Wednesday 29 May 2013

Not Opposite

Despite mathematical sub literacy; see, I can't even feel the term innumeracy, actually that's correct. I can't always read maths. I have never gotten on with this courant use of 'binary'. To mean  erm, polarity. Binary has nothing to do with polarity. It's actually a digit system, like from 0-9, except it  goes from 0-1. That's either mind bendinginly complex or too simple to be believed.

I'm feeling the former. There has always been something awry about being a versed in a number system of ten numbers, ergo seeing one consisting of a 'mere' two= 'opposites'.

Kind of embarrassingly parochial wouldn't you say?

Polarity is opposing forces that are magnetically linked. Our minds often default anything thought remotely to be paired thus. And like a double ended pen. Whilst you're concentrating on writing at your end, the other is writing the converse, in the air.

We think of a construct and write it's opposite through that and vice versa. Perhaps we assign either to some trait or other and fuse them. Fat and slim (some say thin) have become opposites. Saying it like that, the error seems obvious. Yet it appears to have happened without stating it openly. Just like the misuse of binary systems.

I have never gotten on with this. I am a fat person. I do not identify as fat, well, not in a way that separates me in an oppositional manner from being slim. Slim people are not opposite to me. I do not feel this. I have not bonded to identifying the experience of fatness as writing slimness as countervailing it. 

This is good.  I'd go so far as to call it excellent.

When people talk about being a slim person, I feel they could be talking about me. If they're not, it's a product of differing treatment and experience. Originally, a lot of trying to describe fat experience is wanting to offer slim people some information about themselves. Who said "Nothing human is foreign to me"?  (Terence)

"Fat" is "slim". Pathologizing fatness, this is dodged or goes unnoticed. Indeed, many slimz tell themselves off, by shouting things at fat people. Whereas fat people tend to shout at ourselves. Like when slimmer folks "feel fat," Fat people feel this-if we do-about our actual fat selves. We do not insist we "feel slim" to say we feel crappy.

Things that are undesired can be called "obesity related", nothing to do with slimz. So no flies on them. Except there are and some part of them knows it. Which pisses them off no end (with us).

Differing experience plays up different features of our humanity, making it so richly felt in others, that they can transmit it to us, is so real and complete a way that it becomes more than a passing thought. Or a shallow observation.

'Obesity' degrades the humanity of fat people, in doing so it degrades the humanity of everyone else too. Not only in agreeing to such nonsense and that there could be a reason,  but also regardless of the costs to them and everyone else. Does it need saying that this reveals a depth of self contempt? Things we need to say need to be heard by all because they make up part of our collective consciousness of being this funny animal we call human.

Or metaphysics as some might call it.

Slimness has tried to take over humanness and officially evicted fat people from sharing in that. The effects of this are as invidious as the origins are misguided. Defining fatness as bad for fat people, effectively posits fatness as something that happens to a slim body. Which simply is not only stupid, it undermines people's sense of self.

Which enables the docility and passivity many associate with their view of bovine fatness. They may not mind, thinking they're oh so separate-such is the fatuous individualism that has taken hold- except across whole populations, trust me, it brings us all down.

The notion behind this is deliberately not stated as, fat people have worse outcomes that whomever. If that's what people need to propose, they should say it. The endless, praise, complement and often worship of slimness through critiquing fatness (as oppositional) isn't good.

I can't hold with all this. That's my fat acceptance. I accept, I recognize I am human-for "fat" read human if that makes it easier. And that no one else needs to define or confirm for me thanks. Due to knowledge of ones homo sapience being intrinsic and all.

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