Obesity, Choice and Community Have you heard of NAAFA? This is the National Fat Acceptance Association, a civil society organization whose one and only purpose is stated in its name. And why does anyone have to “accept the fat”? Most people probably because fat has become a problem in America. Anecdotal evidence and personal observations highlight the spectacular increase in the number of fat people on the streets of every city and suburb. These impressions are supported by some indisputable facts, such as an average weight increase in men and women in the United States of twenty pounds in just two decades (Doyle, 2013). Is it some medical condition that has gone unnoticed? Is it because people simply appreciate the wide selection of abundant, high-quality food in restaurants and grocery stores? Opinions regarding what exactly causes the increase in overweight people compared to the general population are very different. Regardless, this growth in girth for the average person in America comes at a medical and financial cost. There are many diseases linked to obesity, from diabetes to cardiovascular diseases. These disorders fill hospital wards and lead to increasingly higher costs for the national community. At one point, obesity is compared to cigarette smoking in terms of health impact, estimated by the Center for Diseases Control at 400,000 deaths per year (JAMA, 2004. Cited by E. Oliver). The focus is therefore on means of reducing the number of overweight people and, consequently, on the impact of obesity on American society. The numerous efforts associated with the fight against obesity have led to a strong controversy regarding what the main factors of obesity are. This debate is framed in terms of whether the condition of the obese... half of the paper... J. (2014). Trends in global obesity. International Journal of Childbirth Education, 29(2). Pages 16-20. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library. ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=09b5e51e-4725-4908-b81d-34a6a 577c8de%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4210Oliver, J.E. (2005). Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic. Oxford University Press, London, UK. 240 pages. Reviewed by Haney, M. T. (2007). Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 32(1), pp. 130-138. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://site.ebrary.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID =10233602Randall, A. (2012). The politics of fat in black and white. In Conversation of the Nation (NPR). 05/15/2012. Transcription. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/detail?vid=6&sid=f1ee2ce2-29f2-4fa4-