Pedagogy Of Disgust Analysis

In her passionate social commentary, “The pedagogy of disgust: the ethical, moral and political implications of using disgust in public health campaigns,” Lupton expresses her concerns about using disgust as a scare tactic in the public health sphere. Lupton begins her paper by graphically describing the grotesque advertisements that have raised her concerns. While the advertisements express genuine health concerns, Lupton argues that the campaigns only further marginalize the marginalized and create a knee-jerk repulse reaction to certain people whom have legitimate diseases. Lupton observes that making people feel further marginalized from the rest of society does nothing to help them make more health conscious decisions. I agree with Lupton, shaming people …show more content…
What the disgust campaigns fail to recognize is that addiction, to food or other substance, is usually a symptom of underlying mental conditions such as depression or anxiety. While Lupton never overtly makes a statement regarding this, it is certainly a key factor to consider while finding ways to address key public health issues. Another intriguing point Lupton makes is that disgust campaigning gives nothing to offer exchange for giving up pleasurable unhealthy habits. In lieu of disturbing imagery, it appears, though not directly stated, Lupton would prefer health campaigns that offer healthy alternatives to unhealthy habits with a social support system that would counter stigma. In the article “Use of mass media campaigns to change health behavior,” the authors take an objective look at how public health campaigns effect the overall health of society. In contrast to Lupton’s observations, this study is far more objective, and focuses far less on the ethical or moral implications of said campaigns; instead, choosing to focus on the effectiveness of said campaigns. While I see this as a weakness of the study, the authors do break down why different tactics do and do not work based on their