In this economic climate, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by a PRNewswire article, titled, “ Future of Global Recession Revealed in… a Diet Book? “ while perusing the web for newsworthy eating-disordered articles. Using the Pen and Paper Diet as a platform on which to parallel eating disorders and the disordered (or diseased) economy, the article mentions some of the 7 stages (Slight Hunger, Efficiency, Freefall, Plateau, etc.) of the Pen and Paper Diet to sum up the depressing economy, as well as their prescribed solution.
For instance, the article asserts that, in 2007, our global economy was morbidly obese, and by the end of the year, consumers began to go on a diet. Because of decreased consumer spending, people are becoming more efficient with their money. The article moves forward by discussing how our current economic freefall (a seemingly unknown abyss, at this point) has caused people to change their spending habits, therefore, becoming anorexic spenders. Throughout, the article shifts from chattering about the economy to the devastating effects of anorexia–the connection being that if we remain anorexic spenders and cease to consume more, then our global economy will face dire consequences, like nationalization (I wonder if the authors consider this similar to eating disorder institutionalization?).
The very last sentence states that, “No one likes having tubes and needles in them,” (one of the many potential consequences of anorexia), “so let’s start consuming a little more.”
Ahh, if only eating disorders, and the economy, were that easy to “fix.” I have to say, paralleling eating disorders and the economy presents an interesting twist. I think that, just like eating disorders, our economy won’t ever reach a Utopian state or final destination. It’s a journey of recovery and relapse; a journey contingent upon how we choose to utilize the tools and systems around us. Clearly, because the economic manipulation and dishonesty that has occurred, caused by people in power who sought to control (ah, another ED parallel?) for their own financial gain, we are in an economic relapse like never before (a parallel the authors left out: disease progression).
While I really like this article, the cynic and social worker in me can’t help but want to ask the authors… When our economy was so “obese” and abundant a couple of years ago, why wasn’t there ever any discourse about the “anorexic” spending habits in both the private and public sectors regarding social services to help eating disorder recovery??? Hmmmm….
In this economic climate, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by a PRNewswire article, titled, “ Future of Global Recession Revealed in… a Diet Book? “ while perusing the web for newsworthy eating-disordered articles. Using the Pen and Paper Diet as a platform on which to parallel eating disorders and the disordered (or diseased) economy, the article mentions some of the 7 stages (Slight Hunger, Efficiency, Freefall, Plateau, etc.) of the Pen and Paper Diet to sum up the depressing economy, as well as their prescribed solution.
For instance, the article asserts that, in 2007, our global economy was morbidly obese, and by the end of the year, consumers began to go on a diet. Because of decreased consumer spending, people are becoming more efficient with their money. The article moves forward by discussing how our current economic freefall (a seemingly unknown abyss, at this point) has caused people to change their spending habits, therefore, becoming anorexic spenders. Throughout, the article shifts from chattering about the economy to the devastating effects of anorexia–the connection being that if we remain anorexic spenders and cease to consume more, then our global economy will face dire consequences, like nationalization (I wonder if the authors consider this similar to eating disorder institutionalization?).
The very last sentence states that, “No one likes having tubes and needles in them,” (one of the many potential consequences of anorexia), “so let’s start consuming a little more.”
Ahh, if only eating disorders, and the economy, were that easy to “fix.” I have to say, paralleling eating disorders and the economy presents an interesting twist. I think that, just like eating disorders, our economy won’t ever reach a Utopian state or final destination. It’s a journey of recovery and relapse; a journey contingent upon how we choose to utilize the tools and systems around us. Clearly, because the economic manipulation and dishonesty that has occurred, caused by people in power who sought to control (ah, another ED parallel?) for their own financial gain, we are in an economic relapse like never before (a parallel the authors left out: disease progression).
While I really like this article, the cynic and social worker in me can’t help but want to ask the authors… When our economy was so “obese” and abundant a couple of years ago, why wasn’t there ever any discourse about the “anorexic” spending habits in both the private and public sectors regarding social services to help eating disorder recovery??? Hmmmm….