It’s been a little while since I put out a “What the Eff” article, and I just haaaaaad to do it today because there’s so much good material that’s recently floated to the surface not to share it with the populace at large. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (hint, you REALLY should), I’ve posted a few of these fun features, but I also have a few other head-shakers and bits of fun to throw in there. Enjoy!!

#1: Apparently, Doctors Shouldn’t Tell Their Patients They’re Obese

Listen, I’m all for political correctness as long as it gets the job done and doesn’t have any malicious intent behind it, but this is just plain rediculous. In a PostMedia News article linked HERE, a study performed by the University of Pennsylvania found that patients had a negative connotation to being referred to by their doctors as “obese, fatness, fat, excessively fat, or heavy,” preferring instead to have terms such as “weight” used, and only with the patients permission to actually discuss it in the first place.

I can understand how a word like obesity can have a negative connotation to it, but so can other terms like “diabetes, colorectal cancer, hypertension, and death.” Obesity is a medical term, with a specific classification system of a BMI greater than 30, and severe/morbid obesity being classified as over 40. This poses some pretty serious known health risks to the individual, and has been linked hundreds of times as one of the underlying causes of a lot of medical illnesses, injuries, and health issues that we routinely go to the doctor to complain about. Top it off with the fact that pretty much everyone and their aunt is seriously overweight, and we could just as well say that the person was “average” and not be flubbing the truth. We still wouldn’t be addressing the problem either, but that’s neither here nor there.

If obesity is such an issue for health, and we choose to downplay its’ significance in the doctor-patient counseling session, how can we expect thee patient to appreciate the gravity of the situation and try to make some positive changes in their life? I can understand not making fun of the person, but if someone came in with sleep apnea, odds are their excessive weight ould be one of the underlying causes, so saying to the patient “due to the fact that your BMI classifies you as obese, and the fact that there’s a really powerful connection to body weight and sleep apnea, I would suggest trying to lose weight before we try any medications or mechanical devices.”

That being said, I’ve known more than my share of doctors who had all the bed-side mannerisms of Attila the Hun, (one even went so far as to tell me lifting weights was one of the worse things you could do, and that the healthiest people on the planet were distance runners. I didn’t mention his stoop compared to my rockstar posture), so I can understand the apprehension to discuss, specifically if the doctor addresses it in any way other than a polite and constructive manner.

In my opinion, the kinder-gentler approach doesn’t tend to work with a lot of people, as it doesn’t allow them to accept responsibility for their actions or for accepting that they are powerful to make positive changes. By owning the problem, you can also own the solution, which results in greater weight loss and health benefits than by changing the verbage used to describe it.

#2: What the Hell Were They Thinking!?!???!

A British-owned gym in Dubai called the Circuit Factory decided on a mental-giant moment to run an add for their fat loss program for the new year that featured a picture of the Auschwitze Nazi death camp, complete with railroad tracks leading to the facility, and the tag line “Kiss your Calories Goodbye.” It was reported in the Daily Caller HERE.

If there was ever an award for most idiotic advertising possible, this would win hands down.

Seriously, what person in their right mind would sit down and think “Hey I’m going to use an image of one of the most horrendous periods in human existence to try to sell some more gym memberships!! That will make people really see that I care!!” Whatever joy-gasm they expected to happen from all the throngs of people beating down their door to train at their fat-Treblinka apparently didn’t happen as planned.

This is so bad that a million Kanye West Grammy interruptions couldn’t take the focus away from how dumb of a move it is. However, the owners did decide to pull the ad, and then as a measure of good faith, donate all their business income from the weekend to holocaust survivors charities.

From the WHOLE weekend, huh? So the two days where you probably saw the smallest daily volume of traffic (one of which is a holy day, and presumably didn’t do too much business, especially in a heavily religious sector of the world)? Gee, I guess that makes up for the whole thing, right? Never mind the fact that anti-semetism still exists, cultural wars are being fought over religious intolerance all over the world, and millions of people (during and after the Holocaust) lost their lives as a result, but whatever, come get your sweat on!!

I contemplated putting the picture up here, but didn’t want search engines linking me with concentration camps.

#3: In Other News, Pancakes cause Back Injuries

Dustin Penner, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers and now with the LA Kings, threw out his back while reaching for a stack of his “wife’s delicious pancakes.” This was reported in the Edmonton Journal HERE.

Now I’ve seen and had some odd incidence causing back pain before. I’ve had my back go into spasms while shampooing once, and another time had it happen after a sneeze. Once I was just sitting there and I felt it shift, sort of like a lava lamp. That being said, I kind of giggled a little when I hear he was side-lined after eating pancakes.

I definitely hope he gets some good quality treatment and never has to go back through this again. In all fairness, back pain sucks, and no one should have to go through it. It’s still funny as hell though. Maybe this means no more pancakes for the Fridge.

#4: I’d Vote for Him

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Is it wrong that whenever I see this guy I wind up thinking

YOOOOOOUUUUU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As even a casual international observer of the Republican goings on, I have to say that even this guy seems normal compared to some of the shenanigans going on south of the border. Seriously America, I hope it all works out for you.

What other stories have you heard lately that just make you want to shake your head?