Apparently, telling the truth is being hyperbolic

I’ve joined the 21st century by having (and actually following and posting to) a facebook account.  As usually happens on a social networking site, people talk.  And, of course, this week they’ve been talking about Kevin Smith and what happened.

Now, I’ve already written some things about that, that’s not what this post is about.  Instead, it’s about how I was accused of using hyperbole when I was describing the actual discrimination that fat people go through.  Not only being denied privileges other people have (because yes, flying is a privilege), but also being harassed, having violence done to them, having their children taken away for no reason, and other things.

Apparently, telling the truth is the new hyperbole.

Because, I know what the word hyperbole means.  But, just in case, I looked it up on dictionary.com:

1.  obvious and intentional exaggeration.

2.  an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

Now, the things I stated in response to friends and friends of friends weighing in on the idea, was actual things that have happened.  I told about the so-called study accusing fat people of causing global warming (and also attempted to show how fat people were the cause of the global economic crisis as well).  I told about the children who are being taken away from their parents because they are obviously being abused (the children are fat, after all) in both the US and the UK.  I even told about the three state representatives in Mississippi who tried to get a law passed in Mississippi that made it illegal for fat people to eat in restaurants (that one had such a universal outcry the three authors of the bill dropped it a week later).

The responses I received were to tell me I was using hyperbole.

Then I listened to the interview Shannon at Atchka had with MeMe Rothe.  At one point, Ms. Hyperbolic herself accused Shannon of being hyperbolic.  Now, I’m sure she missed the irony in her statement.

But this is making me wonder:  Is the “other side” so used to using exaggeration in their debates that they just assume we are doing the same?  Are they so used to exaggerating the alleged health risks of obesity, they cannot even listen to the things we can back up, the so-called studies we can back up making everything fat people’s faults, or the mega study done showing that diets don’t work (also something that can be backed up)?

But really, why did nobody tell me that truth is the new hyperbole?  I mean, sheesh, I thought I was on the memo tree!

Interesting post…

… From a very interesting person.

I’ve been reading this woman’s posts for a while now, and she usually gives me something to think about.  Today is no different.

Fat shaming is a lose-lose proposition for fat people, and that’s the way society likes it.  Don’t be under any illusion that society has your best interests at heart; they want you to be so ashamed of yourself that you disappear.  Hounding a teenager to suicide (trigger warning) over her size  is more in their line of business.  The dehumanization of fat people is condoned and even encouraged by shows like The Biggest Loser, who employs a trainer that hurls disgusting abuse at the people she is supposed to be helping.  This is entertainment, folks!

Please, go read the rest of her post here.  You’ll come away with a lot to think about.

I Have a Question

As many people have, I’ve read what happened to Kevin Smith (aka Silent Bob) with Southwest Airlines.  If you’ve not yet heard, there are some very good write ups here, here, here, a report from Nightline here…  You know what?  It’s all over the place, so I’m sure you can find more about it.

The thing that comes up a lot in the comments (especially the Salon.com article), is the whole “put down the fork, you are choosing to be fat” routine.

So, here’s my question to everybody who believes that fatties are choosing this:  Why the hell would we?  No, really?  Why the hell would we choose to be discriminated against, humiliated, made fun of, not be allowed the same privileges as others (oh, wait, that is the definition of discriminated against, my bad)?  Why would we choose to love and care for our children and yet be accused of abusing them just because they happen to be fat?  Why would we choose to have to brave the disgusted looks when we take our fat selves to the gym (where nobody believes we go, anyway), to the store (where people think they can tell us just what we are doing wrong with our lives by looking in our cart — I swear, I can have all fresh vegetables and fruit in the cart, and one half gallon of ice cream, and because the ice cream is there people know exactly why I am fat), or just out for a walk, getting some exercise on nice days?

Why would we choose to have to deal with the assholes out there who moo at us from cars (when we are trying to enjoy that walk outside on a nice summer day), or have strangers interrupt our nice meal with a loved one to tell us what we are doing wrong in eating?  Why would we choose to sit on a plane next to somebody who cringes away from us because they are so disgusted with our body type?  Or worse, why would we choose to get on a plane, just to be pulled off it because we are “too fat” and it’s a “security issue” for the rest of the people on the plane?

To get into the more extreme side of this, why would we choose to be blamed for everything from global warming to the world wide economic crisis?

I mean, really?  We choose this, do we?

Considering all the things that a lot of fat people have to put up with regularly (and none of the above examples are hyperbole, all of this and more has happened to fat people around the globe), tell me again just why we would choose this?

Oh, I forgot, don’t go throwing logic into the mix.  Haters don’t operate on logic.  They operate on hate.  Sorry, my bad.  Now that we all know that what you haters are saying is completely illogical, we can proceed from there.  As in, I can proceed to ignore your hate driven message as much as possible, and push back whenever I have to.  Cuz really?  This isn’t a lifestyle.  And I might be breaking a FA rule here, but let me tell you something:  If there was any way possible for me to be skinny and NOT have to face the above ever again?  I’d be there in a heartbeat.  I’d CHOOSE to not be discriminated against, abused, made fun of, and humiliated.

But since this isn’t a lifestyle for me, and I can’t choose to be fat (or skinny), I instead choose to love myself for who and what I am.  And loving myself does mean that I WILL go out in public and tell you to shut up when you think you can abuse me.  I will continue to exercise like I am, not because you demand it, but because it makes me feel good when I do (endorphin release for the win!).  I will continue to eat whatever I want to because I can afford it, it tastes good, and it nourishes my body AND my emotions.  And I will also continue to ignore you haters whenever you think you can shame me into not enjoying my life to the fullest.

Here’s a video

Sorry I’ve not been around for a while, I’m moving and have been dealing with that.  I should be back in a couple of weeks.  Until I’m more fully back, though, have a video I snagged from Life on FATS.