You are right. Actually, that is exactly the point the author made in his famous article published on May 13, 2003, "National Medical Spending Attributable to Overweight and Obesity. How much, and Who's Paying." It seems to me that Dr. Finkelstein just reversed himself now, calling obesity a necessary result of prosperity.
People in all kind of socio-economic classes can be fat, and they have all kind of excuses. No time. No money. Too much travel and eating out. No car to drive to good grocery stores. No side walks, etc. But the truth is unhealthy life style appeals to our nature, and the only way to like vegetables and exercise is by discipline. However, generally speaking, people of higher income are less likely to be fat, because they have good education, which requires disciplines and the ability to make good choices. They tend to have more resistence to immediate gratification.
Dr. Finkelstein's idea that since we have technology to treat all the obesity-caused problem, we should just let everyone be happy and fat. I agree that people have the right to choose their own life style. But I certainly don't like to pay for their consequence. At a time when our health care is bankrupting our country, this book appeals to the lowest common denominator, and sends out the wrong message to a mass already too good at finding excuses.
Discuss