Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Cancer Research UK Controversial Ads - Thoughts?
tinkerbellang83
Posts: 9,129 Member
in Debate Club
Some of you may have seen there's been a big hubbub the last week or so about CRUK's latest ad campaign targeting obesity.
https://news.sky.com/story/cancer-research-advert-criticised-for-comparing-smoking-to-obesity-11754904
Those of you who haven't seen/heard, they are using a mock-up of a cigarette packet to indicate that obesity is becoming more of a problem than smoking in relation to cancer, using ads like below.
The actual main focus of their campaign is to have food ads that target children withdrawn from TV/Social Media, in the hope that the reduction in advertising may help reduce obesity in children, in the same way tackling cigarette advertising has helped reduce the numbers of people smoking.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/we-develop-policy/our-policy-on-preventing-cancer/our-policy-on-obesity-and-diet-1
They have received quite a backlash from people claiming that it's fat-shaming.
Personally, I don't think it is fat-shaming - it's not calling out people for being fat, their campaign is targeting manufacturers and governments to intervene and help people improve their health. I do think they could have highlighted their aim better (the link to the website is tiny).
I also think that by the controversial nature of the ad, it has gotten people talking about it and is helping raise awareness of the lack of support for people struggling with their weight, particularly when we look at underlying causes of obesity, for a lot of people it's not as straightforward as eat less, move more because there are underlying issues that need to be dealt with - disordered relationship with food, anxiety, depression, etc; lack of education on the science of weight management and the BS that the diet industry spreads to keep people perpetually overweight, so they can keep lining their pockets.
At the same time, I have seen some awful responses online (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) from people on both sides of the fence, so I can certainly understand why some people are so upset by the campaign.
What are your thoughts? Please keep it respectful!
https://news.sky.com/story/cancer-research-advert-criticised-for-comparing-smoking-to-obesity-11754904
Those of you who haven't seen/heard, they are using a mock-up of a cigarette packet to indicate that obesity is becoming more of a problem than smoking in relation to cancer, using ads like below.
The actual main focus of their campaign is to have food ads that target children withdrawn from TV/Social Media, in the hope that the reduction in advertising may help reduce obesity in children, in the same way tackling cigarette advertising has helped reduce the numbers of people smoking.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/we-develop-policy/our-policy-on-preventing-cancer/our-policy-on-obesity-and-diet-1
They have received quite a backlash from people claiming that it's fat-shaming.
Personally, I don't think it is fat-shaming - it's not calling out people for being fat, their campaign is targeting manufacturers and governments to intervene and help people improve their health. I do think they could have highlighted their aim better (the link to the website is tiny).
I also think that by the controversial nature of the ad, it has gotten people talking about it and is helping raise awareness of the lack of support for people struggling with their weight, particularly when we look at underlying causes of obesity, for a lot of people it's not as straightforward as eat less, move more because there are underlying issues that need to be dealt with - disordered relationship with food, anxiety, depression, etc; lack of education on the science of weight management and the BS that the diet industry spreads to keep people perpetually overweight, so they can keep lining their pockets.
At the same time, I have seen some awful responses online (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) from people on both sides of the fence, so I can certainly understand why some people are so upset by the campaign.
What are your thoughts? Please keep it respectful!
5
Replies
-
Personally I think the day we can purchase vegetables cheaper than we can buy fast food, educate kids effectively in school on nutrition and food preparation make sport / physical education a daily event in school is the day we have a positive impact on obesity numbers. Not just a picture on a bus stop...19
-
Personally I think the day we can purchase vegetables cheaper than we can buy fast food, educate kids effectively in school on nutrition and food preparation make sport / physical education a daily event in school is the day we have a positive impact on obesity numbers. Not just a picture on a bus stop...
It's a fair point you make, but do you think the uproar the picture on a bus stop has caused might highlight more the needs for these things to the people who are responsible for ensuring this education is happening and result in more people being aware of the campaign to tackle obesity, particularly in children?
Cancer Research's policy on obesity does state they are on several steering groups/forum in England, Scotland & Wales that are working with the government to tackle obesity and have encouraged people to also contact their MP to support the ban on daytime fast food/junk food ads.
I do also think that the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables is not really as much of an issue as people think. Take Aldi for instance, they have their Super 6 running all year round, this week there are courgettes, aubergines, sugar snap peas, peaches, melon and romaine lettuce. Tesco had the wonky veg range. Then you can get bags of frozen veg relatively cheap too and these will often create far more meals than the cost of one item of fast food.
In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
19 -
I don't have a problem with the ads or consider them fat shaming.14
-
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
I think this is unquestionably the case in the US too. You can cook for a family cheaper than feeding them fast food costs, and stuff like candy/soda is in addition to whatever meals are, so people eating a lot of that stuff are spending more.13 -
I don't consider the ads fat-shaming. But to be fair, I have never been obese and that could certainly affect how I feel about messaging like that.
I saw a FB post from a rather active page for RDs in the US criticize this. Their point FWIW was that many obese patients are already ashamed of their size, which causes them to feel hopeless, and often won't be honest with their doctors or avoid doctors as it is. And if the medical community starts trying to scare people out of obesity publicly it will just push already obese people further away from seeking support from the healthcare community. Basically they said this was more scare tactics than education, which they feel has no chance of improving the situation.15 -
I don't consider the ads fat-shaming. But to be fair, I have never been obese and that could certainly affect how I feel about messaging like that.
I saw a FB post from a rather active page for RDs in the US criticize this. Their point FWIW was that many obese patients are already ashamed of their size, which causes them to feel hopeless, and often won't be honest with their doctors or avoid doctors as it is. And if the medical community starts trying to scare people out of obesity publicly it will just push already obese people further away from seeking support from the healthcare community. Basically they said this was more scare tactics than education, which they feel has no chance of improving the situation.
That seems to be the view of a few people. I am currently obese and I can't say that it had that effect on me, but I cannot speak for others and that is part of what I take issue with, I keep seeing comments on this campaign to the gist of" "Fat people will feel..." etc, it's like hey I am a fat person but don't assume we all have the same insecurities, anxieties or attitudes.12 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I don't consider the ads fat-shaming. But to be fair, I have never been obese and that could certainly affect how I feel about messaging like that.
I saw a FB post from a rather active page for RDs in the US criticize this. Their point FWIW was that many obese patients are already ashamed of their size, which causes them to feel hopeless, and often won't be honest with their doctors or avoid doctors as it is. And if the medical community starts trying to scare people out of obesity publicly it will just push already obese people further away from seeking support from the healthcare community. Basically they said this was more scare tactics than education, which they feel has no chance of improving the situation.
That seems to be the view of a few people. I am currently obese and I can't say that it had that effect on me, but I cannot speak for others and that is part of what I take issue with, I keep seeing comments on this campaign to the gist of" "Fat people will feel..." etc, it's like hey I am a fat person but don't assume we all have the same insecurities, anxieties or attitudes.
Yeah, assuming all overweight people will be offended or scarred by the same thing is just as bad as assuming they all became overweight due to the same stereotypical character flaws. Ironically, all those dumb generalizations are probably playing a large role in the obesity crisis in the first place
7 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
This was certainly the case for me! (Brit living in Canada.) I was lazy and didn't enjoy cooking, so I bought a lot of convenience foods and rarely made anything from scratch. We'd get takeout probably 3-4 times a month, and also drank a lot of pop.
In some ways, being unemployed was a good thing for our family because I had no choice but to learn to cook whatever I could afford to buy, rather than buying whatever I felt like cooking. I would buy the short-dated meat and the slightly bruised fruit and veg that were marked down, as well as using a lot of things like beans and pulses that were cheap. We drank more water than anything else, and pop or juice became a treat.
I still can't say that I enjoy cooking - I especially hate chopping veg! - but I'm used to it and it's really helped me with losing weight. (And being unemployed yet again now, I can at least fall back on those recipes and strategies that helped a couple of years ago.)
As for the ad mentioned in the OP, I can't say that I regard it as fat-shaming but I guess I can see how some people might feel that way.8 -
I think this is a good start, but to be effective must be coordinated with CICO or similar weight management education.
I'm not big on the tactic of "getting people to talk about it". This causes people to double down on their beliefs and is not an effective way to get people to think differently.
It isn't fat shaming - that's patently absurd, but we live in a sad time where signalling virtue is somehow perceived as virtuous.7 -
First you live, then you die.
If you're obese, you die faster.11 -
Telling people the truth about the side effects of obesity shouldn't be considered fat shaming. Obesity causes cancer...the truth hurts, but facts don't care about your feelings.19
-
No, had not been aware of the ads...thanks for bringing them to our attention. My entire family is overweight with some members actually obese.
Nothing will help and that is true for a majority of ppl, we can not shame, embarrass or fight the advertising industry. Sorry this sounds so pessimistic but we have almost all (percentage wise) lost our way.3 -
AlohaBeaches100 wrote: »Telling people the truth about the side effects of obesity shouldn't be considered fat shaming. Obesity causes cancer...the truth hurts, but facts don't care about your feelings.
11 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
I think this is unquestionably the case in the US too. You can cook for a family cheaper than feeding them fast food costs, and stuff like candy/soda is in addition to whatever meals are, so people eating a lot of that stuff are spending more.
That's assuming you have time to cook, can afford the energy costs, have appliances that work in order to cook said food, etc.13 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Personally I think the day we can purchase vegetables cheaper than we can buy fast food, educate kids effectively in school on nutrition and food preparation make sport / physical education a daily event in school is the day we have a positive impact on obesity numbers. Not just a picture on a bus stop...
It's a fair point you make, but do you think the uproar the picture on a bus stop has caused might highlight more the needs for these things to the people who are responsible for ensuring this education is happening and result in more people being aware of the campaign to tackle obesity, particularly in children?
Cancer Research's policy on obesity does state they are on several steering groups/forum in England, Scotland & Wales that are working with the government to tackle obesity and have encouraged people to also contact their MP to support the ban on daytime fast food/junk food ads.
I do also think that the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables is not really as much of an issue as people think. Take Aldi for instance, they have their Super 6 running all year round, this week there are courgettes, aubergines, sugar snap peas, peaches, melon and romaine lettuce. Tesco had the wonky veg range. Then you can get bags of frozen veg relatively cheap too and these will often create far more meals than the cost of one item of fast food.
In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
I agree, it highlights the issue and if it causes one person to really consider their health and diet then its served a purpose but i think the whole process from education is key.
I completely agree if you go looking you will find cheaper veg and that is exactly what my family and I do, Lidl and Aldi are great for cheaper veg but that is for us as adults who are doing a weekly shop and are prepared to cook and plan etc. I mean more for kids or young adults, for example next time you walk into a Tesco Express or similar look to see what offers are on and what items are positioned at the end of aisles with deals such as £1 for this or 4 for 3 on these, they might have offers on snackable veg and fruit but those items are positioned far behind the whisper snack packs and dairy milk 500g bars which you can by when on offer cheaper than a pot of melon and grapes and that is where the education or routine starts for our kids.3 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Personally I think the day we can purchase vegetables cheaper than we can buy fast food, educate kids effectively in school on nutrition and food preparation make sport / physical education a daily event in school is the day we have a positive impact on obesity numbers. Not just a picture on a bus stop...
It's a fair point you make, but do you think the uproar the picture on a bus stop has caused might highlight more the needs for these things to the people who are responsible for ensuring this education is happening and result in more people being aware of the campaign to tackle obesity, particularly in children?
Cancer Research's policy on obesity does state they are on several steering groups/forum in England, Scotland & Wales that are working with the government to tackle obesity and have encouraged people to also contact their MP to support the ban on daytime fast food/junk food ads.
I do also think that the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables is not really as much of an issue as people think. Take Aldi for instance, they have their Super 6 running all year round, this week there are courgettes, aubergines, sugar snap peas, peaches, melon and romaine lettuce. Tesco had the wonky veg range. Then you can get bags of frozen veg relatively cheap too and these will often create far more meals than the cost of one item of fast food.
In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
I agree, it highlights the issue and if it causes one person to really consider their health and diet then its served a purpose but i think the whole process from education is key.
I completely agree if you go looking you will find cheaper veg and that is exactly what my family and I do, Lidl and Aldi are great for cheaper veg but that is for us as adults who are doing a weekly shop and are prepared to cook and plan etc. I mean more for kids or young adults, for example next time you walk into a Tesco Express or similar look to see what offers are on and what items are positioned at the end of aisles with deals such as £1 for this or 4 for 3 on these, they might have offers on snackable veg and fruit but those items are positioned far behind the whisper snack packs and dairy milk 500g bars which you can by when on offer cheaper than a pot of melon and grapes and that is where the education or routine starts for our kids.
Totally agree, that is precisely what CRUK are campaigning against, the ads are just one part of a much larger campaign:
excerpt from CRUK Website which the link on the ad is for.
2 -
I think obesity can be caused by a large range of things, sometimes it's a choice and sometimes it's not. The blanket statement is upsetting but I understand the point its trying to drive home.
I think of my own experience with obesity and my father who due to medication is obese. He works 12 hour shifts alternating days and nights each week at 50 years old. He goes the gym when he can but a few days away from it when he's on nights piles everything back on him regardless of what he eats. I was aware from a vvv young age my father was overweight and if i saw that back then, my fears of his early death would have been even more exacerbated.
I agree with the intent but the broad, blanket statement of the advert is a bit of a hard thing to swallow9 -
liaoverbrook wrote: »I think obesity can be caused by a large range of things, sometimes it's a choice and sometimes it's not. The blanket statement is upsetting but I understand the point its trying to drive home.
I think of my own experience with obesity and my father who due to medication is obese. He works 12 hour shifts alternating days and nights each week at 50 years old. He goes the gym when he can but a few days away from it when he's on nights piles everything back on him regardless of what he eats. I was aware from a vvv young age my father was overweight and if i saw that back then, my fears of his early death would have been even more exacerbated.
I agree with the intent but the broad, blanket statement of the advert is a bit of a hard thing to swallow
I think a lot of people are overweight because they don't understand the science behind weight loss, which is where the education side of things come into it.
The bolded isn't exactly true, medication doesn't directly cause weight gain - it can increase appetite (i.e. eating more), it can cause water retention (mostly when the body is first adjusting to it) and it can cause fatigue or changes to hormones which leads to less activity (i.e. moving less in normal life). It definitely makes it more difficult to lose weight, but it doesn't make it impossible.
Going to the gym is no guarantee of weight loss - it's another way you can end up driving up your appetite, I never lost any weight going to the gym for years, because it made me eat more food extra, than I burned off and most of that time I was also on the contraceptive pill which also messed with my energy levels and increased my appetite, but my weight gain was still down to me eating too much.
I repeat this often in these forums- Weight loss isn't easy, but it is simple and this is what I believe people need help and support with, understanding they don't have to go to the gym or eat a certain way to lose weight, they just need to find a way to the right balance, whether that be discussing with their doctor the side effects of their medication, trying a different balance of macros, in some cases learning to cook for themselves, finding little ways to move more through their day without intentional exercise.
I do understand where you say this ad campaign may have exacerbated your fears of his early death, but it's a very real fear that many people do have to face because of obesity. Obesity isn't a guarantee of poor health, just like smoking isn't, but it puts people at a higher risk of health problems and earlier death.
13 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »In my opinion, in the UK, the reason people buy more fast food than fresh is that it's more convenient rather than it being cheaper. Much easier to bang some stuff in the oven and microwave, than cook something from scratch. Not that this is the case for all, but I am sure it's the case for the majority, particularly now we're at the point where in most families both parents are out at work all day and have to choose between spending time with their kids or in the kitchen prepping and making dinner.
I think this is unquestionably the case in the US too. You can cook for a family cheaper than feeding them fast food costs, and stuff like candy/soda is in addition to whatever meals are, so people eating a lot of that stuff are spending more.
That's assuming you have time to cook, can afford the energy costs, have appliances that work in order to cook said food, etc.
True, but the vast majority of people have the appliances (99.9% of households have a refrigerator, 99.7% have cooking appliances), and cooking does not have to take much time. There are going to be exceptions, but that doesn't mean the societal cause of obesity is that it's too expensive to eat healthfully, as was suggested above.
I'll also note that SNAP does not pay for fast food, so it's more true that fast food is NOT cheaper for people on food assistance (in the US anyway).9 -
In a world where feelings are more important than the truth - it's a fairly brave ad campaign.
But - it's the truth, and hopefully some people are listening.8
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 901 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions