The Hegseth hypocrisy: Fat-shaming top generals in land of McDonald Trump

"Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards," said the late US Navy SEAL Shane Patton. The quote was part of his speech to aspiring soldiers, but it seemingly embodies the overconsumption habits of Americans. When US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed America's "fat generals" and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military, it reflected the gluttonous reputation America carries in the eyes of the world.

At a rare gathering of 800 commanders at Marine Corps Base, Quantico in Virginia, flanked by President Donald Trump, Hegseth unleashed a boot camp-like attack on the US' own military leaders. Hegseth declared the Pentagon had devolved into a "woke department", with "foolish and reckless political leaders" who had set the military adrift.

The event was like a reality TV reunion special, only that, instead of celebrities, it was admirals and generals.

It is perhaps the first time that top military leaders of a country were being "fat shamed" by their own government. And Hegseth didn't mince words. "It is completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," he said, even as he mandated male-only benchmarks for physical tests.

FAT-SHAMING IN THE US, LAND OF BIG MAC AND FREE REFILLS

Hegseth's gut-punch on "girth" is hypocritical, because America is the land of the free refill. The United States is the champion of gluttony, where 42% of adults are obese, according to CDC data.

Government data suggests that obesity alone costs US $173 billion annually in healthcare. The US is also a nation where President Donald Trump once helicoptered stacks of McDonald's Big Macs, fries, and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches to the White House lawn for Olympic medallists in 2019, a gesture he hailed as "real American fuel".

The "real American fuel" also caught people's attention when Trump's pick to head the US Health Department, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who had criticised Trump's fondness for fast food, was seen eating McDonald's with him in a picture.

The US is also the country where kids guzzle 40% of their calories from junk food, and drive-throughs outnumber high schools in some states.

Contrast that with the irony of lecturing battle-hardened generals on waistlines.

These are men and women who have orchestrated attacks on the biggest terrorist groups in the world, navigated high seas in carrier groups, and stared down at nuclear threats—all while maintaining operational readiness under gruelling conditions. The US military is considered the best in the world, from equipment to fitness standards.

Yet here comes Hegseth, a former Fox News guy, and Trump, the reality TV mogul-turned-President, whose idea of PT was golf carts on Mar-a-Lago fairways, giving fitness lessons to military leaders.

US TRIED TO SLASH JUNK FOOD OVER A DECADE AGO, BUT FAILED

Remember Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" crusade? In 2010, the former first lady championed school wellness standards, slashing junk food ads in cafeterias and mandating healthier lunches. It was a rare win in America's overconsumption culture.

But even as the former FLOTUS waged war on school snacks, McDonald's was airlifted to US bases in Afghanistan, where troops chowed down on quarter pounders amid a war.

Can a country whose military, athletes, and children feast so heavily—mostly on junk—ever be fit? The stats say a big no.

And is it right for TV personalities to fat-shame generals who know their jobs cold? Careful there, Hegseth.

US MEDIA EXPECTED SOMETHING BIG, WITNESSED HEGSETH LECTURES

Before the September 30 meeting, media outlets and analysts were abuzz with speculation about the short-notice summons issued by Hegseth.

The lack of a clear agenda fuelled theories ranging from a mass purge of "disloyal" or "woke" officers to a response to an undisclosed geopolitical crisis. Outlets like CNN and The New Republic speculated that Hegseth, known for firing top brass like General CQ Brown and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, might be planning further dismissals.

Some X users called it a "calm before the storm" for a leadership overhaul. Others, including Newsweek and Politico, hypothesised discussions on a new Defence Strategy, possibly shifting focus to homeland security or consolidating combatant commands to cut costs.

But after the meeting, it was just Hegseth's dramatic speech which slammed "fat generals" and wokeness.

Late military legend Shane Patton's words, though said in a different context, should remind the US: overdoing might not be the right thing here.

In an overfed republic, slimmer hypocrisy, not slimmer generals, is the need.

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