1. The reasons for our obsession with health, according to Furedi, is because of the concept of medicalization, the belief that illness is as normal as health, it’s part of the human experience, and the politicization of health. Our obsession with health begins with our need to blame every one of our human characteristics on a medical condition whether it be shyness or love sickness. We have come to the conclusion that illness is as normal as being healthy because it has become if we are not in a state of wellness, then we are considered to be ill. Health has become a part of the human experience because it guides us as to what we should eat, how we should look, and how we should behave. Lastly, the politicization of health has influenced our
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The consequences that come with a society that has a state of mind that illness is normal is that it becomes part of our identity. Once we convince ourselves that we have an illness, we tend not to let go of that. For example, Furedi talks about how cancer survivors never forget that they had an illness because it has permanently shaped their personalities. Cancer survivors do not live their lives thinking that they are cancer free; they live their lives in a constant state of remission. We struggle, as a society, to leave our past illnesses in the past.
4. According to Furedi, the solution to the new focus on illness “lies not in the area of policymaking, or even medicine, but in the cultural sphere.” So, in order to see change, our culture needs to develop a new state of mind. Implementing laws and policies regarding our health is not going to solve our obsession with illness, and neither is medicine. The only way to shift our focus off of illness is by our culture acknowledging that illness is indeed not normal. If our society promoted healthy habits, then we would not have an obsession with illness.
Reading …show more content…
In today’s day and age, health has become a dominate issue in American society because of our unhealthy habits. Many people, myself included, do not exercise and would much rather stay inside and watch TV. People do too much of doing nothing and it is leading to increases in illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, just to name a few. Some people, however, see all of the possible illnesses they could contract and take being healthy to a whole other level by having their entire day revolve around healthy activities. We as Americans struggle to find a balance between healthy and unhealthy
The consequences that come with a society that has a state of mind that illness is normal is that it becomes part of our identity. Once we convince ourselves that we have an illness, we tend not to let go of that. For example, Furedi talks about how cancer survivors never forget that they had an illness because it has permanently shaped their personalities. Cancer survivors do not live their lives thinking that they are cancer free; they live their lives in a constant state of remission. We struggle, as a society, to leave our past illnesses in the past.
4. According to Furedi, the solution to the new focus on illness “lies not in the area of policymaking, or even medicine, but in the cultural sphere.” So, in order to see change, our culture needs to develop a new state of mind. Implementing laws and policies regarding our health is not going to solve our obsession with illness, and neither is medicine. The only way to shift our focus off of illness is by our culture acknowledging that illness is indeed not normal. If our society promoted healthy habits, then we would not have an obsession with illness.
Reading …show more content…
In today’s day and age, health has become a dominate issue in American society because of our unhealthy habits. Many people, myself included, do not exercise and would much rather stay inside and watch TV. People do too much of doing nothing and it is leading to increases in illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, just to name a few. Some people, however, see all of the possible illnesses they could contract and take being healthy to a whole other level by having their entire day revolve around healthy activities. We as Americans struggle to find a balance between healthy and unhealthy