Thursday, January 31st, 2008...3:08 pm

Education Key To Obesity Deaths

Reuters: “Fat People Who Don’t Know They’re Supposed To Die Live On In Ignorance”

Article Highlights:

  • Ignorant, poorly-educated fat people fail to develop the health problems their fatness makes necessary.
  • Problem particularly widespread among African-Americans, who as a group have often failed to stigmatize fatness properly.

Steps To Take

  1. Write your legislators and demand more funding for stigmatizing obesity in inner city schools.
  2. Reach out to the overweight African-American community. Tell them that they are unattractive and destined for an early grave.
  3. If you are an overweight Caucasian woman, congratulations! You’re dying beautifully. Keep it up.
  4. If you are a stereotypically “fat an’ sassy” African-American woman, please realize that your aberrant level of health may be endangering the ability of others to be properly ostracized. It isn’t always about you.
  5. If you are a diet company, be socially responsible by acting to redress the racial inequities. Consider recruiting a formerly “body-positive” African-American celebrity to act as your spokeswoman, for instance.

10 Comments

Filed under News Briefs

10 Comments

  • Sniper
    January 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    If you are an overweight Caucasian woman, congratulations! You’re dying beautifully. Keep it up.

    Um. Thanks!

  • Twistie
    January 31st, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Thank goodness Jenny Craig has recruited Queen Latifah for their newest health campaign! I firmly believe that if we can keep Bad Facts away from young African American girls and play Queen Latifah’s JC ads on an endless loop, this may go a fair way to closing the shame gap (tmTwistie) between black and white within the next generation.

  • AnnieMcPhee
    January 31st, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    Don’t worry, Dr. Reverend Mr. Ian Smith is hard at work to redress the racial inequity in fatocide. “““In tandem, the online Challenge community and the church can be the ultimate support group,” said Dr. Smith. The African-American community is especially hard hit by ‘weight-related’ health risks, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other health related problems, he said. His church tour and 50 Million Pound Challenge rallies and gatherings have added to his celebrity.

    This Challenge is said to be the largest and most far-reaching national “health” initiative ever directed to the African American community.” http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/01/tv-diet-doctor-spreading-gospel-of.html

  • Lothealf
    January 31st, 2008 at 7:58 pm

    Thank thinness the truth is finnaly out! This is what we need to teach in schools.

  • Sniper
    January 31st, 2008 at 9:46 pm

    This is what we need to teach in schools.

    Yeah! Why leave the valuable work of shaming to bullies and bad teachers? It should be part of every curriculum.

  • Kathy
    January 31st, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    I am so sick of everyone expecting public schools to raise their children and do their shaming for them. If you want to instill a true and righteous fear of bad facts that lasts beyond high school, body shame needs to begin AT HOME, people. Otherwise it won’t stick half as well.

  • Phledge
    February 1st, 2008 at 12:07 am

    AE, I have to say, it’s difficult to know which of your readers understand the truth and which of them are spewing Bad Facts(TM). That’s the power of good writing. Keep it up!

  • Helen
    February 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 am

    Hahaha. Awesome. Just… awesome.

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  • littlem
    February 3rd, 2008 at 4:41 am

    “Reach out to the overweight African-American community. Tell them that they are unattractive and destined for an early grave.”

    Not to limit the mirth around her unduly, but as a multiracial gal, I can unequivocally state that this IS in fact happening in many communities of color — Hispanic-American, Jewish-American, East Indian American — in addition to African-American. (Check Campos, for starters.)

    So no worries there, mate.

    You can drop your scholars a note to update their studies, though, as upwardly mobile girls of all colors — mostly from their upwardly mobile boys (in addition to from their dear moms so that the upwardly mobile boys will “want them”) — are subject to these pressures.

    Equality of oppression for all!

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