Swan (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} queenostara) wrote,@ 2009-05-27 22:18:00 |
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"It's just an excuse for being fat!" and "No More Mr. Nice Christian Guy"
This is something I've heard more and more recently as I've come in to poking around the Fat-o-Sphere and I can tell you now it's something almost laughable to me (almost. Sometimes it's still hurtful, even though it's not true) but not so long ago I would have either said it myself or nodded along looking down guiltily at my spare tire. Everything from showing outrage at United Airline's new policy of basically making fatties fly standby at double the price or just imploring clothing manufacturers to make NICE QUALITY clothes for larger people at a DECENT price get's met with this whole idea of "enabling" or "encouraging" fatties. As if giving people nice clothing (which, let's face it is something almost everyone wants unless they're a nudist) "encourages" the fatty's "poor lifestyle" and allowing a fatty to take their scheduled flight for the price they originally paid for it "enables" them in their lifestyle. Heaven forbid we ENCOURAGE people to take care of themselves and learn that they can find a hawt dress whatever the size. Heaven forbid we ENABLE human beings to have basic right of getting the product they paid for (a flight). So often in Fat Acceptance conversations the fact that people deserve basic human rights no matter what tends to get lost in a lot of "many people are just naturally fat/chubby" which is great to continue to repeat cause it's ya know, TRUE (and the sooner we all fucking accept it the better), but the fact that even if it were a fatty's fault it doesn't give anyone the right to publicly ridicule them via blatant "ewwww! Fatty fat cow!" catcalls, refusal to make any kind of nice clothing for them, denying them the right to have the transportation they paid for, or go on tv and basically call everyone fat a combination of stupid, lazy, unattractive, unlovable, gluttonous and again STUPID.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's the sort of thing people mean to skip. I think often in arguments with fat haters it's hard to remember to include that when so much of the fat-hating argument depends on society's acceptance of the idea that if someone is a certain way of their own accord it gives everyone else full right to treat them like crap for it. It's easy to get caught up in saying "but dude there is so much fucking SCIENCE out there proving that diets DON'T work" and "people's bodies have natural set points! It's not someone's fault if theirs is higher!" and forget to say "but ya know, even if everything you said were true and everyone over a size 8 truly was eating themselves into a lifetime of health problems it wouldn't give you the right to treat them with less respect." It's easy to not want to include it, lemme tell ya, with trolls I'm still somewhat afraid of mentioning it because I'm afraid people will seize on it and "go AHA! So you ADMIT to being a lazy, stupid, gluttonous slob!" But it's an important thing to remember because when all the science in the world won't convince someone and you have to resign yourself to the fact that they aren't ready to understand or don't want to understand (and possibly never will) it's good to remember that human beings no matter what deserve basic human rights.
The past administration's use of starvation as a torture tactic (limiting detainees to 1000 calories per day) has turned the idea of Fat Acceptance into a human rights issue for me in a way no other bit of assholery quite could. You know, tons of people everyday hurt themselves thanks to this activity or that but you don't see doctors, insurance agents, strangers on TV and strangers in public glaring at them and considering it their public duty to lecture them on how it was their "poor lifestyle choice" that got them their broken leg or fractured wrist. No doubt it's a damn dangerous world out there but you don't see people getting lectured for "being selfish" and daring to set foot outdoors in order to, you know, fucking LIVE their lives (kinda like how most people need to eat to survive). But many still assume, even many of those who claim to be tolerant, that it's ok to treat a fatty like shit because well "it's their FAULT they're fat".
So clearly one needs an excuse for being fat but no one needs an excuse to be a prejudiced, condescending asshole.
ETA: So it appears Mr. Nice Christian Guy has to wait till another time.
This is something I've heard more and more recently as I've come in to poking around the Fat-o-Sphere and I can tell you now it's something almost laughable to me (almost. Sometimes it's still hurtful, even though it's not true) but not so long ago I would have either said it myself or nodded along looking down guiltily at my spare tire. Everything from showing outrage at United Airline's new policy of basically making fatties fly standby at double the price or just imploring clothing manufacturers to make NICE QUALITY clothes for larger people at a DECENT price get's met with this whole idea of "enabling" or "encouraging" fatties. As if giving people nice clothing (which, let's face it is something almost everyone wants unless they're a nudist) "encourages" the fatty's "poor lifestyle" and allowing a fatty to take their scheduled flight for the price they originally paid for it "enables" them in their lifestyle. Heaven forbid we ENCOURAGE people to take care of themselves and learn that they can find a hawt dress whatever the size. Heaven forbid we ENABLE human beings to have basic right of getting the product they paid for (a flight). So often in Fat Acceptance conversations the fact that people deserve basic human rights no matter what tends to get lost in a lot of "many people are just naturally fat/chubby" which is great to continue to repeat cause it's ya know, TRUE (and the sooner we all fucking accept it the better), but the fact that even if it were a fatty's fault it doesn't give anyone the right to publicly ridicule them via blatant "ewwww! Fatty fat cow!" catcalls, refusal to make any kind of nice clothing for them, denying them the right to have the transportation they paid for, or go on tv and basically call everyone fat a combination of stupid, lazy, unattractive, unlovable, gluttonous and again STUPID.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's the sort of thing people mean to skip. I think often in arguments with fat haters it's hard to remember to include that when so much of the fat-hating argument depends on society's acceptance of the idea that if someone is a certain way of their own accord it gives everyone else full right to treat them like crap for it. It's easy to get caught up in saying "but dude there is so much fucking SCIENCE out there proving that diets DON'T work" and "people's bodies have natural set points! It's not someone's fault if theirs is higher!" and forget to say "but ya know, even if everything you said were true and everyone over a size 8 truly was eating themselves into a lifetime of health problems it wouldn't give you the right to treat them with less respect." It's easy to not want to include it, lemme tell ya, with trolls I'm still somewhat afraid of mentioning it because I'm afraid people will seize on it and "go AHA! So you ADMIT to being a lazy, stupid, gluttonous slob!" But it's an important thing to remember because when all the science in the world won't convince someone and you have to resign yourself to the fact that they aren't ready to understand or don't want to understand (and possibly never will) it's good to remember that human beings no matter what deserve basic human rights.
The past administration's use of starvation as a torture tactic (limiting detainees to 1000 calories per day) has turned the idea of Fat Acceptance into a human rights issue for me in a way no other bit of assholery quite could. You know, tons of people everyday hurt themselves thanks to this activity or that but you don't see doctors, insurance agents, strangers on TV and strangers in public glaring at them and considering it their public duty to lecture them on how it was their "poor lifestyle choice" that got them their broken leg or fractured wrist. No doubt it's a damn dangerous world out there but you don't see people getting lectured for "being selfish" and daring to set foot outdoors in order to, you know, fucking LIVE their lives (kinda like how most people need to eat to survive). But many still assume, even many of those who claim to be tolerant, that it's ok to treat a fatty like shit because well "it's their FAULT they're fat".
So clearly one needs an excuse for being fat but no one needs an excuse to be a prejudiced, condescending asshole.
ETA: So it appears Mr. Nice Christian Guy has to wait till another time.
