Expert: Max Pemberton Quality -Source: I somewhat trust this source because Max Pemberton is a MD, Psychiatrist in the National Health Service and is a Journalist. He mostly works in the field of mental health, which does not necessarily pertain to obesity. Nevertheless, he is still a doctor and may know the facts that do and do not support obesity as a disease. There is some bias because he clearly believes that if someone is obese it is their fault that they are. Honestly, he is somewhat rude about how he believes that doctors need to be a little more judgmental with their patients and their weight. maxpemberton. com) Author’s Viewpoint: Dr. Pemberton clearly believes that obesity is not a disease and that doctors need to be upfront with their patients about their weight problems. He believes that patients need to be told the truth in order for them to solve their obesity.
Main Hypothesis: Is obesity a disease? Issues/Claims: 1. Doctors should be required to tell patients that if they are fat they need to eat less and exercise more. 2. If obese individuals keep guzzling tasty treats they will die earlier. 3. It is not a disease, it is a mindset and that means that it can be changed. 4. Doctors need to be less understanding and more judgmental towards their patients. 5. The truth can be the hardest drug to administer, but it is what is needed to eliminate obesity. Intended Audience: This is intended for people who read The Spectator and are interested in health. Specifically, this article is intended for people who believe that obesity is not a disease. It is more likely that people in Britain would read this article, since this article was written in the United Kingdom.
This article pertains to Americans, as well as, Britains and he explains that Britain has a better chance at reducing their health issues because they have a National Health Service. In result, this article could be intended more for the individuals in the United Kingdom. (spectator. co. uk) Summary of Author’s Opinion: Obesity is not a disease and doctors need to be upfront with their patients about their weight issues so that they can solve them. Also, his opinion is that obesity is not a disease, it is a mindset which means that it can be changed.
Quality -Evidence: The quality of the evidence is poor, Dr. Pemberton is opinioned throughout his entire argument. He puts obese patients down and makes it apparent that doctors need to tell their obese patients the truth so that they can solve their weight issue. He does not take into account that possibly obese individuals have tried all that could to solve their weight issues and nothing worked. It is true that he is a doctor, which gives him some credibility, however putting others down is not a successful approach to gain support. Tone: His tone is judgmental because he is being authoritative and has critical opinions.
He says that doctors need to tell their patient that they are fat and he says that obesity is a mindset and so it can be change. In truth, not everyone may believe that obesity is a mindset, therefore, obesity is not as easy to solve as Dr. Pemberton is making it sound. His tone might also sound ribald due to him being somewhat offensive. Furthermore, since he is being somewhat rude in his argument he may be turning supports away because they are offended by his tone. Loaded Language: Dr. Pemberton used lots of loaded language which makes his argument difficult to believe.
He uses the word “blunt” when referring that doctors need to tell their patients the absolute truth about their weight. The truth is that one doctor may believe that a patient is fat, while another doctor does not believe so. In result, it is difficult to be blunt when there is a difference of opinion. Furthermore, he uses the word “mindset” when referring to obesity as a mindset, therefore it can be changed. Not everyone believes that obesity is a mindset so it is not that easy to solve. Finally, he says that “the truth can be the hardest drug to administer. ”
This is not necessarily true, there re many doctors that are upfront with their patients. Currency: These comments were made in 2013, which is still fairly recent in time. Since they are still recent some individuals may agree with his claims. Yet, many may not because he did not effectively support his stance on obesity. He only included his opinion, while putting people down as a way to try and make people take action. It seems as though Dr. Pemberton tried to use a logos appeal by being logical about his approach. Yet, it does not seem that he successfully pulled this off and instead hurt people’s feelings, which could have initially been his intention.
If so, he then would be using an ethos appeal. My Evaluation: I do not think that Dr. Pemberton’s arguments successfully supported his belief that obesity is not a disease. The entire time he put obese individuals down, as well as, doctors who care about their patient’s feelings, which made it difficult to agree with what he was saying. He could have strengthen his argument by not putting people down and by including facts that supported his stance that obesity is not a disease. He only included his harsh opinion, which was not a very effective approach.