During the Socialism 2026 conference in Chicago, author Da’Shaun L. Harrison delivered a provocative critique of the wellness industry. Speaking to over 200 attendees, Harrison characterized modern weight management and health standards as "body fascism" used to discipline specific populations.
"Black fat flesh" as a tool of state governance
Author Da’Shaun L. Harrison argued at the Socialism 2026 conference that the diet industry serves as a mechanism for social control. Speaking at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Harrison claimed that the policing of "Black fat flesh" is a foundational element of modern governance. According to the report, Harrison views the intersection of food corporations, the medical-industrial complex, and wealthy benefactors as a way to maintain a social order through surveillance and punishment.
Harrison suggested that the very concept of the Body Mass Index (BMI) exists to provide a metric for disciplining populations . He argued that the diet culture surrounding food links restraint to virtue and pleasure to danger, effectively using language like "guilty pleasure" to enforce moral boundaries.
The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place session on health fascism
The session titled "Health Fascism , Body Politics, and the Anti-State State" was one of over a hundred discussions held during the four-day event. Organized by Haymarket Books, the conference brought together activists and organizers from around the globe. Alongside panelists Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant, Harrison explored how health, disability, and race are instrumentalized by the state.
As the report notes, the event's description framed health as a signifier of discipline rather than a form of provision. Clips of these discussions were subsequently shared on X by Manhattan Institute investigative analyst Stu Smith, bringing the radical rhetoric to a wider digital audience.
Jonathan Alpert’s critique of ideological medicine
Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert offered a sharp rebuttal to the claims made during the Chicago session. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Alpert argued that Harrison's rhetoric represents the infiltration of ideology into almost every part of life. He noted that framing a conversation with a doctor about weight as a form of oppression shifts the focus from individual responsibility to systemic power struggles.
Alpert expressed concern that this worldview, promoted at conferences like Socialism 2026, carries a significant psychological cost. he suggested that when people are taught to interpret uncomfortable medical information as a political attack, they become less willing to hear advice that may be necessary for their well-being.
The missing response from Da’Shaun L. Harrison
While the debate between systemic critique and medical reality is well-documented, several specific claims remain unverified.. The panel's direct connection between "imperial regimes" and the policing of Black bodies was a central theme, yet the specific mechanisms of this link were not detailed in the provided summary.
Furthermore, Harrison and the representatives for the Socialism 2026 panel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This leaves the audience without a direct clarification on how the panel distinguishes between legitimate medical oversight and the "body fascism" they describe.
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