Jezebel 
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New York, 4:00 AM
Sat Nov 28
29 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/10/09
But I did ask them directly what they felt about their size. Kayleigh described herself as 'plump' and said she did worry about the health issues surrounding being overweight, but felt there was no help for people like her.
...
She has a point there. West Bromwich boasts a vast new art centre called The Public that cost £65m to build and is universally despised.
The town could have had an Olympic-class sports centre for that kind of money. The locals would have settled for a half-decent swimming pool. ...
'We had a local pool but they closed it because people kept getting attacked at night,' says Kayleigh.
'Now there's nothing, nowhere to go, no parks, no pool.'...
West Brom may have no swimming pool, but it has fast food outlets galore...
You couldn't eat healthily in this town if you tried.
...
There's a historical factor, too, that I hadn't taken in.
'There's a culture of food that's regionally determined...This area was very industrial, where people worked extremely hard. Their jobs were really physical, so they could afford to eat a lot of fat-rich food and consume high levels of calories because they were burning it off.'
This 'food history' creates a habit that's hard to break..
Hey look, lady!You found some reasons that don't come loaded with a moral judgement! All that stuff at the front, after the bit about you being a fattist, of course, where you said that maybe you're missing something, there it is! A whole bunch of good solid reasons, from good solid investigative work, that point to something other than fat=lazy, stupid slob! Such a shame you couldn't see past your own preconcieved ideas of what lies at the core of the problem.
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08/10/09
It'd be a lovely world indeed where we could all pluck fresh produce from trees and plants in our backyard, but it ain't the world we live in lady. So shut your damn pie hole and quit trying to mask your simple aesthetic disgust with some sort of global concern for health.
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08/10/09
Also, the writer's issue is obviously not about health, as Sadie pointed out. It's about aesthetics and what kind of people this woman prefers to see occupying the space around her.
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08/10/09
I've gotten flamed for dressing down some Mom online for feeding her 9 month old chocolate formula. Then there was the Mom that bragged about her 10 month old being able to scarf (her word, not mine) down an entire slice of pepperoni pizza. We're not talking the economically depressed here, we're taking about soccer Mom's that have full access to fruits/veggies.
Look don't get me wrong my kids get french fries etc. But not all the time and not at the expense of real food.
I hate the authors attitude here. I agree w/pp that Jamie Oliver does a muuuch better job.
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I'm not even sure what is being done about the real issues, if anything, because it's completely drowned out by the malignant shrieking of fatty-hating harpies.
...And whatever the male equivalent of harpies would be. (is there one?)
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08/10/09
In the U.S., it's becoming a well-known fact that there is a direct relation between poverty and obesity, i.e. the least healthful of foods are also the least expensive, so people who have a limited income have a tendency to be overweight. Is it the same in the UK?
I'm well-read on food issues in the U.S. but I will admit that I've no idea what's going on in other countries.
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When I lived in the city with the far away whole foods, the only grocery store within walking distance of my apartment was catered to college students, was small and cramped, and had very limited produce. They were cheap, and they delivered, so I shopped there more often than not just because it was convenient. I bought a lot of forzen veggies (more expensive than fresh) and in season, I could supplement with purchases from the farmer's market, but that was only possible because my student schedule allowed me to be home in the middle of the day on a wednesday, when the farmer's market was open. If I had kids/multiple jobs/fewer friends with cars, all of my groceries would have come from the cheap, nearby store.
08/10/09
08/10/09
It is very difficult to talk about racism without appearing racist and it's equally difficult to talk about obesity without appearing fattist. How do we do this? I haven't been able to navigate the language in a way that doesn't upset someone.
08/10/09
I think that's entirely untrue unless you actually are racist or fattist.
08/10/09
It's easier to talk about these things with people who know you and know your heart; it's much more difficult to talk about them in a forum like this where you can't see where the writer is coming from.
08/10/09
1)having a fact based and empathetic civil discussion about race or weight and
2)having a generalization based and/or condescending/rife with privilege discussion about race or weight.
the latter would not only "appear" racist/fattist, that's simply what it would be.
civil discussions happen all the time here. perhaps DramaClub hasn't been here long enough to be aware of this?
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08/10/09
I do agree with the majority of health professionals that there is a correlation (largely speaking) between obesity and ill health. I do have a gut -not rational or compassionate or reasonable or realistic - reaction that tells me that someone who has a roll of fat obscuring their groin, or wings of fat behind their shoulders, does not look the way a human being aught to look. based on centuries of anthropomorphic art (and yes i am well aware of the larger representations). There does, to me, come a point where a person does not look, well, person shapes, anymore.
wow. i've digressed.
I don't pass judgement here (whatever you might construe), my parents are massively fattist which has contributed in no small part to my 8 year eating disorder (no defence i know). I just think that there is a difference between someone who is larger than society wants but who is totally healthy and happy, and a person who is much to large for their frame and physique to support.
and with the NHS we are supporting those who, like smokers, drinkers, reckless drivers, pot smokers, etc. are negatively affecting their health by their lifestyle.
ugh. i should stop. proceed with the flaming.
p.s.
The daily mail is a hateful hateful rag.
08/10/09
08/10/09
I do not even remotely attempt to engage with the HUGE variety of factors that affect the size and shape that a person is. whether you choose to believe it or not i feel no antipathy, resentment, or malice towards anybody because of their size or shape.
08/10/09
In my experience, the only time people of color react negatively in such a discussion is when white people are defensive and respond with, "But I couldn't possibly be saying something that's racist!" Because that signals that it's not really a discussion, it's a lecture from white people to people of color that they're supposed to listen to but not respond to in any way; there's no good faith exchange of views. The only learning that's supposed to be going on is by the people of color -- should they try to teach the white person anything about what they world looks like from their perspective, the dialogue shuts down.
I simply don't understand how talking about racism could possibly, in and of itself, make someone appear racist.
08/10/09
08/10/09
All these things would not be in line with 'legs need[ing] to move in a certain way.' The only thing that separates them from obesity is the perception that obesity is a 'choice' for which we can assert blame.
I don't know you, so I am not going to make assumptions about whether or not you 'hate' people like me. However, can you not see how "not human-shaped" becomes "not human" and becomes "not deserving of respect?" Even if you yourself have no "antipathy, resentment, or malice" you are still contributing to a culture that does.
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a) genetically blessed mutants who can (and do) eat anything and everything and rarely exercise.
b) adhering to incredibly unhealthy "activities" to maintain their size- drugs, extreme dieting, eating disorders.
It really frosts my cupcake that thin people get a free-pass when it comes to prejudice. It is also completely insensitive to the people who have a medical condition (because, you know, those things do exist) or those of us (myself included) who are trying to change our habits and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
It upsets me to no end the amount of insecurity that is placed on the shoulders of those of us that are trying to get healthier. Everybody likes to watch and make fun of the "fatties" no matter what. Human beings have this interesting paradox of wanting to be accepted and to exclude simultaneously.
I've heard stories of women running and exercising in graveyards or at odd hours of the day- because they don't want to get hassled. You can't imagine the looks I get, when I go out to eat with my best-friend (one of those previously mentioned genetic mutants).
In the grand scheme of sizes, I'm not even that big (I'm a 14) compared to the national average.
Note to Platell- you catch more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar. Don't complain about a problem that doesn't concern or affect you, unless you've actually come up with a plan of action that is supportive, comprehensive and not based solely on the "otherness" of people who don't look like you.
08/10/09
can we be friends? i like your style.
PS- be wary of posting number specific to size. samanthrax is somewhere busily updating her spreadsheet. ;-)
08/10/09
She's an Australian hack for hire who will write anything for a buck and who has no real strong opinions on anything.
In contrast to MeMe Roth she almost certainly doesn't believe any of this but considers it 'good copy' in much the same way that she considers repeatedly attacking female celebrities in print 'good copy'.
Whether her complete amorality makes this piece worse I leave up to everyone else to decide.
08/10/09