“There’s a disturbing trend going on in America these days, rewriting science to fit ideology or just to fit what you want reality to be,” Maher said. “We’ve gone from fat acceptance to fat celebration. That’s new. That is new. To view letting yourself go as a point of pride.”
“We used to at least try and be fit and healthy, and society praised those who succeeded,” he continued. “Now, the term ‘body positivity’ is used to mean ‘I’m perfect the way I am because I’m me.’ It’s Orwellian how often ‘positivity’ is used to describe what’s not healthy. Of course you can get away with anything bad for you when you’re young. But let me ask you this: have you ever seen a fat 90-year-old? Scary, isn’t it? ‘Healthy at any weight’ is an unchallenged lie that people tell themselves so they can go on eating whatever they want, which is fine.”
Maher noted that poor diet is a leading factor in many of the top causes of mortality in the U.S., including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
“It’s literally a national security issue now,” he said. “Military recruitment is down by the most since the end of the draft because mainly 17 to 24-year-olds are too fat to fight. At some point, acceptance becomes enabling, and if you’re in any way participating in this joyful celebration of gluttony that goes on now, you have blood on your hands, full stop.”