The Biggest Loser - we are all "losing" as a result.

There's so much being said about The Biggest Loser ("TBL") at the moment, that I just HAD to throw in my own two cents' worth, given that I have strong opinions on the subject.  Speaking of strong opinions, there's a couple listed here below mine that are worth reading.

What's my opinion?  Well, fancy you asking that!  I shall list my point(s) below:

• TBL reminds me of the Christians being thrown to the lions, whilst thousands of Romans watch on and cheer.  Christians were the disgusting, barely human dogs of their day (we make similar judgements about obese people) and the lions are the pumped up, bullying personal trainers who look as if at any minute they are going to devour their contestants. And we are the Romans.
• TBL is a competition.  Its "The Weakest Link", "The Amazing Race", "Bachelorette" etc etc.  The contestants are going to do what the TV station tells them to do, so that they get to stay on the show long enough to potentially win a gazillion dollars.  This may be reality TV but it is not a representation of real life.
• Anyone can lose weight if they are sequestered, bullied and put into competition with others.  Most people can lose weight on a diet, too.  But it is temporary for the vast majority.  Why you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  And, yes, I'm shouting.  BECAUSE DIETING AND BEING LOCKED AWAY AND EXERCISING 25 HOURS A DAY IS NOT ADDRESSING THE CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT, MERELY THE EFFECT.
• TBL humiliates and badgers people who have a particular unhelpful coping strategy, i.e. using food to control mood.  The rest of the population drinks, smokes, does drugs, spends vast amounts of money they don't have, is promiscuous or pulls their hair out.  EVERYONE has coping strategies for dealing with uncomfortable and negative emotions.  But the others don't wear the effect of their coping strategy on the outside of their body.  (When was the last time you saw a compulsive spender with their bright red credit card statement pinned to their chest?)  But we vilify the obese as if we had no connection to them.  "They" ARE us.

And here are some other opinions about the program.

But weight, there's more

Ben Pobjie
Published: March 23, 2013 - 3:00AM

Isn't it great that The Biggest Loser is back? Such a marvellous, heart-warming show, isn't it? Inspirational. Seeing people fulfil their dreams, of not being disgusting freaks who don't deserve to be a part of normal society. It's beautiful seeing these creatures, who have forfeited their right to be considered human beings, being brought back to the bounds of decency by the gentle mercies of Michelle ''run you fat pig'' Bridges, Shannan ''more sit-ups, Lardy!'' Ponton and The ''I'm so tough my face can't move'' Commando.

I'm not saying The Biggest Loser is a negative influence; I'm just saying that letting your kids watch it should bring you to the notice of the authorities.

It's not often I worry about ''messages'' in TV - as far as I'm concerned the message of Family Guy is ''Funny!'' and the message of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was ''Sexy Fights!'' - but TBL claims to be transmitting a message it's not.

The message the show purports to be sending is: ''Anything is possible: if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can turn your life around''. However, the message the show is actually sending is: ''Ew! Look at these horrible fatties! Aren't they gross! Look at them try to run! Look at their big, wobbly bellies and stupid, red, sweaty faces! See their pain! Hahahahahahaha!''

The Biggest Loser is, to its credit, a show that knows what it does and does it well. It's just that what it does is incredibly loathsome. The average episode is divided into four segments: the Working Out While Obnoxious Skinny People Yell; the Being Given a Pointless Task by Hayley Lewis; the Tinkly Piano Music While We Talk about Your Childhood; and the Ridiculously Elongated Weigh-In. At the beginning of the series we are also introduced to the contestants by going to their houses and seeing them serve up absurd, elephantine portions of food, inflatable pools full of mashed potato and whole cows stuffed with Coco Pops, because the producer told them to.  But we quickly shift into the normal routine.

Except for The Twist! Last season's twist was that all the fatties were losers who didn't deserve loving relationships. This season's is that they are fat parents and the fat children whose lives they've ruined. So we can expect a whole lot of emotional chats with the children, making it clear they have to stop blaming their parents for their blubberiness, and also with the parents, making it clear that it's their fault their child is a repellent, socially unacceptable specimen of megafauna. And, of course, a lot of emotional chats with everyone about how if they don't get back on that treadmill and let Michelle bark like a coked-up seal in their ear for another hour, they are going to die next week.

And there you have it - The Biggest Loser, the show for everyone who believes being overweight makes a person worthless, and that anyone who refuses to lose weight deserves loneliness, derision and an early death. And that anyone can get into shape, as long as they have a personal trainer working on them full-time and cameras on them 24/7 to prevent them ever straying from their prescribed diet. But I'm sure most people can manage that.

Oh, isn't it great to have it back? Don't forget to point and laugh!

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/but-weight-theres-more-20130322-2gk6e.html

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Dangerous prescription for health

There can be fewer shows that are potentially more toxic than The Biggest Loser: the Next Generation. The inclusion of children as young as 15 has the potential to have harmful effects on both the physical and psychological health of these young contestants. 

Furthermore, young viewers may be negatively influenced, setting them up for a lifetime of body-image issues and an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. I don't think anyone would argue that healthy eating, exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight are behaviours we should be promoting. 

However, the guilt, shame and fear tactics used on the show are not the way to go about ''changing the shape of Australia''. A warning should be provided at the beginning of each episode stating the excessive nature of the activities and the potential health risks, and that these activities should not be attempted at home without medical advice.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, Balwyn

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/green-guide-letters-20130403-2h5ld.html