fastidiously vilified...??

Question

i know the words fastidious and vilify, but in this content i´m not quite sure, how it is meant.it is taken out of an article from the ny times:

We are now in what feels like the 347th year of the fastidiously vilified “obesity epidemic.” Health officials repeatedly warn that everywhere in the world people are gaining too much weight...

so, what is fastidiously vilified supposed to mean in this sentence?

Feebs11 · Accepted Answer

Without fuller context, it seems to say that the presumed obesity epidemic is being vilified with careful attention to detail.

Octoberman · Answer

thanks feebs,

so in other words it means to try eagerly to make it appear more harmless than it actually seems to be?

Feebs11 · Answer

I thnk it is more that it is carefully done - that those vilifying the "obesity epidemic" are choosing their words and arguments with care. As I say, without more context it is not easy to say exactly what the author means.

CalifJim · Answer

To vilify something fastidiously is to show its evils in meticulous, repetitive, excessively tiring and careful detail.
The idea is that we are exhausted (It seems like it's been 347 years of this) from hearing detail after detail, statistic after statistic, showing how bad it is to be overweight.

CJ

Octoberman · Answer

thanks feebs and califjim,

i guess now i`m getting the idea. so far i misunderstood the word vilify. your explanations made it clearer!

fastidiously vilified...??

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