Cut to the chase

Television researchers are well spoken and “supportive,” but they are often exploitative too. From talent shows to daytime talk shows, vulnerable people are sucked into a Victorian freakshow, without even benefiting from the peep show penny. While channel flicking recently, I was struck by how many programmes there were on super-obese teens and their operations. The tone of the presenters remained passive and the comment minimal, for the voyeuristic spectacle said everything. But my inner voice was screaming, “So, who’s responsible for the fact that kids are becoming obese?” …