Tuesday, February 18, 2014

People of Walmart: Fat Hatred and Classism Rolled Into One






Some language and partial nudity warnings on the videos above! Have any of you seen that People of Walmart website or associated videos like I have posted above? The People of Walmart website has endless viruses on it now. My browser just blocked it. Google the term "People of Walmart" if you want to see it, but be wary of your computer's security. I wonder if some outraged objects of rude photographs hacked the place? The first video has pictures from them, but the second two are one's I believe were inspired by the "People of Walmart" website.

I hate Walmart and do not shop there. The food is gross and an MSG laden mess. The produce rots after three days. Ever since I moved away from my rural area I stopped shopping at Walmart but trust me there is empathy for those who have few other choices for their shopping. In my old rural town if you refused Walmart and needed a plastic trash can or even a package of underwear, you'd be driving two and half hours to find other options. Walmart famous for lower prices though that could be argued a bit, is dominant in rural and poorer urban areas. The crowd that can't afford Whole Foods or Trader Joes or even your regular smaller grocery store is flocking to Walmart.

How on earth did taking pictures of people who have less money and less lithe bodies at Walmart become so in vogue?. The videos above disturb me, the one with the lady that is around my weight 500lbs being called 1200lbs, there was some conflict for me even posting it, but 8,000 people have already seen it. Maybe if she sees it, she can get it taken down. This tells me if I was on a scooter at Walmart in my 500lb or near 500lb glory, someone could take a video of me and let the rude comments begin. She is a person in my position getting endless assumptions and judgment!

Young people flock to these websites to laugh at the clothes, the fat people and many people who really are mentally ill.  The mentally ill in some of these pictures look to have dementia in the case of some of the elderly or even schizophrenia. They should not be mocked but helped. There are pictures of people who have soiled themselves, and that really upsets me because there endless medical complaints that can cause that to happen such as Chrohn's Disease. It's horrifying enough when it happens even if someone is not there to take your picture and plaster you across the internet.

To me these videos are a sign of an increased narcissistic culture where if people don't match the skinny and healthy bodies of the top 15% elite on our TV screens that they are to mocked and made fun of. Yes, there is the crowd who dress half naked and need some lessons on modesty, who cling to promiscuous ways and desiring to show off.  There isn't much excuse for wearing dirty T-shirts with the F word on it, or wearing shorts where the bottom of your butt is displayed to the world, but there are many people who are simply POOR.

When you are poor clothes are often ILL-FITTING and if you gain weight, you can't buy new ones. Even thrift stores if you wear over size 14 for a woman, there is very little choice for a bigger woman to get cheaper clothes. There were times when I was so poor, and this was during my weight gain, where I had to wear skirts with ripped out hems. Even today those memories of not having good enough clothes to wear are not one good ones and yes it did affect my job getting abilities. Thrift stores and volunteer places weren't stacking up the clothes for the over 400lb set.

  Also in the land of the thin, many clothes now being produced look horrible on fat people! They really do. The fashion designers are not coming up with fat friendly clothing, but styles that look ugly on fatter or even plump people. In other words them designing all the clothes for anorexic models means they look bad even on normal people.  I special order all my clothes from one plus sized company because I refuse to wear tight uncomfortable clothes that do not cover anything.  I once had some pants split open in my 20s where I had to run for the hills. Sadly some of those more innocent folks get their pictures put online too.

There are many people who do get their pictures taken on these websites who aren't doing anything that outrageous except being too poor or too fat in the wrong place. Poorer American people have very poor health, the misshapened bodies are an outcome of a toxic environment, poisoned people who are under extreme stress and strain. In other words many of these people with odd shapes aren't choosing how their bodies look. The obesity and odd weight displacement, skin problems, and flesh that is anything but smooth is occurring due to the very environment they exist in.  Ironically the photos are being taken in the very place helping move that along, with all the bad and processed food. 

America is a very sick place now, and it's showing in the health of the most poor and vulnerable. One can see the moral, spiritual and health decline of Americans. Some surely are making bad choices, but others look like people just beaten down who are barely functioning despite all their effort. Others are fat people probably like me wondering why their body has turned against them so viciously? Others are sick, or severely mentally ill.

I have been considering the sheer numbers of people in American society are marginalized. What is it now 80-70% of the population? Anyone not thin and connected enough to get a good corporate job? If you think about it, if all people see as normal on their television sets is the marble counters and under 120lbs crowd for the women and under 180lbs for the men? I suppose some lesser minds may consider them fodder for abuse and mocking. Maybe there is an agenda behind why the only time any of us get to see any working class or poor people now [outside of ourselves in my case] is as objections of derision, ridicule or when they are getting marched off to jail on our TV screens. Maybe some of the folks in these pictures need to reject materialistic or overly sexual American cultural messages and regain some of their self-respect and show it in their dress.  I am old enough to remember where DIGNITY was an important facet of life. People of Walmart for all it's shaming techniques though is part of the problem scooping up both innocent and guilty into one toxic web. 

Sure even I will worry about the moral degradation and lack of self respect that occurs in some of these photos but consider the fat hatred shown, the meanness to the old or anyone who is DIFFERENT. Sometimes when I look at that website outside of the willful degenerates or ones brainwashed about what looks "sexy", my thought is well at least someone is dressing a bit differently!

The fact that "People of Walmart" videos and websites even exist is upsetting, that now if you are poor or fat, it's open season for you to be abused on the internet. The websites and videos to me show the fat hatred and also the CLASS issues that are prevalent when it comes to obesity.

14 comments:

  1. They make me feel sick when I have seen these people from walmart pics. How creepy is it to go skulking around the shop looking for 'odd' people to photo and ridicule? Says more about those that do this, than the poor unsuspecting victims of their off humor. I like the fact that the shops provide the buggies for shopping, be good if the shops here did that.

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  2. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/22/business/plan-to-alter-medicare-drug-coverage-draws-strong-opposition.html?src=xps

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  3. OBAMA CUTS MEDICARE PART D, OF ALL SERIOUS DRUGS; LEUKEMIA, SCHIZOPHRENIA, DEPRESSION, ECT ECT. OUT OF MEDICARE PART D--
    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/22/business/plan-to-alter-medicare-drug-coverage-draws-strong-opposition.html?src=xps

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  4. Obama always seems to attack the disabled. I've noticed that. Most people on these drugs can't afford them. I wonder if new categories will be added too. :(

    Obama hater of the disabled: http://fivehundredpoundpeeps.blogspot.com/2011/07/obama-doesnt-care-if-disabled-fat-or.html

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  5. I agree Jan, what kind of sicko decides to make a day of finding people to photograph for ridicule? Says something about our culture that now there are so many people doing that now. Yes we have scooters in most of our large shopping places. I am glad they have them. I wouldn't be able to shop without them.

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  6. I hate that site. How do the people who run it stand to live mired in such hate?

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  7. I hate it too, it seems like some people who never got out of high school bullying who run it.

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  8. As a WalMart employee, we take pictures of the Fatty Doo Doos on scooters for every real disabled person or elderly person who gets turned away because the bigger people are lazy and don't want to walk. I'm a big girl, I walk. Might do them some good.

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  9. It's not a matter of lazy. I walk in the places I can walk in with the walker. You think people can walk that great being super-fat? Sounds like you are still in the 300s or under to walk easily. Sorry I need the scooter in the stores built like aircraft carriers.

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  10. Chelsea, how the heck do you know if someone is disabled or not by looking at them? Do they tell you they're just lazy as they take off for a joy ride? Or are you assuming a lot based on stereotypes and maybe your own self hatred for being big? Shame on you for doing that to disabled fat people.

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  11. I entirely agreed with your post until you reached the point where you began to slut-shame, conflating the manner in which someone is dressed with the amount of their sexuality activity, and then judged them on the basis of your assumption.

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  12. I don't assume everyone dressed half naked is a slut especially with the bad clothing choices out there. Some are people giving into the fads out there where it doesn't denote actual behavior. I always found it funny how in modern feminism they rise up to defend the sluts, but the virgins are still fodder for the mill.

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  13. Thanks anon for asking Chelsea that. I think a Walmart employee caught taking pictures of fat people on scooters should be fired.

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  14. One thing about sluts they never got shamed around me. In today's society they are HONORED. They are the POPULAR ones "getting LAID" and who got the men flocking to them. The nerds and virgins, are the ones who are actually shamed. So I find the whole idea of the term slut-shaming to be ironic. It's not like American society is The Scarlet Letter anymore. They got Cosmo and Modernity backing them up. People who believe in some sexual morality are actually the minority now, we are the ones who are shamed. The Sluts aren't anymore unless I suppose you found yourself in the middle of Lancaster PA or something, the Amish farmers aren't too thrilled with your short skirt.

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