It has never been more important to, as the old adage goes, practice what you preach.
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As people become more savvy to the way politics and grandstanding works, they are aware just how crafted many speeches have become.
There is often even a healthy dose of cynicism attached.
That is why Senator Bridget McKenzie made a big mistake last week when she posed for a photograph clutching her belly and blowing her cheeks out, while in front of a sign for a national obesity summit.
She has denied mocking obese people, saying she just “demonstrated how my stomach felt after scrambled eggs reacted (with) yogurt I had just eaten".
Whether or not people believe that explanation is up to them, but one thing is clear: Senator McKenzie should have known better than to pose like that.
As Australia’s sports minister, what she says and does matters.
It can be easy for a fit or skinny person to write the photo off as nothing more than a silly joke. But what about those who are obese?
Right as the country’s experts come together to explore factors leading to overweight and obesity, taking an important issue incredibly seriously, this has overshadowed any good work.
Even if Senator McKenzie did just have a crook stomach, that is not what you see on the first viewing.
Any obese people looking at this, who may have been mocked by their peers in the past, could easily interpret the photo as a government minister joining in the mocking.
Senator McKenzie released an interesting statement on the weekend, placing herself as the victim. “I again apologise for any offence taken by the unfortunate photo taken out of context at the obesity summit on Friday and I am happy if my ridicule leads to action on the complex issue of obesity in this country,” she said.
She should think more about the ridicule obese people receive every day and make sure she does not, either deliberately or naively, make that even worse.
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