Friday, October 29, 2010

Kissing

I wasn't going to write about the fat hating blogger because hate is hate. Not much more to say. Anyone who has read comments on posts about fatness knows that this kind of hatefulness is out there. Read the comments on her post. Hate and hate and more hate. Her apology is completely disingenuous. She "never wanted to be a bully" but those people are really fat. Oh, and she used to be anorexic. She doesn't hate fat people she just doesn't want to be fat.
Sigh.
The creator of the show writes that he was hurt and sad for his friends (the stars of the show) who would read such horrible things being said about them. I wonder why he isn't hurt and sad every time he listens to them do the self hating dialog in the show. He says the fat jokes were going to go away as the show evolved but it's hard to take that seriously because all of the people on the show are targeted. Clearly the writers think making fun of people is funny.
No one is making the connections that seem obvious to me. The show sets the standard for the ideas about fat people. Nothing the blogger wrote is worse than many of the jokes I heard in the two episodes I watched. I've already written about my disappointment in the show.
So why am I writing about it? Because some of the people who read me don't really get that fat hatred is real. I remember talking to a teacher about it and seeing her expression change from interest to one of wondering if I might need meds. I told her a few of the things that had been said to me and her expression changed again to one of shock. She had no idea. But I doubt she gave it much more thought.
Pattie wrote a great post about Love Your Body day. I love the affirmation.
I am so fat.
Yes.
I too am so fat.
I can count the times I've seen a serious kiss between fat people on TV or in a movie. I remember them because they were a shock to my system. I was filled with the kind of conflict a person has when what they want to be true is so rarely portrayed.
I remember people being uncomfortable seeing Gay people kiss. There was lots of chatter about the kiss on Modern Family. I remember when seeing people of color kiss freaked people out.
Representation matters.
And where is NAAFA? Was there a press release I missed? There is a protest happening. Very cool.
I feel angry. I feel like I've been angry for such a long time. The haters don't make me as angry as the very nice people who don't get it. Hate is hate.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I found myself quite wounded by the hate I read in the now-infamous MC article. In fact it made me cry.

I try so very hard to forget what goes on behind people's eyes when they see me. The very honest, if cruel, thoughts in MC reminded me that people hate me just for existing.

I don't watch television. I have opted out of McWorld for a number of reasons, including the way the media treats people who look like me. Thus, I had never heard of Mike and Molly before that horrible article.

I have since watched the clip of them kissing. It made me cry, too. But not because it was ugly; but rather because it was so sweet. It was so wonderful to see people who look like me just being human.