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Pissed off
6 December 2004 11:08I am so pissed off I could spit! I just finished reading an Ottawa Citizen article that has become the straw that broke the camel's back! This article talks about how it is becoming acceptable to degrade the overweight and that we are viewed as people with no morals and no control! This is an attitude that society has held since Ruben and it pisses me off!
Fine, I'm overweight, and I am doing something about it, but there are no quick fixes. It took me 30 years to put the weight on, it won't come off in a night, and while I am taking the weight off I do not need to be degraded or required to wear a mumu! My weight problem is not due to low self esteem or the fact that I have no self control. My problem is that food is good, and it is made better with butter and cream. I realize now that I have to make changes in my eating and exercise habits, and those changes have been made, but as stated before, there is no quick fix.
Our societal views that overweight people are bad is only going to destroy countless young lives. Young girls and boys are starting to yo-yo diet before they hit puberty, anorexia and bulimia are rampant, diet pills are flying off the shelves and causing irreversible damage (who else remembers the phen-phen scandal?), self-esteem is being ruined and suicides are rising, and, if urban legends are to be believed, people are turning back to old European remedies like tapeworms.
Lives are being ruined because a few thin people are ignorant cruel jerks. And yes, those of you who are at an ideal weight are the minority. Maybe we should start making fun of you lot for a change. Society has hate-crime laws in place for those who abuse visible minorities, non-Christian religious groups, non-heterosexuals. Why is it that we, the overweight, are still fair game.
I won't claim that it's not our fault, very few of us have the right to say that, but when the cheapest food is the high fat food, and when restaurant portion sizes could feed a family of four, what do you expect. The odds are stacked against us and the skinny people of the world don't make it any easier.
Think about that the next time you comment about someone's size. The chances are, you're not perfect either. Shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan are proof of that.
I leave off telling you that I am Rubenesque and proud. I will not be brought down by society's bias. Unfortunately, most of us have been ground down too far to have the self-esteem to ignore the rest of you.
Fine, I'm overweight, and I am doing something about it, but there are no quick fixes. It took me 30 years to put the weight on, it won't come off in a night, and while I am taking the weight off I do not need to be degraded or required to wear a mumu! My weight problem is not due to low self esteem or the fact that I have no self control. My problem is that food is good, and it is made better with butter and cream. I realize now that I have to make changes in my eating and exercise habits, and those changes have been made, but as stated before, there is no quick fix.
Our societal views that overweight people are bad is only going to destroy countless young lives. Young girls and boys are starting to yo-yo diet before they hit puberty, anorexia and bulimia are rampant, diet pills are flying off the shelves and causing irreversible damage (who else remembers the phen-phen scandal?), self-esteem is being ruined and suicides are rising, and, if urban legends are to be believed, people are turning back to old European remedies like tapeworms.
Lives are being ruined because a few thin people are ignorant cruel jerks. And yes, those of you who are at an ideal weight are the minority. Maybe we should start making fun of you lot for a change. Society has hate-crime laws in place for those who abuse visible minorities, non-Christian religious groups, non-heterosexuals. Why is it that we, the overweight, are still fair game.
I won't claim that it's not our fault, very few of us have the right to say that, but when the cheapest food is the high fat food, and when restaurant portion sizes could feed a family of four, what do you expect. The odds are stacked against us and the skinny people of the world don't make it any easier.
Think about that the next time you comment about someone's size. The chances are, you're not perfect either. Shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan are proof of that.
I leave off telling you that I am Rubenesque and proud. I will not be brought down by society's bias. Unfortunately, most of us have been ground down too far to have the self-esteem to ignore the rest of you.
