sigelphoenix

Read this.

naamah_darling gives an honest, detailed account of what can be involved in trying to lose weight. This is for every person who has ever criticized fat people as just being "too lazy" to do anything about their weight - or every person who has ever been told that losing weight is "not that hard." We pull this shit way too often, screaming about the "obesity epidemic" and stereotyping all fat people as stupid, greedy, or lazy gluttons who just need to "try harder." Perhaps worst of all is when we think that it's acceptable to go up to strangers - or even acquaintances - whose medical history, level of activity, and eating habits we know nothing of, and give them advice about how they should lead their lives. This post needs to be read by as many people as possible.

(I really wish I could give a copy to this guy and tell him to shut the fuck up. But this is the next best thing.)

The one thing that's missing in the post is greater attention to the economic constraints of losing weight - in particular, the way that healthier food is invariably more expensive, and tools for exercise (equipment, gyms, proper clothing) also costs a lot of money. To say nothing of the fact that a lot of people juggling multiple jobs may not have the time to properly exercise. Economic status can be a big barrier to a healthy lifestyle. Once upon a time, being fat was a sign of high class because it meant you had the wealth to buy a lot of food; now skinniness is the domain of those with the money to buy the organic food, hire the personal trainer, and pay the gym fees.

On a related topic, naamah_darling also has a great post on fat, clothing, and Jean Paul Gaultier's use of a large model.

Go New Jersey!

The state Supreme Court gave the OK for gay unions to have the same benefits as straight couples, though it left the legislature to decide whether the unions should be "marriages" or not. (Because OH NOEZ teh gays will turn "marriage" into an evil word!!1!)

Here's a delicious quote from Matt Daniels, president of Alliance for Marriage: "The court is holding a legal gun to the head of the State Legislature, and saying, 'Listen, there are two bullets, you get to pick the bullet: either gay marriage or civil unions.'"

Yes, because gay people getting married is like SHOOTING STRAIGHT PEOPLE IN THE HEAD.

And here I thought that the whining from heteros about how gay marriage would hurt them had reached the limits of absurdity. But luckily there's this Daniels guy to show me that that isn't so.

As of tonight, I've done four presentations for C.O.R.E. The more practice I get, the more patterns I see, both in my own behavior and those of the students I present to (as of now, fraternities and sororities).

( What I've learned )

( What I do )

( And tonight's presentation ... )