Essay Thirty-Four

We interrupt the regularly scheduled race rants for another heavy topic…

A mysterious ad recently appeared in national newspapers. It read:

Obesity:
“Epidemic” (crossed out)
“Problem” (crossed out)
“Threat” (crossed out)
“Issue” (crossed out)
“Hype”

Americans have been force-fed a steady diet of obesity myths by the “food police,” trial lawyers, and even our own government.

Learn the truth about obesity at:
ConsumerFreedom.com
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting consumer choices and promoting common sense.

[Check out the site to view the actual ad.]

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A visit to the Web site revealed little truth about the organization. The Center For Consumer Freedom® features a tagline stating, “Promoting Personal Responsibility and Protecting Consumer Choice.” Thank chocolaty goodness there’s a crusader defending our inalienable right to choose the junk foods we overeat.

According to the site, “The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition of restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

“The growing cabal of ‘food cops,’ health care enforcers, militant activists, meddling bureaucrats, and violent radicals who think they know ‘what’s best for you’ are pushing against our basic freedoms. We’re here to push back.”

Militant activists and violent radicals? Don’t recall spotting angry militants seeking to fight the power of cheese. And unruly mobs at the local Krispy Kreme only appear during the morning commuter rush hour.

It’s also fishy that The Center for Consumer Freedom enjoys nonprofit status. The anonymous restaurants and food companies in this organization must certainly profit from the PR generated on their behalf. One wonders how Subway’s Jared — or rotund rabble-rouser Michael Moore — might react to The Center.

CCF Executive Director Rick Berman is mentioned in a few stories, and he’s even testified before Congress to prevent lawsuits against restaurants and food companies. As it turns out, Berman is a lobbyist who runs his own public affairs firm, Berman and Company in Washington, DC. A quick Google search failed to uncover photos, so it’s unknown if the man is obese or thin. But it’s safe to assume he’s a fat cat fronting for corporate shitheads.

The site is essentially comprised of mean-spirited commentaries slamming the CDC and other entities concerned about America’s health. “Big Fat Lies” is a popular subhead for lead stories. Ironically, the overall tone of the work sounds militant, radical and violent. The Center for Consumer Freedom apparently believes in fighting fire with flame-broiled Whoppers.

In addition to propaganda, The Center sells bumper stickers and t-shirts (in XXXXL, no doubt). The catchy slogans include, “French fries are NOT the enemy.” All proceeds probably go to overweight children’s charities.

Hoping to establish a connection, MultiCultClassics searched the site for any perspectives involving obesity discrimination — and came up with a big fat zero.