An old article from Jezebel points out that the Whole Foods healthy discount program where you get discounts based on BMI, Blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking) may not only be illegal but an invasion of privacy. Really, I don't ever want my to have any of my medical history. I've already given my two cents repeatedly on this stupid Whole Foods debacle (for example, if you are fat but don't smoke, have normal blood pressure and and cholesterol, you get nothing.) I'd also like to point out that Whole Foods carries genetically modified food. So what is the point of even going to Whole foods when I can buy cheaper GMO food at my local supermarket?
Speaking of fat bullies, Pattie Thomas has come out with another wonderfully written blog post on Psychology Today and which calls out the trolls death wish on fatties, especially those who made comments about the untimely death of plus size model and actress Mia Amber Davis. (She died from a blood clot during knee surgery from a sports related injury). Pattie also uses her own blog as an example where the trolls speculated that she died when she took a leave of absence. I have my own trolls. Most of the comments I don't let through is dieting advice but occasionally I get told that I should die, will die, go to hell, get cancer and are scum (usually from people with a multitude of spelling errors).
I don't let these comments in for my regular readers, the ones who come here and want a safe space from fat hatred. I also want to set a good example for my 13 year old autistic nephew to not let unimportant people ruin my day or control my life. Pattie brings up the term Schadenfreude to describe people who find joy in other people's deaths and she also brings up the idea that the "War on Obesity" has made fat people the enemy. Is that the reason people feel the need to wish me dead because they see me as the enemy? I would never wish death on people I disagreed with (with some exceptions such as mass murderers although I certainly wouldn't find joy in their deaths.)
Mia Amber Davis was a lovely, talented and beautiful woman that I unfortunately never had the pleasure of meeting. I'm facebook friends with one her good friends and for weeks I heard about the pain Mia's death had caused her family and friends. Only a monster would seek joy in this.
the more I get involved with rights for fat people, the more amazed I am at how much hatred there is for us. I just don't get it. I didn't do anything to anybody. If anything, I've spent my life trying to impact other people as little as possible. Oh well.
Posted by: Maryjane Heyer | June 13, 2011 at 10:50 PM
WFM isn't about health. It's about profit. Mackey talks a good game about wanting people to be healthier, but what he really wants is just for people to believe WFM is about health so they'll spend their dollars in his stores. WFM stores employ exactly the same strategies as every other grocery store to get you to buy high-margin unhealthy snacks and sweets as impulse buys. I shop at the Columbus Circle WFM all the time. Once you're on the long, long checkout line, you're stuck there standing next to rows and rows of baked goods, bulk chocolate, candy bars and other assorted sweets. After that, you have to walk by a bunch of beer on your way to the register. Just because a food is organic doesn't mean it's a healthy choice. Just because beer comes from a local microbrewery doesn't mean the calories in it are any less empty. Mackey is a hypcrite, pure and simple.
Posted by: Michele | June 13, 2011 at 10:52 PM
seems to me their "healthy employee" discount is about encouraging their employees to be thin for the sake of the image of the company. In other words, it's discrimination in the guise of concern for health.
Posted by: Maryjane Heyer | June 13, 2011 at 10:56 PM
"WFM isn't about health. It's about profit."
Yup. I went to see Michael Pollan and John Mackey talk about food politics a few years ago, and that was abundantly clear. When Mackey said, in response to someone in the audience who asked about the problems inherent in making whole foods unaffordable to poor people, "Frankly, I don't think most people spend enough of their budget on food," he was soundly booed.
Mackey has a vested interest in keeping his products too expensive for a number of people who might want them, including the homeless people he had to walk past on the way to the speaking venue. Because they can't afford his products, their health is apparently unimportant to him.
Posted by: RachelB | June 14, 2011 at 03:20 PM
This is my first time visiting this site, and forgive me, but it seems as though you have a very narrow point of view? I haven't seen one acknowledgement that a conflicting opinion could have at least some merit in certain situations. I also have seen no comments that debate or rival your posts. It reminds me of one of my friends who is a very conservative republican. When he gets together with his other conservative friends, they sit around and get very passionate about why they are right and why everyone else is wrong. However, there is never anyone present to defend the opposing opinion. One sided debates are fun and can make you feel better about certain things, but they seem to fall short in providing opportunities for the participants to grow or even develop their original opinions further by incorporating (or at least acknowledging) a broader view. Ignorance of an opposing view may make you appear strong to those who agree with you, but you will likely lose credibility in the eyes of everyone else (especially those on the fence about the issue).
Posted by: Rose | June 16, 2011 at 08:40 PM