Fat people vs. skinny people

 

True confession: I love to channel surf. You know that mindless act of letting the world pass by you with the slight movement of your thumb on the television remote control.

One afternoon recently, I was indulging myself with this simple pleasure and the television roulette wheel landed on an episode of Dr. Phil. Not too unexpected, everyone on the set were yelling at each other about how fat people were being treated on airlines. The loud discussion was focusing on how large people should purchase two seats if they spilled over into another paying customer space.

I could relate to the panelists that were offended that they were being singled out because of their size. I remember a flight when the attendant followed me as I entered the plane waving a seatbelt extender behind me until I found my seat and then made a scene making sure that the whole plane knew that I needed extra material to strap me in during the flight.

The sticks and stones that were being thrown around the Dr. Phil set rang all to familiar to me.  I watched in fascination waiting for the arguing fractions on the great weight debate to put on their boxing gloves and start punching each other. 

One side, the “skinny” people, Jillian Michaels, trainer on The Biggest Loser; MeMe Roth, president of the anti-fat organization National Action Against Obesity; Michael Karolchyk, owner of the Anti-Gym; and on the other side of the bench were the “fat” people, Peggy Howell from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance; Marianne Kirby, author of Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere; Erica Watson, star of the one-woman show “Fat Bitch”. In the middle of the clashing sides, sat Kelly Osborne trying to tell the story from both sides of the issue. Osborne looks fabulous by the way, and she really seems to have a handle of what it takes to stay a healthy weight.

From the skinny side of the bench: “To believe that fat people are discriminated against, you have to believe that obesity is an innate state, like race, like sexual orientation. Obesity is not an innate state,” said MeMe Roth.

From the fat side of the bench: “My body is not public property. It’s no one else’s business to tell me what I should be doing with my body,” said Peggy Howell.

The heated debate was so involved that it was subject for not one but two episodes. The more the heavy people talked the more they were shot down for their opinions on the great fat debate. It was truly the fat people vs. the skinny people.

I just sat there listening to the jabs as they were thrown over the great weight divide. I have lived my life on both sides of this heafty debate. I remember how hurtful the insults were as they were thrown in my direction like when would I walked down the street and someone would yell out lard ass. I know all to well that there is a bias in this country toward the obese.

People should be able to live their lifes as they choose but as a lighter person, I know that I am healthier for my efforts of losing my great burden there is no debating that point.

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