So, here's the thing...
I'm really tired of people hearing what they want to hear, making misleading statements, and having the general populace take up the hue and cry. Especially when the hue and cry reinforces ignorance and stupidity.
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/all_women_are_fat/
Basically, the blogosphere is in an uproar because Rush Limbaugh had some unkind things to say about Mrs. Obama. Now, I am not here to defend Rush, inasmuch as I think he's a grouchy old man, and that maybe he needs to do less with the name-calling.
HOWEVER.
Every blog or "news" story that I looked at (and believe you me, I looked at a bunch) cites this gem as evidence that he is calling Michelle fat:
"What is it - no, I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, or of a woman Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you. I mean, women are under constant pressure to look lithe, and Michelle My Belle is out there saying if you eat the roots and tree bark and the berries and all this cardboard stuff you will live longer, be healthier and you won't be obese. Okay, fine, show us."
Further investigation into what was said makes me think Limbaugh's point was that Michelle does not restrict her diet the way she is suggesting other people must in order to not be fat. She's not proving that an extreme diet is a necessity. But, even if he did actually mean to call her fat... (actual rant follows)
Did these bloggers, who are oh-so-concerned with the perception of women, and the scourge of eating disorders, and the unhealthy idea that a woman who is not a size zero is fat - did these bloggers just jump on the bandwagon of everyone who doesn't look like a Sports Illustrated model is fat??? The aforementioned hue and cry is "OMG!!1! Limbaugh said Michelle is FAT!!1!"
No he didn't. He said she didn't look like a SI swimsuit model.
Guess what? Neither do I. I am ok with this.
If we want to combat the idea that not looking like a model does not equal fat, maybe we should stop reacting like it does.
And if we want to complain about the ignorant, spiteful, or hypocritical things someone says, maybe we should confine our outrage to things that person has actually said, rather than something that may have been implied. We can argue implications until we are all blue in the face; this sort of "discourse" does nothing but distract from (or worse, reinforce) actual problems. And we have plenty of those.
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/all_women_are_fat/
Basically, the blogosphere is in an uproar because Rush Limbaugh had some unkind things to say about Mrs. Obama. Now, I am not here to defend Rush, inasmuch as I think he's a grouchy old man, and that maybe he needs to do less with the name-calling.
HOWEVER.
Every blog or "news" story that I looked at (and believe you me, I looked at a bunch) cites this gem as evidence that he is calling Michelle fat:
"What is it - no, I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, or of a woman Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you. I mean, women are under constant pressure to look lithe, and Michelle My Belle is out there saying if you eat the roots and tree bark and the berries and all this cardboard stuff you will live longer, be healthier and you won't be obese. Okay, fine, show us."
Further investigation into what was said makes me think Limbaugh's point was that Michelle does not restrict her diet the way she is suggesting other people must in order to not be fat. She's not proving that an extreme diet is a necessity. But, even if he did actually mean to call her fat... (actual rant follows)
Did these bloggers, who are oh-so-concerned with the perception of women, and the scourge of eating disorders, and the unhealthy idea that a woman who is not a size zero is fat - did these bloggers just jump on the bandwagon of everyone who doesn't look like a Sports Illustrated model is fat??? The aforementioned hue and cry is "OMG!!1! Limbaugh said Michelle is FAT!!1!"
No he didn't. He said she didn't look like a SI swimsuit model.
Guess what? Neither do I. I am ok with this.
If we want to combat the idea that not looking like a model does not equal fat, maybe we should stop reacting like it does.
And if we want to complain about the ignorant, spiteful, or hypocritical things someone says, maybe we should confine our outrage to things that person has actually said, rather than something that may have been implied. We can argue implications until we are all blue in the face; this sort of "discourse" does nothing but distract from (or worse, reinforce) actual problems. And we have plenty of those.