Today’s Topic: Privilege

Image courtesy of lamnee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Holden: Remember that idea we’ve been throwing around for a while?

Nathan: How Childish Gambino is a better artist than Drake?

Holden: That’s an argument we don’t need to have and you don’t want to have.

Nathan: Hahaha a battle for another day perhaps.

Holden: You know what I’m getting at.

Nathan: Fat shaming and thin privilege.

Holden: Yup. The issue has been popping up all over my facebook

and it doesn’t quite roll with me. We’ve got some fat to chew on this topic. Let’s break bread — Wonder Bread — and discuss it.

Nathan: Godamnit Holden. This is serious. The issue has been weighing heavy on my heart.

Holden: Okay. What exactly is thin privilege? What is fat shaming?

Nathan: What we were doing there Holden, was exercising our thin privilege. We made fat puns at the expense of people who are morbidly obese.

Holden: Can the heavier set not make the same stupid puns?

Nathan: Their argument is that it’s funny to our culture because the people are fat. And that’s a form of sizeism. And thin people don’t have to experience that. I can see that. I actually am in agreement that fat shaming is a bad thing, hating on people for a body type, while occasionally hilarious, isn’t productive.

Holden: Chris Farley wouldn’t have been the same comedian if he were thin. And hell, might still be alive.

Nathan: Right, but what I can’t understand is this:  (I quote directly from thisisthinprivelege.tumblr.org, a prominent thin privilege blog and the first item that comes up when you search thin privilege):

“Being able to go to the doctor without the assumption that your health issues exist because of your weight.  Also the ability to use equipment to monitor your health such as your arm fitting the circumference of blood pressure machines, scales than go up to 350 lbs., etc.”

Holden: I guess those are a few things I do take for granted...

Nathan: Except: This. Being obese is a health concern. The doctor’s job is to keep people healthy. And people who refuse to acknowledge being heavy is bad for them because they hold on to this idea that it’s the system conspiring against them — not their eating habits — are shortening their lives.

Holden: And looking “fat” is a symptom.

Nathan: Exactly.

Holden: I think the argument is less against physical health and more a matter of respect. Maybe even courtesy? They’re saying, I think, that they are fully aware of the struggle they’re going through and would appreciate a respectful recognition.

Nathan: So then should I admit my non-cigarette smoker privilege. Because I don’t smoke most girls who don’t smoke find me more appealing. I don’t have to go outside in the cold to participate in my habit. I’m not damaging my lungs. I don’t have to go to the doctor and have him tell me that there are health problems from my smoking. Smokers have to deal with that. We should all recognize that.

Holden: I know some nonsmokers who find smoking bearable, some even sexy.

Nathan: And some girls are chubby chasers. Besides the point.

Holden: Touche. Can we define what we mean as fat?

Nathan: In this circumstance I’m referring to people who are considered obese and are at significant health risk. Not people who are a little overweight, or big boned, or built solidly.  

Holden: Where do we draw the line? At the point where someone has to buy a plane ticket for each ass cheek?

Nathan: They have an argument for that:

“Stop acting like the airline seats are built based on some statistical conclusion of some “average-sized” human and that fat people deserve to pay for two seats because they take up two pretend “average-sized” seats. Stop acting like it’s perfectly fine for an airline to pick an arbitrary seat size and then use that as a measurement for whether or not it’s morally justified to look down on you because your ass doesn’t comfortably fit in it.” http://thisisthinprivilege.tumblr.com/

Holden: I’m hesitant to criticize their perspective. I think there are reasons why we collectively, as a culture toss light and joke at the fat issue. I think there are biological reasons, normative reasons —they are degrees from the archetype— and fear-based reasons —we don’t want to be that unhealthy and estranged from the desired norm. What you’re getting at, with the tobacco analogy, is that you think it’s a matter of choice. I think it’s a tragic byproduct of our perverse cultural diet.

Nathan: Maybe it’s part of it, but what concerning is when people, intentionally or not, equate this to white privilege. Very few people are born fat. Plenty of people aren’t born white.

Holden: But plenty of kids are fed, and subsequently addicted to, nutritional poison. Kids who live miles away from fresh produce, and kids with seriously misguided parents, are being physically indoctrinated with obesity. And there’s billions of dollars propagating and perpetuating this perversion.

Nathan: I don’t deny it’s that way for part of the population, and we need to work to remedy that. But people who promote thin privilege discusses the idea of being obese the same way a person discusses their gender, sexual orientation, or race and it’s relation to society. This is opposed to discussing it like a health risk that people are struggling with, and will only serve increase the number of people who are obese.

Holden: I’m not so sure of that. And I think there is a distinct economic lens that we need to peer through: over-processed, unhealthy food is cheap and accessible. You can — and I have! — buy 20 chicken McNuggets for under 5 bucks.

Nathan: You’re absolutely right, and we need to address that. But, did you read the quote above about going to the doctor.

Holden: That has to be an aberration. We need to recognize the systemic impact. I agree that obesity is an issue that can be addressed — diet and exercise are not myths. But it’s something that is forced upon people.

Nathan: I disagree. Some people are more likely to become obese because of societal factors than others, but ultimately it is a choice. Sure it’s much harder for some people, but so is quitting smoking as well as for anything appealing or harmful (or both) that your environment puts in front of you.

Holden: Like porn. I think we have a similar baseline: being overweight is not something to be proud of — it’s empirically unhealthy — but it’s a struggle that we should not belittle.

Nathan: For the most part yes…

Holden: No?

Nathan: Well, again, there is also the uncomfortable possibility thin privilege allows people who totally convinced about the idea of white privilege and other similar principles to decide to totally ignore the whole ‘privilege' idea because they conflate the two. Thus slowing societal recognition of real discrimination.

Holden: Moral of the story: recognize white privilege and eat more kale.

Nathan: Oy.