Where Does The Responsibility Lie?

There’s a big change happening in the way we as a society attempt to treat the obesity problem and it seems we’re in the middle of a huge shift from personal responsibility to social responsibility.

However is this the correct move? 

All the talk of taxing sugar and removing larger bags of sweets, crisps etc from the shelves is a massive showing of intent by the powers that be but is that really going to stop people eating this stuff in excessive quantities and is that even the answer or are we not even asking the correct question.

It does seems really ridiculous that we are actually having to go to these lengths to attempt to stop people literally eating themselves to ill health and creating a massive burden on the economy but we can’t make food illegal and even if we did it wouldn’t stop people doing it at all.

Just look to the drugs problem for proof of that.

Is it even as much of an issue as people are making it out to be?

Does it really cause more problems than say alcohol or cigarettes?

Both of these are heavily taxed yet people are still willing to pay hundreds of pounds to poison their body’s with tobacco despite the known health risks and without the consideration for those around them or for the cost that these actions will have on our struggling health care system in the future.

Is the answer simply that we don’t give a fuck?

I’m not saying that’s wrong but if people are going to do this stuff anyway regardless of the implications then it can only be assumed that they want to enjoy this stuff more than they want to enough their health and if that’s peoples choice then who is anyone to judge.

This is were it gets difficult. We are exceptionally lucky to have our NHS and for the amazing people that work tirelessly within it.

However has it caused us to be negligent and spoilt?

Everyone, myself included fears the prospect of privatisation but if we are willing to say I don’t give a fuck about looking after my health then can we really blame the decision makers for saying fuck you back?

If we ended up in a situation where we had to pay for our own health care would people stop being so neglectful of their health? If we did end up in this situation could we blame anyone but ourselves. We had a safety net and it was abused and stretched to breaking point.

If you take a look at America then the answer is probably that it wouldn’t make a difference. They don’t or haven’t had free health care and they still have the highest obesity levels going but it’s always been like that so there would be no shock value in the sudden change.

I don’t have all the answers but I do believe that we are currently going in the wrong direction in trying to police people’s everyday lives and remove freedom of choice.

Do I think we’d be better going the other way and placing more responsibility on the people themselves? Probably, but I just can’t see us sitting by and letting people suffer from their own choices without treatment but if we were honest does a society so greedy, selfish and lacking in any self control deserve any better?

Like I said I don’t have the answers and I can’t see it ever changing but it’s definitely something worth pondering to ourselves when addressing our own life choices.

Dan