Great post recently by Keith Norris on his Theory to Practice blog. There's a ton of good info in the post (as always), but I focused laser-like on this particular paragraph...
Those of us who immerse ourselves in the world of Physical Culture are especially sensitive to all of the “spin” and surface-level (at best) understanding that’s unleashed upon the public on a daily (hourly?) basis. Just listen to all the “leading authorities” on this subject or that; the total lack of knowledge/understanding displayed is shocking. And unfortunately, this is the window through which the vast majority of the population “sees” Physical Culture. Is there any wonder as to why our society in embroiled in the heathcare crisis that it is? The real wonder is why we’re not actually worse off than what we are. I guess I should concentrate more on “H8′n the game, not the playuh”, but things such as Shape Ups and the Cookie Diet just ain’t gonna cut the most direct path to to an exemplary expression of Physical Culture, folks.
It's relatively easy for those of us who spend a good chunk of our time in the world of "physical culture" (to quote Keith) to separate the wheat from the chaff. As such, ridiculous things like the "cookie diet" get laughed away without much thought.
But for many folks -- folks looking desperately for a way to lose weight, for example -- the newest, shiniest diets tend to grab attention. And if you call your diet the "cookie diet" for God's sake, and pimp out a fancy website to boot...well, you'll most likely have people beating a path to your door. (Never mind the long-term ineffectiveness or ruinous health effects of such a "diet.")
Tough to sell people on good nutrition and practical life wellness that actually requires work (blasphemy!) with all this noise in the background.
-Mike
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