The Burning Platform
I wondered why they did not post what I had to say?
The website Washington's Blog did post my comment. So I will give them that.
It is interesting how many simply want to silence the 500lb woman?
What do they find so disturbing about what I have to say and these are websites that dive deep into political and other controversial issues so that makes me ponder.
I basically attempted to post on there what I had posted on Washington's blog.
This is a blog that has some good information so I would like to ask you PLEASE PLEASE study the issue of obesity in America far beyond the hyper-personal responsibility, "you lazy fat Americans". You are right that something MORE is going on.
We are being fattened up by plan, beyond those like myself who watch their endocrine systems collapse bombarded by a toxic, dysfunctional system. I found out that rats are fattened up PURPOSEFULLY and KNOWINGLY by lab technicians and researchers using MSG, so ask yourself why is it being poured into just about all our food?
Add to that the GMOs--a recent study proved that they cause obesity, and the fact that ANIMALS and BABIES [who are 6 months old and unable to go buy hamburgers by the sack] are getting FATTER too. [see articles above]
Americans are being fattened up by plan. The megacorporations profit off this suffering. The pharmaceutical companies will as well. People will not live as long--population control. They profit off the adulterated food and the chemicals poured into it to make it addictive.
No one, absolutely NO ONE who is severely obese, CHOOSES IT, it is one of the most stigmatized positions to be in. The suffering of the results of severe obesity are beyond the pale. I have suffered them all. [by the way the size acceptance movement is no help either while they are right about treating fat people with respect as human beings, they just say accept the fat, as it piles on and is the outcome of disturbed metabolisms]
The fat people on the scooters are the canaries in the coal mine, for the garbage food, endless acute stress, and environmental toxins of a destructive culture.
You wrote this:
"But when you consider that 160 million out of 232 million adults in this country are either overweight or obese, along with 11 million adolescents, there must be something more sinister behind the phenomenon. "
YES THERE IS SOMETHING SINISTER.
I am fat and something is going on......
Maybe while I do agree with no discriminating against fat people, and standing up for them, I should totally detach myself from anything size acceptance. What is odd is some of them will speak to their rights, their voices, but if someone has a differing opinion all those *liberal* ideals about "tolerance" go flying out the window. I basically wrote in this discussion I did not agree with the concept of 'fat identity". Do thin people walk around identifying as 'thin people" everywhere they go? Hey my name is Joe, happy to meet you, I am a thin person!"
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]
Years ago on a few message boards regarding size acceptance, I used to get in trouble there too.
It was pretty much the same thing. Hey this is my website at least and can speak my mind without being censored though they'll wipe every comment quicker then any 1984 civil servant rewriting history for Big Brother.
You know one thing that isn't easy in this world is holding your ground when the group, tells you how very wrong you are and lacking in every positive attribute they can think of. All I know is to go their way, I am supposed to suspend reality itself and live in some sort of fantasty world. I probably have stepped on a few toes, with the two sides against the middle argument, the whole LOVE YOUR FAT side, actually helping the FAT HATER side OUT. Even one poster posted some stuff where she kind of lost me, she had good thoughts to share too.... I do not buy the premise that I have to prove how self-loving I am or not to have others give me worth, my worth comes from God, which I know even naming God, may give some of the hyper-liberals of size acceptance a few shudders, but there it remains. In other words, how come, when you try to get people to "think" deeper about this stuff, they always want to slap you with the "you have too low self esteem" 2 x 4? I guess because it works on a lot of people.
I *think* this could be about me. Maybe it isn't and hopefully I'm wrong. I like the blogger, she has interesting thoughts on freedom I find enjoyable. I'm a bit confused on this stuff, what is "healthy weight mysticism"? Some of the weird terms throw me off. Am I crazy to deem 700lbs-500lbs as being "unhealthy"? Stop the world from spinning I want to get off!
A fat person, or former fat person, buying into the ‘healthy weight’ mysticism is not ground-breaking.
In fact? It’s downright mainstream.
A fat person, or former fat person, blaming themselves for how our culture (mis)treats fat people and (mis)characterizes the fat experience is not ground-breaking. We are (mis)fits, after all, in that we are outliers, living in a world built for those who are smaller than we are. Self-blame for nonconformity is such a normal social response that it hasn’t seen a ground-breaking since Genesis.
What does she mean by self-blame? Didn't she read the rest of the blog, when I have shared how I got to be where I am at? And what does she mean by "mischaracterize the fat experience"? Does she even understand or even guess at what life at the higher weights could be? I guess if you do not follow the party line, you are automatically self-hating. How strange, well they know how to manipulate arguments don't they. If anything wanting to stay alive and desiring that MORE IS DONE for FAT PEOPLE beyond the FAILED pathways, I think shows more self-love and love for others then anything else.
As for non-conformity, who is the conformist, the one who stands with the crowd or the one who takes the heat, making a solitary stand? Let's not forget the diet mongers, weight loss surgery types and "thin to win" people aren't giving me any high fives either. According to these types, you'd think I had signed a Weight Watchers contract or something.
A fat person, or a former fat person, coveting the higher status granted by a smaller pants-size is such a foundational part of our culture that it supports a $60 billion-dollar (and growing) industry, not to mention providing employment for bored pseudo-science journos, teevee doctors, washed up celebrities, professional snarks, and any dieter in possession of a word processor.
Forget status, I just want to be able to walk a mile one day and to see my nieces and nephews grow up.
Also considering that 60 billion dollar industry, I've taken issue with them MANY TIMES on this blog. I think they profit off failure and repeat customers which is why the wheel keeps turning, but then I do not want to complicate things for some of these angry readers.
In summary: trashing a lifestyle you fear and failed at (body acceptance) while giving lipservice to some kind of bullshit concern for others under the guise of promoting venerable Healthistic ideals and body-driven moral imperatives isn’t ground-breaking.
How does one fail at size acceptance? That is an interesting premise. Where does the "fear" come in? I know some of these ladies are younger then me, being healthy, mid-sized and being able to dance the night away is a much different exsistence then life in a higher weight body. I suppose I *failed* in that I dared to disagree. Hey that's ok with me. Am I morally degraded for wanting to stay alive? LOL How about whoever else this could be meant for if not for me? How does one pass the size acceptance test, being the most jolly? Can someone fill me in on that one?
It’s the same old bull****. And the attempt to Trojan-horse fat-hate and body-shaming into HAES and FA/SA circles?
I'm getting the feeling that anyone who is over a certain body weight who wants to share their truth and reality, are not welcome in size acceptance but I sort of knew this years ago. They get very angry at anyone who threatens the core beliefs, like size acceptance is a cult, and you can't ask any questions. I should perhaps do a paper or some sort on how size acceptance is a manifestation of the human potential movement but skewed to another market. That may be of interest.
Ah, getting a few of them mad out there, is nothing new to me. Here is a secret for your fat delusionists, most fat people especially people hitting my sizes, know that size acceptance delusions aren't working for them either. We are cool with the "do not discriminate" aspects and calls for fat people to be treated like human beings, but the rest of your garbage about being happy at any weight and refusing any REAL cures and help even at the stratosphere weights is total nonsense.
I'm out there in the world, and talking to folks like myself all the time. I hope I am wrong, this was not meant for me, but you got to wonder why the anger? It's like you can't even have a two way talk whatsoever. Notice how the verbal beat down and censorship comes so quickly and so suddenly. Not one word allowed of dissent. I certainly couldn't even get a word in edgewise.
I noticed over on "The Truth is Radical" blog article, where my secondary comments got censored, Marilyn Wann and others made an appearance.
I found this comment very interesting...on "The Truth is Radical" article
I totally agree that fat is not a disease. It’s just … fat, and, like food, it’s neither good nor bad. It irritates me that so many people are looking for a cure. It’s like trying to find a cure for blonde hair. Completely pointless and seriously who wants everyone to be the same size anyway. How boring would that be.
To me the above rings so weird...
Has this person been near 700lbs and almost DIED?
Fat in it's extreme forms or even less extreme forms HURTS. I do not want people to be the same size, I do not think everyone should be a skinny minny but come on people it's called reality lets go look at a little bit of it. Here too the brush-offs continue.
Marilyn Wann then chimes in....[LOL wonder if she saw my link to this blog]
Marilyn Wann said,
August 1, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Brilliantly argued and supported! I also refuse to agree with any sort of weight horizon. I believe that defining anything in life based on weight is harmful, never helpful. Each one of us, living in our bodies, can seek our own best possible health and happiness in a weight-neutral manner. There are also no guarantees for any of us that we’ll be able to avoid pain or illness or injury or unhappiness. What sort of brittle, unhuman standard is it that would devalue people who experience the inevitable downsides of embodiment?
She refuses to agree with any weight horizon?
What about 800lbs and above? Yes there are people reaching those weights. I know about them from my visit at home doctors, and from own life experiences reaching out to other very overweight people. My health and happiness demands MORE answers then just go "move a little" and some vague nebulous "go eat healthy" which I already do to best of my ability, and so it does for other fat people. Of course Marilyn Wann would never consider anything regarding modern culture or what is being done to our food for even such heights of weight to become even more prevelant. I suppose her eyes would glaze over if I discussed endocrine disrupters. If I told her about the super-fat people my deceased friend knew in her nursing home--[she herself was more midized], who could not walk or had their skin break down, what would Marilyn Wann then have to say? Who is talking about anyone being devalued? Haven't I been devalued by these folks? Yes I have, by basically having my thoughts and opinions censored. Notice how they lump me in automatically with the other side. They are like political idealogues, that can't even imagine that another position beyond the other mainstream side can even exist.
If anything what I have written would give super fat people more value, in that their very lives would be honored as real help and answers would be found or demanded beyond the fat haters and the fat delusionists.
By the way, I do not plan on shutting up. I believe the way things are going there are many people getting fatter and sicker out there too. The delusionists can live in their fantasty world while some of us deal with reality. If people want to know what has held size acceptance back, as anything but just a "fringe" enterprise, there you have it.
There is something in American culture where if you are facing health problems, financial and more, you must always keep smiling and keep positive. Being "negative" is the worse cardinal sin, you could commit, I guess more then bankers cleaning out the tills, or failing to keep a "My Life is Better then Yours!" outlook on Facebook.
I was on this Weight Loss/Obesity website, they seemed interested in the science end of things which is why I decided to hang out there but sad to say they ended up having thetypical 1984 types shouting "Conspiracy Theory" towards everything that departed from the industrial complex "status quo"...
But one odd demand they had for a woman as fat as me, was the demand that sharing any pain or distressful matters, was to be stopped at all costs. Only a forced smiling was the outcome. Any negative thoughts or unprogrammed thoughts were not allowed. Severe obesity especially with endocrine elements and vast co-morbs can be a worse disease then cancer, but trust me, they do not want to hear the "fat butts" complaining. Shut yer trap, and go be jolly and do not trouble us! In America we supposedly control every outcome of our lives and they have to keep the fantasies going even as the country collapses around us.
I of course saw this on the opposite end of the spectrum in size acceptance. Keep the balloons and party hats coming but don't you dare admit any pain or distress to ruin the "Fat and Happy" message! Trust me, they will push you out the door.
I read this great book once by Barbara Ehrenreich, called "Bright Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Underminded America". I do not agree with all of Ehrenreich's views on religion or politics, but wow, she nailed this one out of the ballpark.
An inlaw of mine, who got breast cancer at a very young age, told me and my husband how she got thrown out of a pink ribboned breast cancer group for being "too negative" and crying about cancer. This is someone who had just lost two parents and spent years taking care of a very ill parent who knew the score. I was astounded to hear this but then in this book Barbara Ehrenreich talks about the same thing happening to her, she shows up to the breast cancer support group and is censored and vilified for speaking about the hard stuff. Hey it has happened to me online.
The breast cancer stuff connects to obesity, the "think positive" stuff keeps the status quo, no one questions why breast cancer is increasing? She asks "Why don't we have some treatments that are not so toxic to people" in this video where she talks about her book. I ask the same of obesity, why don't we have some treatments that actually work?
She is right about how the economic melt-down in America is related to the forced positivity, shut down all inquisitive thinking and how they literally trained people to believe if anything bad happened to them [like having all their jobs outsourced] that it was THEIR FAULT. Hey same for obesity, the hyper-personal responsiblity crowd will tell you, that it is all your own doing and if you fail to solve it, it is your fault for lacking the right "magic" thinking.
"Chided for her anger and distress by doctors and fellow cancer patients and survivors, Ehrenreich explores the insistence upon optimism as a cultural and national trait, discovering its symbiotic relationship with American capitalism and how poverty, obesity, unemployment and relationship problems are being marketed as obstacles that can be overcome with the right (read: positive) mindset"
She is right. There is a lie now that every problem if you just think POSITIVE enough will be solved, and that if you are poor, or fat, or down and out, or sick, that it's your fault and some failure of will and positivity that put you in your present place. It is a sick cloying judgemental optimism, not one built in strength, and resiliency but one built in keeping the conformist status quo. With that message board I was on which I will keep unamed, I shared art work, some positive things, advice, nutritional information, but was given condemnation for "not being positive enough" for a couple posts where I dare to show a little vulnerability. And here you will see that which affects the 500lbers life to the max. Because people can see the pain via the glued on smile or even on days where you may actually be happy, because you do not fit some norm of physical perfection, everything about you is judged. In the land of plastic pod people, they better keep smiling lest everything collapses and this is now a demand!
Some have deemed America as staying in a permanentadolescence, a bratty narcissistic teen, who just doesn't want to hear the hard stuff. If one takes a look around the deepening corruption, and Ehrenreich brings this up, this is what is being wrought. The powers that be love to over-sell the personal responsibility thing because a populace that blames itself individually for every hardship instead of looking at the society and environment they are in, certainly isn't going to be a populace that asks too many questions. She talks about how ignoring reality is dangerous.
This ties into some of the voicelessness that I have spoken of fat people encountering, try and tell people, that you get sick if you try to diet, or about some of the realities you face in life, you are told that you "not positive" enough. Even if you admit positive changes like removing all MSG from one's diet, that will be used to condemn you. "How dare you touched a box of Rice a Roni to go with your chicken? You horrible person you!" Just like that doctor managing to insult me for having LESS leg infections. What a way to brow beat people and shut them up. Part of me asks what are these people so afraid of? For all their talk of being positive, those who seem so intent on silencing another's person's experience do not seem like very happy people themselves.
SOne thing that is bugging me lately, trying to get this blog out there, the fat acceptance blogs and websites are locked down tighter then a drum. I have never seen so many censored websites in my life, where every blog demands automatic moderation before any posts appear or where membership must be approved on every message board. Freedom of speech doesn't seem to be a very loved concept in size acceptance.
When one has a blog, you do want readers and you have to get your link out there to get them. So far its been very tough, I've never seen anything like this. Some just general obesity websites have been okay, the politically correct police haven't barred the door from my entrance but all the size acceptance/fat positive etc, websites, its been near impossible.
There is one big fat blog where I applied for membership and at least to enter into discussion with the folks there, and got no response. Well I left the size acceptance movement to begin with, because they did everything they could to silence my voice, and my experience. Because I talk about realities of being super-obese, they do not want the "fat positive" bubble popped by anyone. I doubt that once pink haired size activist ever took my advice, when I told her to go visit a bariatric nursing home to see what obesity could do to people. There is no intregrity in trying to control people or silence the voices of the ultra-super sized.
Sometimes I feel like the Size Acceptance world works like a closed down gulag, of ideologues, who can't stand to ever examine anything. I'm against fat people being treated like garbage, and have managed to grab on to many of the good things life has to offer even being so severely obese but that doesn't matter. Unless you think exactly like them, they do not even want to listen. The Super-sized are already rendered invisible in a lot of places in society, it stinks, when the people who are portending to represent fat people's needs, lock you out as well.
