New York is facing a major health crisis, but many progressives are ignoring it due to ideological reasons: obesity.
According to recent data from the state Department of Health, over 63% of adults in New York are either overweight or obese, with obesity rates reaching nearly 30%.
This condition is associated with numerous health risks including stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
Nationally, obesity-related healthcare expenses amount to an estimated $173 billion annually.
While progressives are vocal about less serious health issues such as emissions from gas stoves and pizza ovens, they avoid addressing the reality of obesity.
They need to recognize the importance of promoting better eating habits and regular exercise as the primary methods to maintain a healthy weight.
(Just look at the incredible transformation of John Goodman.)
Why are progressives ignoring this issue?
They are afraid of “stigmatizing” the obese, similar to their concerns about “stigmatizing” addicts. Instead of providing effective treatment, they enable addicts by offering free needles and Narcan, ensuring they remain trapped in addiction.
They have passed laws, like the recent one in New York City, that ban weight discrimination. However, the intention behind these laws is not to promote better health, but rather to change the mindset around weight.
The state health bureaucrats responsible for the survey also promote woke rhetoric about addressing social determinants of health to address obesity disparities.
Instead of focusing on allowing kids to have ample time for physical activity during the school day, progressive figures like Michelle Obama and Mayor Eric Adams, micro-manage school lunches with supposedly “healthy” choices that often end up being inedible.
The logic behind this approach is twisted: by preventing people from taking charge of their own health, progressives can continue to interfere in their lives under the guise of concern.
What makes this even more concerning is that obesity, like crime and addiction, disproportionately affects black and Latino communities as well as the poor, the very groups that progressives claim to advocate for.
This shows that progressives are more invested in their own ideology and power, using “compassion” as a mere facade.
