Tuesday 8 May 2012

Not your shame

Sometime in the 1980's the UK government headed by Margaret Thatcher stopped the teaching of cookery in schools run by the state. MT is one of those political figures who both put a decisive imprint on the psyche of a nation and was a reflection of it. Like her boon companion and political equivalent, Ronald Reagan.

In a way, this move summarizes much of the essential complaint from those who have trouble with her legacy, in general.

A group of concerned citizens have written a letter to the current Conservative-Liberal coalition government asking them to finally reverse this folly.

So far, so innocuous. Giving children a few cookery pointers is worthwhile in and of itself, which was why they were introduced in the first place. To have developed the ability to met your own needs and those of others in this way can only bolster self esteem, whether your inclined to use it or not.

The letter, feels in light of the UK's hosting of the Olympics this summer, these folks feel it is being; 
"tainted by the shameful fact that Britain is officially the fattest nation in Europe"
Consider some of their targets unmoved by their 'distress'.

After characterising other people's bodies-selves, pish to Cartesian dualism- as shameful, under the guise of health concern. They then bleat on about how they personally suffer over the actions of their own minds something which is of little interest to anyone but similarly challenged arseholes.  

Other people, their bodies exist for themselves, in their right. They are not a receptacle for the unsolicited emotions of others. Just how far is it possible to remain locked in the hell of your own inanity? To  consider only yourself and your own so called feelings?

As is usual with crusaders this is of course directed at children, teaching them how they should feel about themselves, disgusted, so they can invoke children's sense of ethics and play upon their survival instinct to be directed by and to please adults.

This letter was written and I assume read by each of its signatories, yet none of those under the influence of obestupidity managed to notice that feeling things because you've turned someone else's body into a symbol, is a process happening inside your own head and is nothing to do with them.

I was going to ask what it's going to take to get through to this kind of mentality, but that would be forgetting myself. This mindset is based on a suspension of reality and a continued unburdening of rationality. It's mean minded cultivation of ignorance alone is despicable.

That is what it's followers feel is necessary for it to continue, inserting its irrelevant and unwarranted disgust into anything and everything. Grading all aspects of human behaviour according to whether each facet is purportedly 'obesity' making or not. It either hides from even the most impotent criticism or steam rollers it with power of influence and its peculiar take on science and health.
"We need to act now but we will not win this fight alone. Parents, schools, healthcare professionals and the Government must take a united approach in order to combat this obesity crisis."
Who exactly is "we" in all this? As we fat people know, action doesn't start from our decades, generations even of "action", it starts from 'obesity' crusaders deciding to get into high dugeon about it. And [T/W; dieting] Zoe Harcombe;
"To reverse the obesity epidemic we need our fellow humans to be able to source and prepare real food, not to microwave fake food. 
Though it is tiresome to repeat, this assumes fat people do not do this and slim people do. I know for a personal fact that this isn't the case. And please, "Fake food"? That can be prepared, eaten, digested by the human body and most of all provide calories-the purpose of food- is not real?

Rather than hype why not concentrate on the delight of preparing and eating fresh food? The creativity involved in choosing and taking raw ingredients and turning them into something greater than the sum of its parts?

Its about time this anti food attitude with its prissy misanthropy and shame-that we are animals who have to eat to live, ceased to go unquestioned by the mainstream, or any other media. Even fat haters are getting sick and tired of its crude, unbalanced discourse.

That is plenty to be genuinely ashamed of if it's adherents want so desperately to feel that, while it can save its fat loathing affectation for the birds. Anyone can pick a weight and hate, it's just some of us choose not to. Not because we are being so kind to those in said group, but because we have more respect for our own minds.

These penpals should try it. 

Let's get back to talking to each other about what matters and why, without fat people being used as a pointless bogeyman to make a point that should be able to stand on its own merits.

Needless to say, fat people are not anyone's shame unless we choose to be and many of us aren't interested. If you don't have sense enough to be embarrassed about the fact that a so called civilized well off country can't manage to organize basic skills to its citizens, then you have no business seeking to feel ashamed about many who'd happily tell you where to go.

You can put your own shame with your own blame.

No comments:

Post a Comment