More on hating my country's General Public

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

More on hating my country’s General Public

So this news story about an upcoming fat activism conference in my hometown, Wellington, has brought the worst of NZ’s general public (see: most people) out of the woodwork with their opinions: http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/7257849/Fighting-fat-sterotypes

The thing which has made me most angry is the people - including some of my friends - who have been all “I would never be hateful towards somebody but the science is clear and we shouldn’t be judgmental but also let’s not promote unhealthy lifestyles”. What science? Some ubiquitous thing they couldn’t actually talk about if you asked them but nevertheless always assume to be true? And how on earth do they think that this “science” is somehow separate from identity, or discrimination, or whether or not people are included in society?

When it comes down to it this whole thing is about how the way we talk about people contributes to controlling who does and doesn’t get to count as a full human being who is worthy of respect and dignity. That can’t be separated from the way sciencey speak medicalises non-normative bodies in order to constitute them as less fully human than those it’s declared are “fit” or “healthy”. Grrr.

So so true. I have stayed way way far away from this ‘cause I get really emotional about this stuff and I just don’t have the energy. But also: why do they think they need to say ‘but obesity is unhealthy?’ every single damn time something to do with fat-positivity comes up. Do they really think we haven’t heard that shit before? I mean how far away is that compulsion from the people who find the need to say ‘men can be oppressed too, you know’ every time feminism comes up? Not that far.