Fat Fatigue
Hey there - it's been a while, hasn't it?
I wanted to check in and let everyone know that yes, I'm still here and yes, I'm still reading the forums and keeping up with registrations. But I confess that offline life has gotten in the way - and really, taken precedence - for a little while now.
On top of that I've hit a personal fatigue point with blogging and thus, the time away.
If you're itching for more news, though, I will gladly point you over to the forums, as they've been pretty active lately. There are a lot of solid topics and a lot of new faces, too!
Quick thoughts, though:
- Ruby, the new Style TV show, certainly looks like exploitative junk. Has anyone seen it?
- Is it possible for anyone to run a food blog and not have it turn into some sort of diet blog? If so, please link up an example. (I'm looking at you, Serious Eats.)
- Truly positive fat news has been hard to come by as of late.
Lessons from the Fat-o-sphere [sic] Available for Pre-Order | Big Win in Canada: Two Seats for Fat People
Posted by paul on November 17, 2008
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/
yeah, Ruby really does look like exploitative junk.
I will watch for it and see if I can sit through it.
I saw a commercial for Ruby, shinobi42. That was more than enough to prove it was exploitative junk. I'm not giving this "show" my attention.
If anyone's looking for something fat positive to do, you can always come join us at the Fat Activist Network!
Just sayin...
Also, I've been thinking about Ruby a little this morning and I realized that even if we're frustrated by the tired, inaccurate characterization of the fat person freaking out in a bakery and going to the doctor and being handed a death sentence unless she DOES SOMETHING(!), there is a seriously positive side of this show being on TV. Like it or not, Ruby puts a face on fat people. Folks watching the show will get used to seeing someone as large as her on a regular basis, and they will get to know her as an actual person and not just a caricature.
re: "fat fatigue"
I've been feeling a little that way too, especially as here in Britain the last few weeks have seen a non-stop stream of increasingly histrionic fat hatred spewing from the media with little by way of relief.
I think anyone who's been around SA for any length of time can inevitably get demoralised by the slow pace of change and that will continue to be the case until the movement hits some sort of critical mass or has its 'Stonewall moment'.
That said, the Forums have most definitely picked up again after a brief spell in the doldrums, and the same goes for other fat blogs - I'm hoping that with the election over we'll see a lot more thought-provoking fat-related posts in the weeks ahead.
Considering that just a few weeks back people were predicting 'the death of the Fatosphere' all the signs are good...
And I would sign up for the Fat Activists Network were I not perennially ashamed of my own complete lack of anyhting that could be described as proper, placard-waving, sit-in staging fat activism (I don't somehow think signing petitions and firing off emails to the BBC about the tone of their programming really counts
)
"if you think fat people have no self-discipline, consider the fact that they haven’t killed you yet." - Miss Conduct, Boston Globe
Just wanted to say, Richie, that I love your idea of a Stonewall Moment. I do wonder if it is unlikely now, simply because the state has been so effective in managing us; thus, we see our physicians alone, go up to counters alone, get discriminated alone.
Richie, we're not placard-waving either...just trying to get fat accepting folks together in one place in case they may one day be interested in changing the world. Nobody's going to make you do anything you don't wanna do
CarrieP,
As one who still suffers with ups and downs of FA in my own head what would be the benefits of joining your group? moxie3
CarrieP, I kinda hoped you'd say that, and I'm certainly not ruling out my participation in placard-waving at some point in the future, only that there are probably others who at this point in time could more accurately claim to be 'activists' than I, who hasn't been particularly 'active' at all beyond the safe confines of the BFB forums page. However pooling resources always tends to be productive, so I shall take a look at your site and in all likelihood sign up (if you'll have me
)
"if you think fat people have no self-discipline, consider the fact that they haven’t killed you yet." - Miss Conduct, Boston Globe
Your letter to the BBC is a form of activism, Richie, even though I get your point.
@moxie3 and richie79 I think the ups and downs of FA themselves are a great reason to join a group like the fat activist network. The initial idea was to have a site where you can go (when you're not feeling all that great about fat acceptance or when you feel like the lone FA person in a sea of body hating folk who just don't understand) and get inspired by what other people are doing.
Nobody has the stamina to fight the fat rights fight every day of the week, but when you do feel like you have a little extra to give (emotionally) or you need to feel like the world is moving in a more fat positive direction, I think it's cool to have a central place to check in with the movement and maybe participate if you want to.
I really hope you (and anyone else reading this) will join us. Everyone has something to contribute to the movement, whether it's placard waving, letter writing, or just showing your face online in support of fat activists everywhere.
http://fatactivistnetwork.ning.com
I have not seen the show itself, because I can't bring myself to watch it.
Why force myself into another vise grip of disappointment?
This isn't about some vivacious, attractive, fun loving, intelligent, wonderful woman who just HAPPENS to be fat... of course not!
It's about a fat woman who happens to be:
1. Actively on a diet, (as all fat people should be!),
2. Emotionally unstable, (as all fat people are),
3. Not too bright, (goes without saying, right?)
4. Hiding (or in denial) about some horrific emotional trauma from her childhood--
(one of the only "REAL" excuses a fat person can use; to get pity, of course)
5. Lonely and rejected; without friends, family or lovers who accept her as she is!
I think I'll pass on Ruby, thanks......
Mare*
I will not be watching Ruby at all. I created a topic about that show it in the TV and Media forum, also.
I know I've had it with TLC and their obsession with showcasing fat people. I just got through watching a promo on TLC for yet ANOTHER show about a fat person, and they will be showing two other shows just like it within a 6-hour block. WTF is up with TLC? I mean, what is a person really supposed to learn from watching these types of shows? TLC seems rather exploitative with regard to these types of programs.
It's propaganda, plain and simple, and all part of the wider plan. Newspapers, magazines, TV stations and even radio shows. The mass media reflect and shape mass opinion in equal parts, and when they're not being used as mouthpieces by the Government they're producing their own special brand of fat hate disguised as light entertainment. What's more, they know full well that not only does it sell, but as they pump more of it out, so the viewers' appetite for it grows, as material pertaining to any moral panic seems to generate its own demand.
"if you think fat people have no self-discipline, consider the fact that they haven’t killed you yet." - Miss Conduct, Boston Globe