Is Banning Skinny Models a Legitimate Function of Government?

Notwithstanding my post comparing stupid government policies in the U.S. and U.K., I thought the Greeks took to prize for most moronic government.

After all, the politicians in that nation think it’s fine and dandy to subsidize pedophiles and collect stool samples as a condition of getting a business license to set up an online company.

But the United Kingdom will reclaim the top spot (or would it be the bottom spot?) if the government follows through on the advice of two nanny-state academics.

Here’s a blurb from a story in the Telegraph.

Experts said the eating disorder was a disease that was linked to social and cultural influenced, the Guardian reported. The LSE academics said restricting the use of photographs of underweight models in magazines would help ease the pressure on women to be very thin. In a paper that will be published in the journal Economia later this year, LSE economist Dr Joan Costa-Font and Professor Mireia Jofre-Bonet from City University wrote: “Government intervention would be justified to curb the spread of a potential epidemic of food disorders.

To be fair, there’s no indication in the story that the U.K. government will adopt the recommendation of these academics, but don’t be too optimistic. After all, this is the country that has done these crazy things:

o A job-placement center got in trouble for discriminating against incompetent people by seeking “reliable” and “hard-working” candidates.

o A women who was being threatened by thugs got in trouble with the police for brandishing a knife in her own home.

o A man got arrested for finding a gun in his yard and turning it over to the police.

o The government wanted to require “competency tests” for pet owners.

Remember, never underestimate the stupidity of government.

And I suppose this is the appropriate spot for a disclaimer.

Yes, I realize anorexia is not a joking matter. I’ve known people with this problem and I recognize it’s serious. But banning skinny models is an absurd and abusive way for politicians to deal with the issue.