I thought it’d be a good idea to hold a mirror up on society and see what popular obesity videos were making the rounds. I went to the following video sites to look for the word obesity:
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Metacafe
- Yahoo Video
- Google Video
I am interested in seeing if the videos are more mocking as opposed to information. We’ll look at the number one result on each site to determine the flavor of popularity.
YouTube
The biggest of all the video sites, a search for obesity shows the first two results as previews for shows on cable. The third result is something called Childhood Obesity. Here it is:
While I appreciated the photos, it was disappointing it was class project. The submitter says, “Principles of Teaching class at UBC.” There were no references or attributions for any of the information.
Vimeo
The second most popular choice on Vimeo was a comedy routing, a Public Service Announcement. Yes, it’s in bad taste, but it is humorous.
MetaCafe
Of all the video sites I expected MetaCafe to be the one with the best video about Obesity. I was wrong.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/407355/warning_disturbing_images_of_morbidly_obese_people_pets_animals/
Yep, you got it. Photos of the morbidly obese. Between that and YouTube repeats MetaCafe had nothing original to offer.
Yahoo Video
I don’t think I’ve ever gone to the Yahoo Video site. I’m adding to my first destination when looking for video. The obesity videos on Yahoo were original and top notch. Amazing. Here is one of the better examples talking about how lack of activity affects the PH in blood.
http://screen.yahoo.com/american-medical-association-declares-obesity-002753637-cbs.html
Google Video
When I went to Google Video I made sure to specify only Google Videos and not YouTube videos. This worked out better than all the other video sites combined. It seems that educational types use Google Video more than any other service.
The following video is a professor discussing the political ramifications of obesity. While I don’t agree with her views, she was very well researched and articulate. I cannot embed the video, but you can watch it here.
Overall I was surprised by the findings. My estimate is that 50% of the results returned were mocking or humiliating videos concerning obesity. Google Video was the best choice by far.