped or indecently assaulted a small child? Predilection or not, there are some things you just cannot do - without moral, social and national consequences.
Here's another fact: 35% of all sicknesses are associated with obesity. Work out what that costs the nation - and each one of us who have to pay to treat these sicknesses brought on through 'immoral' over-eating. My wife is a director of finance in the NHS. She will tell you fat people (together with smokers) and their need for treatment is bleeding the NHS dry.
Blaming genes for our personal sins is no different to saying "The devil made me do it". It is always someone else's fault - never mine. And, just for the record, if bleeding heart liberal do-gooders don't like this opinion, they should understand this: it's not my fault, just put it down to a faulty opinion gene.
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Reader Comments (1)
So what's the final verdict? Can we eat butter again?