The more you comment, the more I think this space is not for you. You seem determined to try to form other people to your standards, rather than defining your own standards. Fat Acceptance isn’t a service to take charge of your life for you, it’s about finding your own space, your own voice and your own path. That’s what I’m doing here with MY space, MY voice and MY path. It’s not my job to speak for you.
They have the right to identify themselves as anything they please, even Martian, that is what free speech is all about but what is wrong with me sharing my viewpoint about how the fat identity stuff, seems to be just another trap, and making one's physical nature much more important then it should be? That's MY VOICE. What is odd, is why they defend their voice, their space, they do not allow for others which is hypocritical to the max. They never expect ANYONE to disagree with them?
Just do you know, Five-Hundred Pound Peep has been making the rounds of FA blogs basically criticizing fat acceptance for being fat acceptance. She came onto my blog more than once to tell me that FA was wrong for encouraging fat pride, for not wanting a cure for obesity, and a number of other things I won’t get into right now. The point is she is against much of what FA stands for and is demanding that FA allow her their spaces to promote those points of view.
They are right I do not agree with all the mandates of "fat acceptance". What kind of frightens me lately is how so many of them think totally alike, and do not want to hear any other opinions, even those of other fat people, even someone as fat as myself. It's not like I am going to scream at them "Go on a diet!" or something. It is insane. This just gives more credence to my theory that fat acceptance has become a socio-political deception of it's own. Question anything and they consider you "out" and scream at you on their message boards; "This space is not for you!"
Is there any other blog out there of independent-thinking fat people who reject the diet nonsense but haven't drank the fat acceptance Kool-Aid, who just want to censor anyone that makes them feel uncomfortable? I'm over 500lbs for goodness sakes, 522lbs as of last month, 545lbs in April, it's not like I'm a fashion model showing up at their blog to tell them to go on a diet and shut up! But they sure want me to shut up! [What is scary is I had left posts of agreement on there too, and even linked to her blog on my website]
The link to this article was removed on her blog.
ReplyDeleteMore censorship:
October 13, 2011 at 6:47 am | #20
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Sorry folks – I’ve removed that link, and that person will not be welcome here any more.
http://fatheffalump.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/breaking-down-fat-stigma-criticism-of-fat-as-identity/#comments
I will be removing Fat Heffalump off my blog links.
Hey 500LBPeep,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you remember me but I am the guy on the OD discussion forum you posted to that was in the mid-400s range and lost to the upper 200s, nearly 200 lbs.
I'm not sure if you consider me "one of them" or not but I just want to say that I agree with your posts on this and I read your blog every week. I look forward to your posts on this subject.
I think one of the things we must understand is that contrary to the propaganda out there, only 1 to 6% of the U.S. population is in the morbidly obese category and that's the group most consider "fat".
Within this tiny minority, very few of us were fat or overweight as children like we were. Many of them either gained the weight as adults, chose to gain the weight for fetishistic reasons, or gained the weight knowing the consequences: overeating, eating the wrong foods, lack of movement.
They cannot fathom people like us who have gained the weight beyond our own choice or control and had their bodies betray them. I've gained 9-10 lbs in a single day, my record is 17 lbs of water in a single day(!).
One of the things that dawned on me when I got to my lowest post gain weight of the low 200s, was just how sexually charged our society is. I was hit on by all sorts of people. It's a taboo subject most of our "society" does not want to acknowledge exists, and this way of thinking pervades the size acceptance community as well. It was quite jarring to me to adjust to.
And, so therefore, although this is controversial, there is a large fetishitic element in the size acceptance world, and therefore, it's hard for them to accept people like us for whom obesity IS a disease, and it's a disease beyond our control, and that we want answers to. For myself? I had to take drastic measures, and go completely against all the conventional wisdom and "sage advice" that "society" offered me to lose the weight. And, it is something I struggle with on a daily basis. I've gone through 50 lbs up and down the last three months alone.
At any rate, I just wanted to say that believe it or not, I agree with you more than I don't and I read your blog every week. You are probably one of the few people that can relate at all to what I am going through. We don't always see eye to eye, but I find your posts intelligent and thought provoking because I can relate to so much of what you say.
At any rate, I hope this post goes through, this is my *3RD* attempt, and I don't want to do a fourth, lol. Good luck to you. Enjoy your posts. And, admire you for being a voice in the wilderness daring to speak out on these issues.
Hi Thin Desire, I hope posts here aren't being lost, I even check the spam folder even for honest postings, they automatically kick things over there. Yeah I remember you from the OD board, I am glad you are over here, and reading, thanks for your compliments.
ReplyDeleteYeah I know us morbidly obese are a smaller category, you are right about that. I think you are incredibly accurate about the differences here, between the people who gained weight beyond their control and the others. Maybe this is why none of them relate to me? LOL sometimes lately I do feel like the lone person out there. I believe you about gaining 10lbs in one day, during my weight gain, I did 30lbs-40lbs within 3-4 week periods. There was once a 70lb weight gain when I almost died of asthma and had to go on strong prednisone to stay alive. Even now I am on an inhaled steroid connected to weight gain for my COPD.
Even when I was going to Weight Watchers in 2008, the people running it got concerned seeing the 15-20lbs up and down drops [water based] within a weeks period.
I have heard from friends who lost huge amounts of weight how attraction changed and how sexually charged life became. In my case, I met my husband while still relatively young, [25] so was able to avoid being severely obese and dating, though he met me after the first 50lbs came on.
and this way of thinking pervades the size acceptance community as well. It was quite jarring to me to adjust to.
I agree with you about the large fetishitic element in size acceptance, that helps the delusions along, that is a very good point. All the fat admirers who are involved definitely do not want the nitty gritty health stuff dealt with. Feeders and feedees do not want to face facts in their cases, they are CHOOSING to literally eat themselves to death.
In my case obesity is definitely a disease and a sympton of disease. I am glad you have managed to get somewhere in your weight loss and to get a healthier life. One thing most of these fat acceptance people would never understand, in my case, I have to pay attention to it, to make sure it is going DOWN, or at least remaining stable and not going up. I consider the "free feeding" mantras of size acceptance frankly to be insane, especially in our society full of bad food.
I am glad you wrote me today, the support is appreciated. I know there must be others who do too. This blog has over several thousand page views a month and is growing. I would rather promote this blog being for fat people in our shoes rather then the militant fat activists who have made it clear they could care less about the needs and aspirations of the regular fat person or the morbidly obese fat population. I feel they have sold us out down the river and then some.
So yes I definitely relate to what you are going through. I would be dead today if I hadn't gotten the intial 150lbs off from near 700lbs. By the way when I was in those high weight categories in the late 90s, I encountered the "dieting is evil" fat activists. Remember saying at that time, I want to stay alive, they didn't care less.
Thanks so much for posting and the encouragement, post anytime Thin Desire :)
Maybe the reason you don't get many comments is because it's hard to comment on this blog! You have to sign in to a gmail account or sign up to blogspot, so you can't just pop in and comment.
ReplyDeleteHmm I thought I had anonymous comments allowed, I will have to go check that out! Ok, I will go change that, definitely want it to be....
ReplyDelete