The Inflated Cost of the Obese

Consider Daniel Engber's well-argued argument that the heavy are not the drain on society and the workplace that past scientists and present politicians claim them to be. If you want to be cold about the thing, remember that the obese do die younger (from chronic illness) and thus are less of a drain on healthcare than their skinny peers. If you want to get angry about the thing, consider that if we start staring down the obese, like we do our remaining smokers, we will increase unhealthiness at large as weight becomes an even greater thing to be unhappy about.