Before I begin with this post I'd like to let you know that I really struggled with whether to write something on this topic or just let it fade into the black. Whether this was a good idea on my part or not - I say "or not" as this just may entice more of the same. I still felt the need to talk about it.
As a person who has struggled with weight his whole life, I had a unique interest in recent reported media events with regards to Kevin Smith's experiences with southwest airlines (SWA). Although wrongfully reported and handled by the media and SWA, this is not what I really want to focus on. What I would like to discuss was the resulting discussion that ensued after - the discussions which focused solely on us fatties and how, what brutally became apparent, there is a true, deep-rooted hatred of people who are "larger" than the norm.
That said, I do acknowledge that there is a problem with our health (as a society - worldwide). However, reading comments ranging from "why doesn't he just get off his fat ass" to "well, if he didn't eat all those doughnuts..." to sadly happening to see, while watching the after work news, a commercial for Entertainment Tonight where they described an experiment of theirs that had a thin person donning a fat suit covered by a skin tight hot pink velor outfit - All of this very deeply saddened me. I don't want this post to sound like an "oh, woes me" type argument. As I previously stated above, and not going into other health-related aspects on the subject, I acknowledge that we all need to have accountability in such regards and that a healthy/healthier lifestyle and well-being should be a high priority for all of us to integrate into our everyday lifestyles. What I take issue with is this whole idea that we fatties just sit on our asses and eat..and eat some more, and that is the sole reason that we are fat. Fact, this is not (always) the case and portraying the problem this way is hurtful and detrimental to us, all of us really as we could all live healthier when you really break it down, in our attempts to change/integrate a healthier lifestyle.
Those who know me well know that for the past several years I've been trying to integrate a more healthy lifestyle, keeping and maintaining an exercise routine and also recently started focusing on the food that I eat - integrating more healthy choices into my daily food requirements. It's been a long and hard process as there is so much "easy & good" *BAD* food out there, but I'm slowly making headway. I'm even attempting to integrate this whole idea of supporting people for healthy living (as well as environmental and social aspects of living) into my research at the University. The point I'm trying to make with all of this is that there are other individuals like myself {in the same boat} doing the same. We are trying folks! What I'm trying to get across is that we need encouragement in such regards, encouragement that goes beyond calling us fatties and telling us to just get off of our collective fat asses. It's, quite simply, not that simple of a problem. Support is needed to help us achieve healthy goals and it's childish comments and activities like those that transpired from the Kevin Smith incident that truly hinder us and our ability to maintain a positive outlook on our attempts. Instead of encouraging healthy/healthier lifestyles, we as a society tend to just lay blame, assume, and resort to these hurtful activities and ridiculous displays. The end result is a keeping of the status quo - changing nothing while fostering this environment of hate and mis-education about the whole issue.
Now I'm not laying the blame on others and their comments. Free speech is free speech and who am I to say otherwise. All I'm trying to say is that it is counterproductive to do such. What we really need is support, good education, and a cooperation that better enables the flow of information leading to our ability to become more knowledgeable on the real facts and how we can all best encourage each other to integrate healthier, more environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable choices in our daily lives. It sadness me how we treat each other and I'm hoping that over time, people's attitudes will change from poking fun at issues, hating, to supporting and encouraging each other which, in the long run of it all, will result in real change. - tMac
