By: Judi Richardson

Throughout the NAAFA convention, listening to the workshop panels, and the overwhelming evidence of public perceptions of the “terror” of obesity, I kept thinking about the reasons this happens. Where do those critical voices, a part of the war on obesity, come from? Aside from the monetary incentives of the diet industry, which have existed a very long time, there is another motive for this war on obesity at this particular time. It is “wag the dog” time. Our economy is still wrecked, the world is in disarray, but if we worry about obesity instead of the real issues that trouble all of us, we will leave the politicians and decision makers alone. Thus, our inner critics, who are fueled by this monetary advantage to obesity and the need to divert our attention to important issues, are truly undeserving critics. If you are not familiar with the “wag the dog” term, look for the movie of that name. Just what are these folks doing that they don’t want us to see? I’m still working on my inner critic, even though she is leaning way too hard on all these negative messages. It helps to remember the motivation for the war.