From Joe: Psychologist Norman R.F. Maier was a brilliant pioneer in his field: Technically creative and full of practical wisdom, his books and articles inspired several generations of students and practitioners.
Maier sagely advised business executives to be simultaneously tough-minded and tender minded when they made decisions:
“Be tough on the problems and the easy on the people!”
Excellent shrewd advice for any leader to take!
It’s also excellent advice for thinking about the problem of obesity.
Tara Parker-Pope reports:
At a time when global health officials are stepping up efforts to treat obesity as a worrisome public health threat, some researchers are warning of a troubling side effect: growing stigma against fat people.
“Of all the things we could be exporting to help people around the world, really negative body image and low self-esteem are not what we hope is going out with public health messaging,” said Alexandra Brewis, executive director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change…Dr. Brewis and her colleagues recently completed a multicountry study intended to give a snapshot of the international zeitgeist about weight and body image.
The findings were troubling, suggesting that negative perceptions about people who are overweight may soon become the cultural norm in some countries, including places where plumper, larger bodies traditionally have been viewed as attractive… Fat Stigma Spreads Around the Globe
Most of us need to get tough on fat. Our own or someone else’s.
Maybe being tough on the fat person creates more problems than it solves?