Hacker News Reader

It kind of really puts a load on the healthcare system and makes everyone’s rates go up. Plus it’s terrible for the individual themselves. Societal pressure is a fantastic motivator.

View on HN

Shame is a terrible motivator for weight loss. It just doesn't really work. Nobody gets fat because they think being fat is okay. Fat people tend to be struggling with other things that they largely need to tackle before they have the emotional bandwidth to do the un-fat thing.

Fat shaming doesn't help anyone lose weight, it just makes you feel superior.

It works very well. If they’re struggling with other things societal shame will make sure losing weight becomes their major struggle.

The thing about claiming things like this is they require a strong scientific consensus. Otherwise, if they're wrong, its just hurting people, sometimes even killing them. Many girls die every year from EDs, and societal shame is a strong candidate for their cause.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com