Come On America

Come on America……………Stop Being Fat

These were the last words after an episode of “The Cleveland Show”, a spin off of “Family Guy”  two of the brainchildren of Seth McFarland.

….Family Guy, so popular that after it was cancelled.  fox (I refuse to give them a capital letter) took one look at the epic DVD sales and managed to re-hire them.  American Dad was introduced in the interim and now we have three shows with McFarland’s unique and sometimes laser sharp point of view.

A viewer ship of over 1 million most weeks, and that doesn’t even count Hulu and other online services, which is where I watch it.

That’s a lot of people with the same sense of humor.

I am wary of my opinion here, as I do not want to come across as Isaac Hayes did when he quit doing voiceover work for south park because they attacked Scientology............Especially because as Chef he mocked them all…I could find a list but trust me he slung mud at the best of them.

I watch all of Seth McFarland’s work, have done for years.  I think he has an incredible wit and his voice acting and singing are about as good as it gets.  He is an amazing talent.  What I do have a problem with is, some, just some of the verbal hits he has served over the years.

One that comes to mind is a barber shop quartet singing “You’ve got Full Blown Aids” in four part harmony.  I thought that was over the line.  My line.  I’m not exactly sure where my line is, some irreverence on most topics is necessary to deal with most things.….”Ya hafta laugh” 

It’s one of the reasons Jon Stewart does so well, that and of course the puppet show that can be law making in this country.

When South Park started having a talking poo as a regular character…and two kids who were mentally/and physically challenged saying all the punch lines in slowed and slurred speech, I changed the channel.  I haven’t really switched back. There again is my line.

My wandering point is this… I’m all for a great set of jokes, smart, witty, insightful and poignant, sometimes I even like gross.

And I believe in everyone’s right to express them.  I can always change the channel.

 I do not expect to get my moral compass from a cartoon and I do expect to dislike some of what I see. 

Bullying is becoming more acknowledged in this country, specifically because of the last few months.  Several young men have taken their own lives and several have been brutally beaten just because they were gay.

The media have jumped on this band wagon big time.  Shows on TV are addressing it.  Talk show host are monologuing about it. Websites have been set up to create a network for those fighting against abuse, verbal, physical or mental.

Being gay is a trial for a lot of young men and women.

Recently a gay slur in a trailer for a new movie received a great deal of backlash, because as much as they candy coated it, in that scene, they were derogatory.

So who’s left? Who can we as a society make fun of on a general basis and everybody else won’t care? 

Well? What about all the fat people? That’ll work…Don’t get me wrong, there are many other types of people that are being made fun of, but this seems to be,  from most evidence socially acceptable

Bullying is bullying…verbal abuse is verbal abuse…mental anguish is mental anguish.

I am almost 40 years old and some stranger called me a fat bitch in the street two days ago and I can’t seem to shake it.  He cut in front of me, 15 ft from a stop light without indicating, so I hit the horn, basically cuz he scared the crap out of me.  He got out of his car, saw me…told me to “Shut Up You Stupid Fat Bitch” and drove off. 

I happened at the Pink Concert last year, leaving safeway with groceries, shouted from a passing car as I waited for the bus.  One time, convinced that I was cutting in line at Costco, a man took more than a few minutes to assess what my friend and I had in our cart and announced at some volume that it was …..”No wonder your ass is as big as it is…look at all that food”  His partners cart seemed more full, but I might have imagined that.  When asked by his partner “ What are you doing?” ….he responded “ Oh no don’t worry….she deserves it”

This unfortunately has been a very common theme my whole life.  Which might seem odd as I was not an overweight  kid…but I was tall early, and developed hips and boobs early and by the time I was 12,  I was a size 12.

I know in this country 12 is still considered large (which floors me)  but where I’m from it wasn’t so stark.  I had just entered the race a little early.

So I was ‘big’.   No explanation, no information.  TV didn’t really help me see that I existed, if a plus size person was on anything, they were always sure to mention it! Make fun of it. So as a lot of kids do, when rejected early, sought comfort....not drinking or drugs.....but toast, lots of warm comforting toast....


And as they say, watch out for escalation.....

There have been some steps, but overall I feel like there are certain adjectives that have become synonymous with being….’big”

E.g. Lazy…see reference point …."Big fat and lazy",

Others include but are not limited to....... unhealthy, dirty, gross and unfit.

I do enjoy seeing what the dictionary has to offer...on occasion it can be a sideline, a bulls-eye or a complete change in view...this time it offered all three.....however what intrigues me is its use as one of it's definitions.............productive/rich.  

Here's some other positives listed, (none I've ever heard on the playground, mind you....) Flourishing, fruitful, good (yes...good...look it up!), Lush, prosperous, cushy, fertile and thriving.

Oh........... to have been told I was cushy and lush.   A good and softer alternative for the boys to play with.......that would have been nice.

There is such hypocrisy in this country, we scream for the rights to free speech for equality for everyone.  But locally, in the day to day........ the discrimination is everywhere.

I’m not asking for a revolution.  

I am asking for that moment before you speak.           

Before you go straight to hate or anger or whatever possesses you to expel yourself on another human being.  A human being who is just like you, who struggles with life’s own usually sarcastic and ironic turns. Who has a family, whether that be good or bad…and is just trying to get through the day with some self respect and dignity…...

We are your mothers, your sisters, your aunts, your children, your lovers and your friends.

Before you go to that place, before you expel, maybe be kind instead.... or just keep that comment, (which by the way feels like an expression of how all people feel, a dagger to one’s self confidence, a true and audible representation of one’s own fear, a reason to stay behind closed doors).   

Your restraint, could be the peace that gives someone the strength to get through the next day....
 

So........ Come on America.

Top Ten Blogs about Depression : 

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/22/top-ten-depression-blogs-2010/

A Body Positive Site:

http://bodypositive.com/

An Organization ending size discrimination:

http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/

Retail Therapy:

http://www.torrid.com
http://www.igigi.com

So You Think You Can Dance? 

http://www.bigmoves.org/