The Movie “Fathead” – Anti-Establishment, Anti-Lifestyle Fascism, and Very Libertarian
Tuesday, March 8, 2011The movie Fathead has, as its motto, “You’ve been fed a load of bologna.” This movie, from comedian and former health writer Tom Naughton, is a brilliant compilation of anti-medical establishment musing, skepticism, anti-lifestyle fascism, and libertarianism. For your viewing, the film is available (for free) on Hulu.com.
Tom Naughton, the writer and director of the movie, combats the lies and distortions of Morgan Spurlock and his film Super Size Me, a film that that blamed corporate America – specifically, fast food giants – for giving consumers exactly what they want to eat. I think the entire production is brilliant, especially Naughton’s mining of resources (see what he reads here) that enables him to create a very slick visual that does a superb job of exposing the political and special interest-influenced lies that have created an obese and pharmaceutical-dependent American population while corporate state partners reap gorgeous profits thanks to government policy that favors their interests. While Spurlock’s Super Size Me blames Ronald McDonald, Naughton blames the corporatist state that is enabled by Big Government and its Lifestyle Central Planners (he calls them “the evangelists”). At one point in the beginning film credits, Naughton shows a fast food box with the following printed on the side: Ingredients: Media Gullibility, Radical Vegetarianism, Class Snobbery, Bologna.
Overall, Naughton’s emphasis is on the fact that the purchase and consumption of fast food is voluntary, not coerced. Early in the film, he stands outside of several fast food establishments, for hours, waiting for some corporate “goon” to “force” him to come inside to eat the food. When that doesn’t happen, he makes the point, for the non-libertarian layman, about the very important distinction between voluntary participation/personal choice and government coercion. At one point, he pulls up to a fast food drive-thru and asks the clerk, “If I don’t order fries, you don’t try to make me eat them, do you?”
Naughton does an especially slick job of going after the malicious shit, Michael Jacobson, and his Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). He even creates a special cartoon ditty with a dancing Michael Jacobson. These snippets are called, “The guy from CSPI!” Remember it was the CSPI that, long ago, went after saturated fat. The organization lobbied government to have eating establishments replace saturated fat oils with oils made from trans fat. Later, when it was discovered that trans fat was poison, the CSPI went after trans fat in the same manner (see my blog on this).
Naughton performs a great service when he debunks the calories in-calories out paradigm, and he interviews several top people in the field to support his polished visuals. He also slams the government food pyramid and its emphasis on grains, and he discusses the criminality of the US dietary guidelines that give us the special interest-guided government food pyramid. He quotes Dr. Mary Eades saying, “the government pyramid sells agricultural products; it doesn’t sell health.” Naughton narrates a point in the movie, stating that “so, whether they intended to or not, the FDA and USDA are telling you to load up on sugar.” He also explains the fraudulent conditions under which the selective research results of Ancel Keys, through his Seven Countries study, helped create the lipid hypothesis, and he analyzes the role of the the McGovern Committee in creating the US Dietary Guidelines that are still being emphasized today.
Also interviewed in the movie are such anti-establishment/libertarian types are Dr Michael Eades, Dr. Mary Eades, Sally Fallon from the Weston A. Price Foundation, Mary Enig PhD, Eric Oliver PhD, and Dr. Al Sears. As Michael Eades states, “We have all been subjects of a giant government experiment, the hypothesis of which fat is bad for us.” Naughton is also not shy about allowing Sally Fallon to speak the brutal truth when she notes, “Government and people in white coats perpetuated the myths…”
In the end, Naughton puts together very glossy visuals, great interviews and dialogue bits, and science facts expressed for the layman, and he explains the cause of the problems of obesity and chronic sickness very clearly: your government. At the end, he says accountability lies with the individual and their choices. This is a dream movie for libertarians, especially those who are educated and impassioned regarding the obesity and chronic disease epidemic and how the government-corporatist complex played the major role in creating and magnifying the problem.
Essentially, Naughton comes to the conclusion that behavior intervention has never worked and it never will. And remember, government policy in the food/diet arena is behavior intervention. And behavior intervention is totalitarianism.
Deb S. says:
March 9th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
“…to get rid of crime the answer is simple, stop calling the police.” Love it! lol Also, I had to wander off giggling for a few minutes whilst the ‘ink, ink, ink’ cupcakes and wine commercial was playing :D Good film, and thank you for linking it! :) My son will get to watch it this afternoon, too.
Be says:
March 9th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
I find it fascinating that most low carbers and heritage farming proponents are usually libertarian. Joel Salatin and Tom Naughton (as well as I) for sure and I wouldn’t be surprised if Gary Taubes was as well. I love your review and hope you seriously follow his advice for good health (the need of weight loss is irrelevant) so you can live a long healthy life. I am just a late middle aged man that was a bit overweight but not obese who effortlessly lost a lot of weight as a result of listening to Tom.
Free minds, free markets, free fat & free farming!
Karen De Coster says:
March 9th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
“Be” – I don’t need to follow Tom’s advice. :–)
I have been discovering, rediscovering, and living this life since 1986 (supertight since 2003). I started publishing on this topic 8 years ago. Tom put together a movie that sums up my knowledge, my writings, and the knowledge of health-conscious paleos everywhere (to do that takes one terrific talent). This was not an easy movie to make (and to do it right). That’s why I think it is genius.
Thanks for your kinds words. “Free minds, free markets, free fat & free farming!” — great motto, by the way.
Michael Keeney says:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:26 am
I watched this film tonight (on Netflix streaming!) – fantastic! Can’t wait to show it to my 12-year old who wanted to see “Super Size Me” a year or so ago. This movie was much more entertaining and MUCH more education that “Super Size” could have evern been….
JP says:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
The movie was fair at best. It had its moments. If you have a nutrition or public health background, it is easy to see how it could mislead undiscerning viewers. For example, supporters of this movie (like the frighteningly misinformed Richard Nikoley) taking the info out of context and blogging about how eating saturated fat or huge quantities of meat is good for health and whole grains are not.
p.s. The idea that “Naughton puts together very glossy visuals” is laughable. I’ve seen lower budget movies, but not many. But, he did self-fund the project…
Karen De Coster says:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
JP sorry to burst your government pyramid-influenced bubble, but Nikoley is not misinformed and fat is good for you – take a look at my photo and you can see what fat does for people who finally get beyond the myths and lies and fraud of government and corporatist special interests. My lipid panel? To die for. Meat and fat, baby, = 12% body fat and 250 lb.+ deadlifts at 48 years old. Oh, and my meat-and-fat waistline is the same size as it was in junior high school. Ahem. My grain sisters are: pasty white, dry skin, dry hair, low HDL cholesterol, memory problems, multi-tasking problems, and they take pills for depression and anxiety and sleeping. Yes – keep propping up Big Agra and killing yourself in the process. I believe you have that right. Meanwhile, I’ll keep doing meat and fat and I’ll be passing y’all right by………
Yes, Naughton’s project wasn’t funded by a wealthy special interest out to reap billions while lying to the public with the aid of government policy…….it was independently funded. How awful!!
Richard Nikoley says:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Hey JP:
Look, if what I write doesn’t suit your fancy, try this one out:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/
Dr. Guyenet specializes in the pristine health of non-industrial populations, most of which eat significant fat, few eat any grains. Ever hear of the Tokelauans (50% of total energy from SATURATED fat)? I doubt it.
http://freetheanimal.com/2009/01/saturated-fat.html
Finally JP, I’m certain that your are “frighteningly misinformed” about this as well:
Gluten Causes Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Subjects Without Celiac Disease: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ajg2010487a.html
That was published only mid-January
Richard Nikoley says:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Oh, and JP, why don’t you go over to FitDay or the USDA food database and do a simple exercise?
Take any whole grain you like, done any way you like, say baked whole grain bread. Run the numbers for some number of calories, like 500.
Then do the same for any piece of meat you like, say a NY or a filet, grilled. 500 calories.
Guess what? Do that and you’re about to not be so “misinformed.”
Want a real exercise? Do it for 500 cal of beef liver up against any food in the world. In fact, double the amount of your precious whole grains and still see how nutritionally vapid and bankrupt they are in comparison.
Ran it against fruits, veggies of any kind.
Do it a few dozen times so that you become about 30% less misinformed.
Moron.
Iluvatar says:
March 15th, 2011 at 12:12 am
JP – Sorry man. Had to disagree w/ that. Check out Mark’s Daily Apple.
I have been crankin’ saturated fats from beef since about `75; big tunaround was the past 2 years when I started to ADD to my diet by eating RAW vegetables!
\Dude! it is all good!
And it is real simple!
Eat the stuff on the PERIMETER of your food store! (Don’t you just love the simple shiite!)
Peace, dude…
Rocker13 says:
April 8th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Something smells like . . . horse sh*t.
Oh, right. It’s this movie.
All you border line fatties cling to this movie as some sort of ‘rational’ explanation for you not to unclench your fingers from that animalized 4×4. Keep ignoring the truth. Suck down the HFCS and msg and wonder why you feel like garbage and continue to gain weight. Just do us all a favor. When you start to suffer debilitating health issues because of your lifestyle of constant cravings, go ahead and pay for your hospital bills yourself. The rest of us who manage to maintain a healthy body weight and lifestyle are fed up with your excuses and poor choices. Wake up and do the work. You and those who know you will be better off for it. Just trust me on that.
Peace.
Karen De Coster says:
April 9th, 2011 at 6:03 am
Rocker – are you fucking smoking crack?!?! The movie is all about whole, natural (real) food and government lies to the contrary. What part of the movie did you NOT SEE? All of it? Fatties? On this blog? The blog of a paleo-primal community writer? LoL! Here’s my body, mofo: http://karendecoster.com/about See it and weep you weirdbox.
Ken says:
April 25th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
LMAO. “whole, natural (real) food” The dude was eating double fucking cheeseburgers! That is NOT whole, natural food. I’m a raw vegan and have been for years. I’m a healthy weight, I have muscles (and work out every day), my cholesterol levels are perfect (as are my HDL and LDL levels) and I’ve never had a problem. I’m not some weak little guy. Anyone who is a vegetarian/vegan and complains of being weak is DOING IT WRONG. Educate yourself and all will be fine. Putting all that meat, dairy and crap into your body is going to kill you. Heart attacks, strokes, cancer… just keep ignoring the facts about these foods and enjoy living until you’re oh.. maybe 60. I agree with rocker13.
Karen De Coster says:
April 25th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Ken – educate myself? Wahahahahahahaha…….Read my 12+ years of archives. And what is your “education?” Commenting on blogs? And about my website photo — that’s what a healthy meat-eater looks like. Look at it and weep, sweetie. By the way, moron, paleos don’t eat “cheeseburgers” because we understand the buns are unnecessary and akin to swallowing poison. Cheeseburgers? LoL! We eat grass-fed – HUGE – burgers piled high with grilled onions, mushrooms, and beefsteak tomatoes…..and bacon. Steaks, pasteured lamb, organic chicken, venison, free-range eggs, organic veggies. Real fucking food as evolution meant for us. Raw vegans are skinny-fat, disgusting, pasty-white, unhealthy fucks. And no, your HDL and LDL are not perfect – unless, of course, you go by the conventional wisdom of the fraudulent medical establishment. Vegans have lipid panels that spell death – oh, and all the health problems they experience by the time they are 40? Really pathetic. Slow suicide is the new healthy, eh?
You are one clueless motherfucker. What’s really sad is people who don’t know, and they don’t know that they don’t know……..and they tell others to “educate themselves”. Every single vegan I know looks like total SHIT and they have the health problems of a geriatric at only 40-50 years old. They are destroying their health for ……. political correctness and pseudo-religious beliefs that put animals above humans. What imbeciles. Thanks but no thanks – I’ll keep my perfect body, high performance, and youthful looks, and you can stuff your soy beans and 30 bananas a day up your wazoo.