Media hype about obesity has tipped the scale of excess. Since the ever-eager talons of government seized the anti-obesity initiative, the crusade has taken flight in the form of TV advertisements, billboards, and other education efforts everywhere. The result has been hyperbole, exploitation by groups seeking to control other people’s behavior, and a sense of victimization among obese people who are told they cannot and should not help themselves. Though evidence indicates that genetics plays a role in obesity, there is no refuting that the chief cause of this “crisis” is unhealthy behavior.1 Obesity is now considered as great an evil as smoking (which until a generation ago was considered a voluntary, acceptable activity), because of the idea that it imposes a cost upon society.

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