Mike Huckabee: Michael Moore is Fat
The way Michael Moore's "Sicko", his weight, and his politics are being wrapped up and treated as one by the media is really impressive and a little scary. It's great to have such authority figures as Mike Huckabee, the Jared Fogle of the political set, weighing in on these important issues.
"Frankly, Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs so much in this country. He clearly is one of the reasons that we have a very expensive system. I know that from my own personal experience," said Huckabee, who lost more than 110 pounds and became an avid runner after he was diagnosed with diabetes.
Note: this is Huckabee's only qualification. He lost weight. Oh? What? He's running for President? Ah, sure. Right. His platform is probably "I lost weight, so should you!"
He continues:
"I know how much more my health care cost when I didn't take care of myself than when I do take care of myself, not only in terms of doctor visits but regular diseases, illnesses, chronic things that come up, monthly prescription bills," Huckabee said. "All of those things have gone dramatically down since I've taken care of myself and worked to live a healthier lifestyle."
Yep, there it is: Michael Moore "isn't taking care of himself", which is the new codeword for "is fat". If you "take care of yourself" (ie, lose weight) you're a Good American; if you don't, you're... part of the problem. Right.
Meghan O'Hara, producer of "Sicko", responded:
"No wonder the Republicans are in such trouble — their entire plan to fix the health care system in this country is to tell people to lose weight," she said.
"There's nothing worse than a reformed smoker — or Twinkie eater for that matter — preaching conversion."
Right on. [Via The Rotund]
Note that the title of this entry was changed to make it SFW.
Fat Activism Survey: Results, Part III | Figure Magazine: Eat Rice Cakes
Posted by paul on July 13, 2007
I can hardly stay in my seat. What does Mike Huckabee know about Michael Moore's health habits? Nothing! He is assuming, because he once was fat, that Michael Moore's habits are like his when he was of a larger size. What does he know about my health habits? Nothing! But he will assume he does because I'm wearing a size 18, and he's the smaller of the two of us. (I'm assuming.)
Mike Huckabee also doesn't believe in evolution, if that tells you what is thought process is like.
Jennifer Portnick
Personal Trainer (who is fat)
San Francisco, CA
Mike Huckabee lost weight by telling his government-employee cook/chef to start serving him more fish, bought with taxpayer dollars. Yeah, that's really "working" to keep a healthier lifestyle.
Meanwhile, how many kids were there in Arkansas whose parents could barely keep a roof over their heads living on whatever was the most filling/least expensive food that could be bought?
Huckabee also started running, during office hours, often conducting state business while on a treadmill. How many people might lose weight under those circumstances -- an unlimited food budget, a staff of cooks, and the ability to exercise in the middle of the workday?
Y'know, Huckabee must have a really poor constitution, because I've been overweight most of my life, and I've never been as sick as he claims to have been.
And kudos to Meghan O'Hara!
I'd like to see Huckabee maintain his new lifestyle on my income, in my town, with my job and all my committments. It's a whole lot easier when you don't worry about money or have to shop and cook for yourself
AMEN, Meghan O'Hara! It isn't just one political party or another that is saying the key to health is weight loss--that seems to be what nearly everyone thinks. I'm sorry Huckabee had so many health problems, but: Did it ever cross his mind that these problems might not necessarily been caused BY his weight, but that his weight might have been a symptom OF other issues? And I can tell him that my only presecription right now is from a creme for my excema, and one for my achilles tendonitis. Which is a sports injury. Which would mean I am active?
Jennhuff is right, too. Many of those lean, tight bodies that grace our mag covers and so many have come to wroship are the result of HAVING THE TIME to work out 4 hours a day and the money to afford nutritional food, and either the time to prepare those foods or the money to pay someone else to do it. Then factor in the incentive so many of those afroementioned bodies have: Their bodies are their livelihood. Keeping them "perfect" is part of their "job." But most folks' nine-to-fiver doesn;t consist of hours of pilates and weight lifting and facials.
Jennifer Portnick is also right (as usual!) People do presume to guess one's health based on one's size; something that annoys me like nothing else. I mean, if they were interested, really interested, in my health, wouldn't they, uh, you know ASK me how my health is?
But that's right. Dismiss Michael Moore's theories because he is fat, Because ya know, we're just not credible about anything. Bleh.
I would also guess that EVEN IF one assumes that being fat contributes to type 2 diabetes as well heart disease and certain forms of cancer one cannot blame the entire American health care crisis on obesity - at least I would like to see some calculations before I believe that this argument is a valid one if one assumes fat to partially cause all those conditions.
Sannanina brings up a good point about research. There is an old (but accurate) saying in research that "correlation is not causation." Many studies purport that there is a (statistical )relationship) between obesity and a number of diseases. That however is not the same as saying obesity (fatness) causes them. However, given the prejudice against fat people, particularly in the medicat field, bias is rampant in these studies. For example, there is a relationship (correlation) between having blond hair and blue eyes; that is, if you have one you are more likely to have the other. Does that mean one caused the other or that we could increase the number of natural blondes by transplants of blue eyes? Of course not.
Much medical research seizes upon the correlation between fatness and some medical conditions (while ignoring others) and parlays this into fat being a "risk factor". This then morphs into fat CAUSES this medical condition, like heart disease. Characterizing a correlation as a risk factor (quasi-causal) or causal is simply poor research in any discipline, and it survives in medicine because of bias against fat people.
Didn't Michael Moore himself say that he has really bad habits? In that case, there is no assumption being made that he has bad health habits because he is fat, only that his bad health habits caused him to be fat, which could be true, I suppose.
Moore has said that he has bad habits and that he's trying to improve his habits; but the larger point still stands, he and other fat people are not the cause of our health care crisis in this country, that fault lay very squarely at the feet of a system that is designed to create profit, not ensure wellbeing.
It is appalling that someone who assumes himself a leader and wishes to have a position in which he can have a strong influence on healthcare policy in this nation would rather point fingers of blame at fat people - regardless of their health or habits - while, in turn, tacitly indemnifying the corporate interests that have sold Americans' health down the river for their own gain. With that kind of attitude, Huckabee doesn't deserve to be elected dogcatcher. I'm afraid his weight loss has had a negative impact on his cognitive capability.
MizB
What really troubles me about this whole Huckabee thing is that it's fat hate gone full-tilt political. The message is that Moore is not credible because he's fat. Many well-intentioned if mis-informed people believe that fat is unhealthy -- but the trend is moving towards people actually believing that fat is immoral, that it reflects mental imbalance, that fat people cannot be good or smart or appropriately participate in public discourse or social change. The same implied slurs have been tossed at Al Gore, too: he has no right to talk about climate change because he's fat (he contributes to global warming, the fat pig!). People who "don't take care of themselves" (nee "let themselves go") are weak willed and slatternly. They have no place in schools (kids or teachers), the workplace, or politics. In short, FAT PEOPLE ARE BAD PEOPLE. By the way, this is how people talked about gays and AIDS in the 80s and 90s: gays got AIDS because they were bad, so don't care about them, they brought it on themselves. Well, fat people who continue to be fat and won't take care of themselves (like good, responsible thin people) get what they deserve, including being derrided and dismissed at every turn. Outrageous! I'm beside myself with anger and indignation!!!
Campos nails him; read it here
I love the line, "currently successful dieter." The implication being, we'll need to check back with Mike in three years to see if he is one of the 5% of people who retain weight loss for any longer than that.
Paul Campos rocks.
Jennifer Portnick
Personal Trainer (who is fat)
San Francisco, CA
MizB, I think you are right, and I find your analysis extremely accurate.
We hear a lot about unhealthy habits, being totally about eating and physical activity and whatnot, but are we to endlessly ignore the bitterness, rage, lyingness(!), and hate so overwhelming, that it can only be voided, by degrading your chosen target, in this case, fat people? It's acceptable to say that eating whatever amount and not doing enough push ups, made me feel sluggish, or diabetic in Huckabees case. But when the purportedly healthy are twisted into cretinous stupidity and pointless open ended rage against us, we are not allowed to say, I worry about trying to eat any more healthy, 'cos I don't think I can cope with the wrong headed superiority and hate fuelled rages that are associated with it! IOW, why is a 'healthy' doer and eater so 'unhealthy' emotionally & mentally.
You're welcome, MizB.
It's dumb to conclude that there must be a correlation between weight and illness...
Until 2 years ago, I used to get those neverending colds. What happened since then that made the colds stop? No, not weight loss or anything like that (I am a bit more active, but not that much either). Nope. What I did do is move out of my ex's apartment... and guess what? He had a cat!!!
Hmm, were the colds related to the pet or to my fat? I wonder... Lessee too: I also got bronchitis several times as a teen and back then we had a dog! Could it be that I'm slightly allergic to dogs and cats?
Yet, how many doctors would have made that correlation? And how many would have done so had I been thin? Food for thought...