My Feathers Have Been Ruffled

I read an article today titled:

Saying that it ruffled my feathers is an understatement. I cannot believe that there is actually an International Congress on Obesity that does nothing, but sit around and dream up new ways to condemn fat folks. 

On the other hand, I couldn't have read it at a better time. Yesterday I started doing some research regarding overweight women for some articles I plan to write in the future.  I was able to locate a lot of information that proves to be very damaging to their fat phobic views. The article I read today said:

SYDNEY (AFP) - The global obesity pandemic combined with society's anti-fat bias is more damaging to women than to men, an expert has warned at an international conference.

Not only were obese women socially stigmatised more than their male counterparts, but their health suffered to a greater degree, delegates at the 10th International Congress on Obesity heard.

Poverty was well known as both a contributor to and result of obesity, a condition that was five times more common among poor people in the developed world, she said.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Excuse me, but being FAT contributes to living in poverty? Living in poverty is a result of being FAT? Where do these people come from? That article will quote a lot of statistics that, basically, amount to fat phobic bullshit. However, here are some FAT FACTS that will quickly and effectively dismiss their phobic drivel.

What every fat person needs to know:

THE CLAIM: U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated that "Obesity is a greater threat than terrorism."

The government, politicians, media, journalists, scientists, universities,medical establishment, sociologists and social commentators, claim that obesity is an epidemic, a plague, a crisis, an outrage, a catastrophe, a time bomb responsible for killing 400,000 overfed Americans every year, while ringing up over a $100-billion in health care costs.

THE TRUTH: We are experiencing mass moral outrage over fat. Nearly all the warnings about obesity are based on statistical conjecture made by those with the most to gain from the claims.

Weight is not a barometer of wellness. More Americans die every year from weighing too little than from weighing too much. An estimated 25,000 people die from obesity. Moderately overweight people live longer than those at normal weight. (Flegal, et. al.) (See reference notes at bottom of report) The researchers who estimated that obesity is costing us more than $100 billion a year in medical costs came up with this figure by calculating ALL expenses associated with treating type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease, and cancer.

They ASSUME that if we get heart disease or breast cancer, it is because we're fat. Organizations like the International Obesity Task Force (which authored many of the World Health Organization's obesity reports) and the American Obesity Association (which actively campaigns to have obesity officially designated as a disease) are largely funded by pharmaceutical and weight loss companies. Nearly every prominent obesity "expert" has received financial support from the $50-billion weight loss industry.

The "obesity epidemic" is worth billions to the pharmaceutical, diet, weight loss, media, and government agencies fueling it.

For pharmaceutical companies the obesity epidemic justifies the release of new drugs and inflates stock prices.

For weight loss companies and surgeons performing bariatric surgery, the "obesity epidemic" funds their fees paid by health insurance providers and Medicare.

For women's magazines the "obesity epidemic" fattens ad revenue and readership with false and misleading weight loss propaganda.

For government agencies the "obesity epidemic" inflates budgets and programs allegedly aimed at preventing people from getting fatter. The Bush administration has earmarked millions of federal dollars for anti-obesity initiatives.

If you're an overweight person, don't be brainwashed by the medical field anymore. There *are* researchers studying being overweight with an unbiased eye and there *are* reports out there containing factual, instead of phobic, information. Knowledge is power, folks. The Big Fat Facts can help you educate yourself.