Should pro-ED sites be banned?
Pro-ED (Pro-Eating Disorder) or Pro-Ana/Mia are names given to a group of websites that promote Anorexia and Bulimia as life-style choices. There are literally thousands of pro-ED websites that are easily accessible on the web. Some might say that these sites should definitely be banned because too often they are stumbled upon by people who cannot see how stupid and dangerous the websites are, however, the issue is a complex one and needs analysed from different perspectives.The definition of a Pro-ED site would depend on whom you asked. If you were to ask an anorexic, they would tell you that it is a place to find support and a place to find friends whose situation is similar to yours. That definition would only be true for a handful of sites. If you were to ask an outsider for a definition of these sites, they would tell you that these sites are dangerous, that they just trivialise a potentially fatal mental illness. I have to agree with the latter. The typical Pro-ED Website will contain 'Triggers' these are usually photographs of painfully skinny models that are supposed to motivate wannabe anorexics into becoming super thin. The site will probably also contain tips on how to how to st
I agree totally with both points but there are differences between eating disorders and obesity. It seems that acting and eating disorders go hand in hand in a similar way to rock stars and drug abuse. Fat acceptance is hugely popular because generally, the population's waistbands are expanding. Because of free speech these sites can't be monitored. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if people were putting fat-acceptance sites on the web there wouldn't be big media uproar and they wouldn't be banned. The anorexic may choose what he/she puts in her mouth in a similar way to an obese person but the anorexic doesn't choose why he/she is restricting their calorie intake or fasting. The obese person probably had 24 doughnuts because they like the taste, the anorexic had 4 crumbs for the same reason, he/she had less because an internal voice was telling them that if they had more, they would be a bad person. Free speech is the anorexics argument for keeping these sites on the web. Lynn Ponton, the Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California says that "These sites are dangerous, it normalises anorexia". There have been attempts by Internet servers to shut down these sites and the server 'Angelfire' has banned them completely. These websites help us get an inside view to the sick mind. If you are suffering, sharing your pain with others who truly understand can help a great deal. A server can't censor what they see as being dangerous, they have to either delete the site or keep it the way it is. They give names to Anorexia and Bulimia and worship them like gods. And I am all for free speech but is encouraging young people to develop dangerous and deadly eating disorders beyond free speech? Where does that leave drug abuse and alcoholism? One day they are diseases, the next they are lifestyle choices.
Common topics in this essay:
Anorexia Bulimia,
Psychiatrists Pro-ED,
Fat Land,
Pro-ED Website,
University California,
Michael Fumento,
eating disorders,
Disorder Pro-Ana/Mia,
free speech,
,
pro-ed sites,
anorexia bulimia,
mental disorder,
choose he/she,
pro-ed websites,
obese person,
complete ban,
drug abuse,
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Acceptance Essays
