Obesity Foes Use 9/11 To Tout Documentary: Brilliant or Distasteful?
Last week, on April 1 of all days, I received an e-mail from the Disinformation Company, a television, book and film production company about a new film it is releasing, titled: “Killer at Large.” I get lots of pitches in my e-mail inbox, and generally ignore them, but this one caught my eye. It seems that the producers of the documentary are arguing that obesity is as serious as terrorism. From the release:
“When asked what the most pressing issue is in America today, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona responds: ‘Obesity, because obesity is a terror within. It is destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out to me.’”
Clearly, using the terrorism angle is a good way to cut through the clutter. As advertisers like to say: Carmona’s quote has stopping power. However, while the strategy may capture people’s attention, will it turn people off to the very important message the documentary is trying to convey, that 75% of Americans may be obese within ten years?
As for me, I found the reference to 9/11 distasteful. What’s your take? Is this pitch brilliant or distasteful?
Image Source: The Disinformation Company
