Is Obesity (or Gluttony) Immoral?

I agree with Krumple. Americans overindulge for comfort. We have no care for nutrition, because comfort is 'better than' well-being. Being a glutton, immoral or not, is harmful.

---------- Post added 10-05-2009 at 04:22 PM ----------

Almost as harmful as all of the squabbling over government regulation on food. We can allow others to harm themselves and behave immorally, but the harm of these foods is no excuse to take away the basic freedom to eat food (to some extent). Imagine if they banned cows and beef because they produce methane. What kind of food it is makes no difference.

It is also paradoxical that the people who share the philosophy of saving the planet (by cutting down on methane- killing domesticated cows to reduce methane) also support animal rights. Weighing the importance of one life against another is not for us to decide.

Good sir would the "overindulge for comfort" not simply apply to nutrition but also to other aspects that e.g. drinking, sexing, drugs, etc.? Are these not also a form of wanting to "overindulge for comfort"? I feel as though gluttony can apply itself way beyond the scope of nutrition and fitness.

Gluttony leads to unhappiness in not just the person being gluttonous, but in the generations after them if they reproduce. It's also a negative influence on others. I'm pretty sure that bad health is the #2 cause of death in the US right now. Considering this and that people that are unhealthy are probably unhappy about it, I believe being gluttonous is immoral, or a sin, and can be thought so logically.

Pythagorean paints in my mind a vivid scene of a family of four eating "regally" (as some middle class family does during payday--the real rich, I don't have first hand experience of their lifestyle) inside an air-conditioned food chain. As they enjoyed a variety of dishes, a couple of street children (homeless ones) peeked right into their feast, their bulging eyes focused only on those sumptuous meals. They sure wanted to have a share in them but the glass panel prevented them from realizing their hearts' and empty stomach's desire. Even their feasting eyes were deprived of their joys as a security officer cautioned them from disturbing the peace and quiet of his company's patrons.

That's the story taking place in the societal stage. The other story behind it though is that the family of four left the diner with a lot of leftovers. The assigned food server took them and went straight to the backdoor and threw the remains into a waste basket. When he went back to his place, out of a dark corner appeared a couple of shadows who rummaged the garbage bin and in their hunger devoured the dirtied leftovers.

I did not vote because obesity and gluttony are not always the same thing. I know a lot of skinny gluttons and a lot of fat folks who don't eat that much. A glutton is one who takes more than their fair share. I think you can apply that to a lot of things. Obesity is an "out of shape" condition. Don't have to be morbidly obese to be out of shape. A lot of us are out of shape. Some to a higher degree than others. What is immoral,,,is to make a person feel like garbage because they don't meet your standards of what a human should be. Physically,,,spiritually,,,whatever. You want to stamp morality on the issue? You're putting yourself in a position of which you are not qualified for.

I subscribed fully with your view, Elmud. It saddens me to note that many a number of us (the state included) make those which failed to meet our standards specks of garbage. I remember a time when a high ranking official in my country did extra mile covering the streets with gargantuan billboards so as to hide from the view of a visiting pontiff (Pope Paul VI) the growing shanty towns in the metropolis. Out of sight, out of mind. That's the most convenient morality of our society today. And it so happened that the obese could not hide from the judging eye of that society.