Fat Pagan Pride

[pt_tangles]

I know I shouldn't have, but I have been reading the blow-up about the 'Pagan Obesity Problem' and the equally hyperbolic responses that claim that any mention of obesity causing health problems is body shaming and that obesity isn't really a health problem, it's a discrimination problem and if everyone would 'mind your business', then everything would be magical and puppies would shoot out of rainbow unicorn asses.

Uh, yeah.  Calling absolute bullshit on that one.  You are never going to convince me (no matter how many interwebz links you find) that being morbidly obese is healthy.  Your skeleton was not meant to carry 400+ lbs for 70+ years.  There have been multiple studies that show that things like cholesterol aren't weight related, they are gene and diet related.  That's old news.  But that isn't the only measure that decides if a person is healthy.

Also, if I read one more Fat Pride article that says, "I tried starving myself on an 800 calorie a day diet and exercise around the clock, and I didn't lose any weight', I think I will scream.  How can you live in such a tiny bubble that you don't know that starvation diets cause you to gain weight rather than lose it.  Your body is programmed to store fat to save your life in the case that food sources become scarce.  The minimum daily caloric intake for women is about 1200 calories a day (I know this because my journalling app kept yelling at me when I was too sick to eat much of anything for about a week - also, I looked it up).

And you know what?  Assuming that everyone who thinks that obesity is unhealthy is trying to shame you is not Fat Pride.  It's not any kind of pride.  It's a defence mechanism built upon years of hurt feelings.  Spitting venom at the 'norms' or whatever you want to call the 'others who aren't your kind of other', is not the way to deal with hurts.  It's not activism.  It's not pride.  

I'd say that it's about time that both extremes of this issue 'get over themselves'.

Comments

[pj]

While I agree with all of your points I do agree with Star Foster that the "debate" is bogus when it comes to "what should we do about fat Pagans?" It really is none of the community's business if someone is fat.

[pj]

I'd like to add to my comment - I certainly feel differently when someone seeks assistance from the community or if you pull a loved one aside to discuss if weight is a causative factor in morbidity. I meant a big public debate in terms or *what to do* broad scale is bogus.

[pt_tangles]

I agree completely. From what I understand is that it started because someone well known and overweight had died suddenly. I didn't recognize the name, so I can't say, but I don't think that having concern for people in your life that you care about (or even people in your community who may be suffering health problems, because you never really know, whatever size they may be) is automatically trolling.

When someone dies young, people look for a reason. It's human nature. I think it would be much more useful to approach it as an education issue rather than assuming that everyone who opens their mouth is purposely seeking to shame overweight people.

It seems hypocritical for people who are all about interfaith education to freak on everyone about something that is obvious ignorance. There is malice out there, but that doesn't mean that everyone who makes a call for healthier living is out to get you. KWIM?

[pj]

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. :-)