I SUSPECT there has never been a time when people have fooled themselves so thoroughly about their lifestyles.

We happily waddle through life believing that we as a nation are a healthy weight, that our children are fit and that the often self-indulgent way we live is “normal”.

The mantra “because we’re worth it” applies to everything from over-eating and over-drinking to drug abuse and “hooman rights” are cited in the things we demand doing because we can.

And if that sounds like a damning indictment of life lived by many people today then it probably is.

I have often been accused of seeing life through rose-tinted spectacles and I’m sure I often have. But here, now, in 2018, while still believing in the basic decency of ordinary people, it’s very easy to look around and think that many people live in a selfish bubble where they are not expected to take responsibility for their actions or their lives.

The NHS is groaning under the weight of obese individuals and the many illnesses they suffer as a result of over-indulgence. Now, a study of more than 23,000 people by the University of East Anglia has found that more than half of the men questioned don’t recognise that they are obese and only half of obese people in general are trying to slim down.

One inference drawn from this is that the obesity problem is becoming normalised in the UK today. Plus-sized clothing is blamed for making obesity seem everyday along with the rise on the high street of “vanity sizing” dress sizes to fool women into believing they’re smaller.

Such cynical ploys are echoed in the food industry where so-called healthy meals may only fit that category in comparison to calorie and fat-laden food.

Criticism of the behaviour of others is difficult because free speech is clamped down on wherever possible. Technology now means that rants, vile statements and even threats remain anonymous and people have no personal stop button when it comes to posting online so say exactly what they want, however cruel and disgusting.

Dare to state that we used to live in a kinder, more open-minded society and you’re lighting the blue touch paper of abuse. There is a huge feeling of entitlement now – to living however we choose and saying what we want. Is this an improvement on quality of life for all? Not a chance.