We were all raised with a certain measure of basic common sense. Well, maybe not all of us. I can’t vouch for everyone.

But most of us were taught those conventional nuggets of wisdom that are supposed to lay the groundwork for our future education.

Such things as look both ways before crossing the street, say “Please” and “Thank you,” and don’t take candy from strangers.

These were by no means groundbreaking words of wisdom, but obvious advice that helped us get to where we are today. They provided a foundation upon which we could build that higher knowledge that helps us succeed in an increasingly complicated and challenging world.

And by “foundation” I mean, they kept us alive.

Rejecting basic tenets of common sense would set someone up for disastrous failure. Imagine a child who refused to share. They would grow up to be horrible, spoiled brats. People would not want to associate with such a selfish person. Their relationships and careers would irreparably suffer.

Or imagine someone who was never taught to respect their elders. They would grow up with a fundamental inability to respect authority. Not only would that make it impossible for them to find a job, but they would never be trusted with real responsibility. Because if you cannot obey someone, nobody’s going to obey you.

Sadly, in our society, we often see people who cannot even grasp these basic rules for success and growth. There are many people who don’t respect their elders. Who don’t share. Who don’t even look both ways before crossing the street.

And while we, the collectively successful of society, shake our heads, “tsking” at the failures of such spectacles, we are blind to the forces that are trying to intentionally undermine this foundation of common sense.

They may masquerade as liberals or progressives. Most often they are, but they use the platform of liberalism to promote ideas that simply do not work. They are willing to undo long-held notions about life in order to protect their fragile egos—or to create a platform that will make them rich and famous.

One such nugget of common sense has been “Eat right and stay active.” For some, staying active means to exercise regularly. For others, it means to play a sport, go out for walks, or generally get moving (some like this thing called Zumba). We were raised to eat a balanced diet, including our vegetables, and to only have fattening foods on rare occasions.

This is pretty fundamental stuff. Yet our modern society is plagued with the overweight. It’s obvious something basic has been lost. So it stands to reason that we need to reaffirm those wholesome, common values of eating right and staying fit.

Unless of course, you’re a fat acceptance hack.

I’ve written in the past about “body positivity” and other ridiculous movements, spearheaded by liberals. It’s true; the left wants you to stay fat and ugly, despite all conventional wisdom and common sense.

A part of it seems to stem from the idea that everyone else is to blame for your problems. Yes, it’s never your fault, not even your weight gain. Even some celebrities have been blaming their shifting poundage on the POTUS. But it’s getting pretty out of hand.

It seems that the basics tenet “Eat right and exercise” is now hate speech. The combined efforts of Jillian Michaels, Tim Ferris, and other lifehacking gurus is actually a form of discrimination. Much like Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler before them, these hate-mongers want to destroy this poor, innocent group of victims- otherwise known as fatties.

You see, being fat is fine. According to fat acceptance activists, you can be grossly overweight and still be healthy! So have another burger. Guzzle that super-sized soda. It’s really just society’s fault that you feel so bad.

As a man with a normal metabolism, I know how hard it is to stay in shape. Plus, I sit in front of a computer for a living. It’s tough, trust me. But the benefits of sticking to a diet or exercise routine more than make up for the sacrifices they require.

So, why do it? Why do these “progressives” fight so hard to keep people fat and miserable? Are they really benefiting from keeping people in unhealthy lifestyles? And unhealthy they are.

Once again, our momma’s conventional wisdom of eating your fruit and veggies is getting backed by science.

In a recent study that is sure to come as a blow to feminists and social justice warriors across the nation, researchers have discovered that it’s really not possible to be overweight and healthy at the same time…

After analyzing the health records of 3.5 million Brits over the age of 18, from 1995-2015, researchers concluded that overweight individuals had a 50% greater risk of coronary heart disease, a 7% increased risk of stroke and nearly double the risk of heart failure, compared to normal weight individuals.

Dr. Rishi Caleyachetty, leading the research team, noted that the term “metabolically healthy obesity” is a misnomer, and that being overweight is “not a harmless condition.” (Milo)

This study was conducted over the course of twenty years. We’re not talking about fly-by-night science. They looked very closely at this situation—perhaps more closely than the fat acceptance folks who are shilling books and blogs. And guess what? These doctors reaffirmed what we all knew: being fat is not good for you.

Plus, being overweight makes you look terrible. Does that sound mean? Don’t worry, I was once many pounds overweight. I had trouble sleeping and breathing. Basic activities were a challenge. Why was I having problems? Was it because society was placing an unfair expectation of beauty on me?

Maybe it had something to do with the 2-3 cans of Coke I drank a day.

For some reason, body positivity has gotten tangled up with feminism. I’m not a fan of modern feminism, but I do believe women have been dealt a raw deal in our society. They have to overcome all sorts of terrible expectations and ideas about who they are “supposed” to be (these days, standards largely propagated by feminists). Plus, they are objectified by men—trust me, what men think about women is disgusting.

All things being equal, men have their own ridiculous standards to live up to. But it doesn’t change the fact that women are compared to the supermodels and Scarlett Johansson’s of the world. It must be incredibly difficult for the average woman to feel competent when compared to a standard no one could live up to.

But the extreme response by the fat acceptance crowd is not the remedy. It’s fighting a problem with stupidity.

Guess what? There will always be unrealistic standards in our society. Any time a person stands out from the crowd, distinguishes themselves in some way, a new standard is set. Hollywood will always cast the prettiest persons (not too many Mike and Molly’s on TV, are there?). People will never be free of comparing themselves to the best and the brightest.

There is a reason the most attractive, athletic, and smart people get all the attention. It’s because they are the most attractive, athletic, and smart (and if you don’t think smart fits, just remember: you know who Steven Hawking is).

The remedy is not to lower the standards so much that we’re enabling unhealthy lifestyles. All those fat acceptance evangelists will agree smoking kills. Yet they don’t want to encourage people to change their eating habits when obesity is such an epidemic?

I can reference other moments when the left seems to be countering common sense. Recently Bill Nye came back with a supposedly science-based program on Netflix. I used to love Bill Nye. I watched his PBS program as a kid every day.

Yet it seems Bill’s motivations today are not about science, but propelling liberal propaganda.

He has been famously bashed for claiming gender is a “spectrum,” despite years earlier referencing real science that gender is determined by chromosomes. This, of course, after years of campaigning for climate alarmists, virtually refusing to acknowledge the objections and questions of critics.

Because closed-mindedness is a hallmark of quality science.

But you don’t have to be a science-wiz to recognize the utter lack of common sense on Bill’s show. A growing throng online is pointing out the major problems with the series, especially how Bill ignores science.

“In this show he simply brings up an issue, tells you which side you should be on, and then makes fun of people on the other side. To make things worst [sic] he does this in the most boring way possible,” Reddit user “Sloth859,” who described himself as a “huge fan” of Nye’s since the age of 10, wrote in a review of the new show.

“He doesn’t properly explain anything, and he misrepresents every opposing view,” the user explained.

Sloth859 went on to share in lengthy paragraphs three instances where Nye appeared mean-spirited and ignored other scientific theories and ideas in order to push a progressive agenda. (The Blaze)

Science should be the one area free from political nonsense. Yet the lofty goal of uncovering the truth about our existence is often muddied by groups who want to promote their agenda. The conventional wisdom of following the evidence is subverted so that a political point can be made.

Gender is a spectrum? Where did that come from? We always knew that we were either born boys or girls. While our society tried to create a level playing field for both sexes, we understood there were fundamental biological differences and needed to acknowledge them. Now we are forced to deal with the idiotic notion of transgenderism, something that could unravel our basic understanding of gender and sexuality.

But is it provable by science? Nope. Unless of course, you’re willing to believe the tripe pushed by a political activist named Bill Nye.

What’s the attraction in trying to undermine long-held and provably true common sense? Why do people—liberal or conservative alike—want to promote ideas that will only harm them?

Well for people like Bill Nye, it might have something to do with all those zeros on his checks. You gotta make bread somehow, am I right? But for others, they are piggy-backing on the victimhood of the left.

For years liberals have protected underrepresented people. They’ve claimed to champion minorities, women, and gays. But in all their virtue signaling, they were creating a culture where feelings—the idea of defending a victim—were more important than facts.

It’s allowed crackpots to get attention because, you know, we all deserve acceptance. Even people who encourage others to be fat, lazy, eat poorly, and not bother with cleaning their skin. It doesn’t matter how much damage they are doing to themselves. Who are you to judge their body?

But we’re not judging their bodies, their arteries are.

If I were a Darwinian, I’d say natural selection would take care of this group of idiots. But the problem is you can’t kill an idea. Even if this generation of common sense-deniers die out, their blogs and podcasts will live on.

Only when we are determined to reject their notions and reinforce what we fundamentally know to be true, will be being to claw back a shred of sanity.