Fat Chicks Rule

In the news: Oilyshit, the fat wars and who took my brain?

Perhaps the FDA jumped the gun a little bit when it approved the miracle fat drug Orlistat (aka Alli and Xenical) for over the counter.  Seems to have a perky liver problem. "FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that it is reviewing new safety information regarding reports of liver-related adverse events in patients taking orlistat."  The FDA isn't actually telling people not to take it, just saying a small amount of users might get liver failure. Let's say this again "Diet drugs have never been proven to be effective in the long run."  And let's add that some of them are dangerous.

Newsweek has a series of stories on Fat discrimination. While the series of articles isn't completely fat positive, it's a step in the right direction.  A fat slide show on fat characters in movies/tv.  As you can see most characters are not positive.  A reporter who was called a skinny fat person (i.e. a skinny person who has the potential to have "fat diseases".  A fat person who has the potential to have skinny diseases often finds it is blamed on fat) sits on the fence.  But she writes a better article discussing discrimination.   The better article criticizes CDC leanworks who really feel that it is necessary to make a fat person lose their job for their own damn good.

Finally a study *proves* we are stupid. Because 5 fat men and 9 fat women have less brain tissue than the thin people in the study.  The study does not include the subject's history of dieting.

In this week's news, we are stupid, depressed, poor, and living longer.

So apparently the average video gamer is 35, male, fat and depressed.  (I have to wonder what they will study next whether people who prefer Kirk are fatter than those who prefer Picard.) As someone who is part of this culture (Gamer, sci-fi nerd), I found that the culture is more open to people from different walks of life.  When I go to cons, I feel like I can be myself. Was the gamer fat and depressed *before* or *after* they started playing?

And apparently thin kids do better in school .  I'll just set fire to my two master's degrees right now and go watch me some reality TV.  And let's make sure all our kids have eating disorders before they enter kindergarten. 

Well at least we are living longer.   We play our Grand Theft Auto, watch Jackass and Live Forever!

It's still too hot in New York, and my killer whale (who's name is Buono) needs to flatten something.  Watch out CDC!

A$$hats of the week

The following is a dramatization... No asshats were harmed in the making of this blog.

So PETA, Heart Surgeon Delos M. Cosgrove and Whole Foods CEO John Mackey were walking down the street discussing the horrible, destructive, murderous, animal-raping obesity epidemic and what might be done to help those disgusting fatties become lean, mean, animal-loving machines.

"I know," said John Mackey.  "Let's blame the health care crisis on them!  They'd totally want to slim down if they thought they were the reason 44 million Americans can't get health insurance.  It's all their fault for eating crap.  Nobody should eat anything that doesn't come out of my store."

"I have a better idea," said PETA.  "Many fat people can't get health insurance so it may not affect them.  I say we should call them childish names."

"No, that won't work," said Delos M Cosgrove.  "It probably be better if they just didn't have jobs."

And then this completely cool, drop dead gorgeous, employed and ZOMG happy fat person--me--rides in on a mighty Killer Whale, flattens all three of these nimrods and screams "NOW YOU'RE REALLY THIN!!"

If I ever get in a situation where I need any kind of heart surgery I don't want Delos Cosgrove coming anywhere near me.   If I see an animal in trouble, I'll call the Human society.  And when I need whole healthy foods, I won't be getting it in Whole Foods. 

I've also started a new blog called Fat Habitat.  It's all about becoming sustainable without fat stigma.

And if anyone would like to join me.
PETA
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
[email protected]
757-622-7382

Whole Foods

Libba Letton
[email protected]
512.542.3031

Liz Burkhart
[email protected]
512.542.0682

Cathy Cochran-Lewis
[email protected]
512.542.0380

Ashley Hawkins
[email protected]
512.542.0381

Kate Lowery
[email protected]
512.542.0390 

Cleveland Clinic
866.594.2091

Okay, so another disclaimer: no giant killer whales were harmed, either.

More Capitol Hill thrills

So here is a response to a few comments I received about last week's Capitol Hill Post.  Namely more details!

I met with three House staff members along with author Dr. Barbara Bruno and Blogger/Scientist Miriam Gordon.

The first staff member we met was Anna from Anthony Weiner's office (See picture below).   Weiner is my representative and Anna was awesome.  Not only was she attentive but she seemed understanding of fat issues.  Including a anecdote about thin people having high cholesterol.  She was also appalled to hear of the LeanWorks obesity calculator.  

We had a 3 hour break between meetings, so we decided to grab food and got to the Library of Congress.  We ended up in the Capitol tunnel system, walking at least a mile to what should have been a few blocks. (Image below is the capitol subway)

The next visit was with Nita Lowey's office.  Unfortunately the person on her staff who deals with health care issues wasn't available.  This was a big problem because Lowey had introduced the Stop Obesity in our Schools bill in 2006. That being said,  we gave the staff member a copy of Health at Every Size and Barbara Bruno gave her a copy of the bill, with suggested changes to a few select terms so it would be a bill to improve the health of ALL children. 

The last was Eliot Engel.  While the staff member was exceptionally nice and accommodating. She did bring up all the "obese kids" in schools.  However Barbara was quick to mention an anecdote about how she knew a fat child who felt stigmatized every time she saw a "Eradicate Childhood Obesity" banner in her school.

Whether things will go further we shall see.  I've already emailed Anna with a follow up.  However even if you can't go to the local or DC office, I urge you to contract your congressmember or senator
 urging them to remove weight-bias in health care reform.

As far as the public option goes, it won't be perfect.  No health insurance is. Between a natural proclivity for choosing profit over people, nepotism, and bureaucracy, it's sometimes hard to get actual care beyond the basics.  However, left to its own devices private health insurers will only provide coverage to what they consider healthy people (which is of course stupid, as it is people in poor health who really need the coverage).  That means no fatties, even if we are healthy.  If the insurance won't cover us but the government plan will, I say we need that public option.

Will obesity rhetoric get worse?  Oh yes.  But just keep fighting back.  Keep saying that fatties are not the reason health care costs have skyrocketed. (Any one who has "obesity related diseases" whether they are fat or not are included as "Obesity related costs.")  Contact your representives, and write every time you see fat hatred.

I found my thrill, on Capitol Hill

I don't want to bore you with the wonderful and exciting details of the NAAFA/ASDAH conference. instead I will talk to you about the experience I had on Monday lobbying my congress member.

Three of us from the group were sent to talk to our staff of our representatives.  I spoke to the staff of my congressman Anthony Weiner, then spoke the the staff of Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel who were the representatives of the other members of my group.

 

The essential purpose of the day's lobbying was to communicate the fact that we would like to see weight neutral language in health care reform and policy and that we support a public option for health care delivery. (Please don't scream "Socialism!!")  It is vastly important that all fat people from all walks of life and beliefs support a public option.  Having a public option means that fat people cannot be denied health insurance. Having a public option means that health insurance companies will start catering to people more than their bottom line (which btw isn't your health but their profits.)

So please contact your representatives and senators, tell them that any health care policy worth a damn needs to address health not weight AND we need a public option so everyone can get health care.

Recently Paul Campos posted a column comparing the similarities between fat rights and gay rights. The column is wonderful but the comments are upsetting.  Often I find that if we even compare fatness/body type to sexism, homophobia or racism, we are told we don't have it so bad.  At least we can do "this", "this" or "this".  Oppression isn't a competition.  And oppressed people work better together than apart.

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.  ~Abraham Lincoln

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Tune in tomorrow, same fat time, same fat station.