Southpark and Ozempic
12.31.2024: I watched the episode (first South Park I’ve watched in years. Apparently it’s no longer on Comedy Central (which is a cable television network here in the US)? I watched it as part of my Amazon Prime membership. I watched it because it was discussed on a podcast I listen to, and I wanted to see it before listening.
Lizzo is mentioned as the alternative drug to Ozempic, where you learn not to give a fuck about your weight (swearing is used in the show. I don’t remember is Comedy Central allowed them to swear). However, NONE of the people who are using ANY of the drugs in this show are obese. In fact, the conceit is that Cartman (who is clinically obese) can’t get access to the drug because his insurance won’t pay for it and his mother can’t afford it.
They give a very accurate portrayal of dealing with the US insurance system.
The issue here is the conflation between being overweight and being morbidly obese. MOST fat activists are morbidly obese, ore at least clinically obese. (the so-called Death Fat and all that). People who are just overweight do not need to be on these drugs, and probably could not give a fuck as the Lizzo drug would have it.
Lizzo reacted to the video and said she was pleased that her message of giving no fucks and loving yourself no matter what has been so successful that two white guys (she didn’t say white) in Colorado mentioned it. Quite frankly, this is unlikely to be what the South Park guys intended… and Lizzo does seem to know what South Park is. South Park only ever mentions a person to mock them… so I would imagine that they are mocking (or attempting to mock) the idea of fat acceptance. Though AGAIN, the character they used to do this IS NOT OBESE. She was looking to get Ozempic to lose just a few pounds, and instead they give her a prescription of “Lizzo” a diet suppression drug. They then have a commercial with claiming that the drug will lower your standards and help you not give a fuck.
Lizzo says that “She’s really that bitch” (which is a call back to Beyonce in the song Formation). And she says she’s going to keep on helping people not give a fuck.
I’m not going to speculate as to what Lizzo’s “real” reaction to the South Park is… I’ll just note that for people who don’t clinically require Ozempic or Wegovy or Zepbound, not giving a fuck and just living your life likely IS the way to go. Being overweight is NOT the same as being obese or morbidly obese.
Yes, and I’ve written a bunch about his, every individual seems to have a level of excess adipose that his or her body can compensate for before “wheels come off” and health issues start. For most people, being overweight is not the start of health issues, being obese is. BMI measures might be a poor marker, but it is a marker. And changes in markers are what doctors are trained to get to the bottom of. So if your cholesterol has been on the high side for years, it’s not until the level begins to rise that the doctor is going to react to.
Same with weight changes. I am overweight, and have been for years. But I am weight stable, and so my doctor leaves me alone about it. If I start to pack on pounds, that will change.
It was a tad bizarre to write up these notes after finishing the book Magic Pill, by Johann Hari.Granted, the show's focus was different than the book, and I doubt any research at all was done about the drug.
Lizzo is mentioned as the alternative drug to Ozempic, where you learn not to give a fuck about your weight (swearing is used in the show. I don’t remember is Comedy Central allowed them to swear). However, NONE of the people who are using ANY of the drugs in this show are obese. In fact, the conceit is that Cartman (who is clinically obese) can’t get access to the drug because his insurance won’t pay for it and his mother can’t afford it.
They give a very accurate portrayal of dealing with the US insurance system.
The issue here is the conflation between being overweight and being morbidly obese. MOST fat activists are morbidly obese, ore at least clinically obese. (the so-called Death Fat and all that). People who are just overweight do not need to be on these drugs, and probably could not give a fuck as the Lizzo drug would have it.
Lizzo reacted to the video and said she was pleased that her message of giving no fucks and loving yourself no matter what has been so successful that two white guys (she didn’t say white) in Colorado mentioned it. Quite frankly, this is unlikely to be what the South Park guys intended… and Lizzo does seem to know what South Park is. South Park only ever mentions a person to mock them… so I would imagine that they are mocking (or attempting to mock) the idea of fat acceptance. Though AGAIN, the character they used to do this IS NOT OBESE. She was looking to get Ozempic to lose just a few pounds, and instead they give her a prescription of “Lizzo” a diet suppression drug. They then have a commercial with claiming that the drug will lower your standards and help you not give a fuck.
Lizzo says that “She’s really that bitch” (which is a call back to Beyonce in the song Formation). And she says she’s going to keep on helping people not give a fuck.
I’m not going to speculate as to what Lizzo’s “real” reaction to the South Park is… I’ll just note that for people who don’t clinically require Ozempic or Wegovy or Zepbound, not giving a fuck and just living your life likely IS the way to go. Being overweight is NOT the same as being obese or morbidly obese.
Yes, and I’ve written a bunch about his, every individual seems to have a level of excess adipose that his or her body can compensate for before “wheels come off” and health issues start. For most people, being overweight is not the start of health issues, being obese is. BMI measures might be a poor marker, but it is a marker. And changes in markers are what doctors are trained to get to the bottom of. So if your cholesterol has been on the high side for years, it’s not until the level begins to rise that the doctor is going to react to.
Same with weight changes. I am overweight, and have been for years. But I am weight stable, and so my doctor leaves me alone about it. If I start to pack on pounds, that will change.
It was a tad bizarre to write up these notes after finishing the book Magic Pill, by Johann Hari.Granted, the show's focus was different than the book, and I doubt any research at all was done about the drug.