Posted on 02/04/2002 9:51:57 AM PST by Jean S
I keep an enormous file, as it were, called "fat," with column fodder. There has been no column on the overweight, because I fear poundage activists as much as I do the animal rights crowd. If these two groups ever combine forces, elk the size of Harrier jets will be riding ubiquitous mass transit powered by clean natural gas.
Fat liberation activists, as they call themselves, have landed ordinances in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and D.C. that prohibit discrimination against the fat in housing and employment.
Fat discrimination books abound: Marilyn Wann's "Fat! So? Because You Don't Have to Apologize for Your Size," and Sondra Solovay's "Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based Discrimination." Fat liberation activists are heavy on the puns.
"Shallow Hal," a movie in which Gwyneth Paltrow wore a fat suit to play an obese character with inner beauty was met with protests from the portly.
Miriam Berg, president of the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, complained, "It's making horrible fun of fat people, and that is still acceptable in our culture."
Fat demands abound. Elizabeth Fisher, 5-foot-6 and 350 pounds, whose Honda minivan seat belt will not cover her girth, began a campaign to require U.S. auto manufacturers to provide seat belt extenders on all cars. The finest part of this story is her 140-pound friend's quote, "If they're in a car unbelted and people are careening around, it's dangerous not only for the people without seat belts but for all the occupants of the vehicle."
Translation: "Laws of physics being what they are, you don't have a prayer if you are a passenger in a car with 350 unbelted pounds on the loose."
There are tons of overweight people in the United States. The December 2001 U.S. Surgeon General's Report concludes that 61 percent of adults and 13 percent of children are overweight. There are "oversize" models, clothing lines and a "Big and proud of it!" mentality.
I don't want to see Aunt Bea in lingerie. I also don't want new laws, new seat belts or lectures from Carnie Wilson on fat jokes. Kate Smith or Kate Moss — it makes no difference to me. It's the mind, not cellulite, that interests me. Weight is not a discrimination category because, unlike race, it can change. With very limited exceptions, fat is not an illness, a disability, a medical condition, or another one of society's "it's not my fault" maladies. The weight thing is simple: too much food + too little exercise = fat. Reduced, as it were, in simplest terms, to self-discipline.
Weight loss and weight management are tall orders. I want no mail, dear readers, demanding compassion. Lacking metabolism, I've been on a diet since 1970. Losing the 35 pounds from each of four pregnancies was an experience the
Supreme Court should ban as cruel and unusual punishment.
Left to my desires, I'd be with Ms. Fisher, seatbeltless, hoping for the best as we sojourned. I am stunned at how little one can eat in middle age just to maintain the same weight. I haven't had a potato chip since 1982 and French fries have been out of my life since 1990. My treadmill is worn treadless. If I'd had the discipline I have now at age 20, I could have put Ally McBeal to shame.
Weight is a daily, no, hourly battle, and I am not alone. Dolly Parton, who loves Velveeta, confessed that she tried every diet under the sun, including the alleged Dolly Parton diet from National Enquirer. She lost weight and keeps it off by controlling portions. John Travolta dropped 40 pounds by eating half of his usual meals. Sylvester Stallone ate only steak and watermelon to lose weight for Rocky II. Ironically, Jared, the Subway guy, lost about 1,000 pounds eating foot long sandwiches.
America, get some discipline. Overweight is your fault. Waiting in the wings are trial lawyers poised to blackmail McDonald's and Hostess. Marion Nestle of NYU, author of "Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health," called last week for pursuing the makers of M&Ms M &Ms and Slushies as we did tobacco companies. Activists dog Medicare, Medicaid and health insurers to pick up the tab for weight loss.
Somewhere there is a weight loss formula for everyone. Nutrisystem, fen-phen, liposuction, and health-club contracts used for about a month are evidence that no one is alone in the battle of the bulge. Fergie and Monica Lewinsky aren't paid the big bucks by Weight Watchers for walks in the park, although such an exercise regimen is helpful.
Miserable, constant and uphill self-discipline brings downward trends on scales. Trial lawyers, government regulations, and insurers can't change that harsh reality. Please, just give up food, or portions thereof, per Dolly.
Marianne M. Jennings is a professor of legal and ethical studies at Arizona State University. Her e-mail address is mmjdiary@aol.com
Deseret News | 2/4/02 | Marianne M. JenningsShouldn't that be the "Dessert News?"
I'm happy to throw a story in here. I have a friend, I'll call her V for her anonymity. I first met V eleven years ago when she was about 240 pounds. She had beautiful features covered by a lot of extra padding. She lamented about how big she had gotten and that there was nothing she could do about it, that she'd tried everything.
About three years ago, she stopped making excuses. She quit looking for a quick fix, and instead ate healthier foods in smaller portions and started excercising almost daily.
She is now a stunningly gorgeous young woman at 130 pounds. Only after she lost the weight would she admit she knew all along that she was deceiving herself and her friends about her struggle with weight. She was always looking for a quick way to lose weight and got discouraged when it didn't happen. Then she'd go back to her comfort foods.
Only when she accepted that losing the extra weight was going to be a very long term prospect, not a matter of weeks, did she slowly and consistently start to lose weight. Little by little she was getting smaller and people started to notice. She now looks and feels great and I'm thrilled for her.
Yes it is. Quit blaming others for turning you into a monstrosity.
Elizabeth Fisher, 5-foot-6 and 350 pounds, whose Honda minivan seat belt will not cover her girth
Interesting. In a case such as this, I’d probably think there was something wrong with ME yet she believes the problem lies in THE CAR.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
As someone who used to be disciplined about diet and exercise, I am now carrying quite a few more lbs. that I would like. But, I know that all I have to do is get off my @@@ and go out for some regular walks.
The PC now is that all overweight folks are prisoners of their genetic makeup. What hooey! Seems like something must have gone dramatically wrong in the gene pool in the last 30 years.
LOL!
You should definitely initiate a class action suit against Honda as they are undoubtedly discriminating against TALL people.
I would say you are right about 99% of the overweight people out there. But I have no doubt that there is a small portion of those that are overweight that it is indeed genetic.
I don't think anyone here is saying obese people are bad--they just need to take responsibility for their condition instead of blaming their problems on society.
I have to say it: Holy Lard Ass. That's a big girl.
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