Advancing Dignity or Time of Death?

I got a message from a reader the other day and it really made think about where my head was at just mere months ago.  There was a time when some of the causes of the organization written of below rang true.  While I sympathize with their plight, I'm not sure they are doing anything to dig themselves out of the hole they've eaten themselves into.  Thanks, Sheila, for your note and for thinking my efforts.

Sheila writes:
Hey Mike, I encountered something that made me think...and I'm curious what your take on it is.

As I was checking into the Westin SFO, I noticed that the pool was closed for a private event (a NAAFA party, the sign said), but didn't think much of it. Then I saw two particularly overweight women. Also didn't think much of it. Then another very overweight woman in a scooter approached the elevator as my partner and I were getting in. Then, in the hallway as I was going to my room, I walked past a very tall but very overweight man. It occurred to me that these people might all be at the hotel for the same convention, so I googled NAAFA, and it turns out that it's the National Association to Advance Fat People. Their website states, "Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination in all of its forms. NAAFA's goal is to help build a society in which people of every size are accepted with dignity and equality in all aspects of life. NAAFA will pursue this goal through advocacy, public education, and support."

My instinct is to feel sad that people would fight to embrace their "fatness" rather than support each other in leading a healthy lifestyle. I know that people come in all shapes and sizes, and to some degree there is no changing the shape you're born to have, but I also think that (after seeing the size of the people at the convention) the NAAFA members are leading each other to an early grave.

Being that you're someone who's fighting every day to live a healthy and active life, I'm really curious as to what your thoughts on this subject are.

My response to Sheila was of mixed emotions.  While I empathize with the obese that they deserve their dignity and some of the issues these folks are fighting for are real, I wonder how many of these fat people are doing something to change their situation.  Do I want society to see fat people seen as capable and treated with kindness and dignity?  Of course.  But in reading their website, they are couching themselves as victims of this affliction.  Even at my heaviest, I took responsibility for everything that passed my lips.  Once you fail to understand that the overwhelming majority of obesity is brought upon by personal choice, for me, the rest of your message falls upon deaf ears.

I've been subject to misconceptions as to my value and abilities as a fat person.  Yes, there were shreds of resentment towards those who judged me, but my first thought was always in changing my situation, not their perceptions.  My impression of the NAAFA is also sad one, Sheila.  Since 1969 they have been trying to advance the rights of the obese and the only thing that has advanced is obesity.  I only wish that as part of their educational efforts, a healthier lifestyle would be covered.

The NAAFA advocates a HAES policy.  That stands for Health at Every Size.  They want healthcare organizations to adopt patient's rights policies that promote self-esteem, and "valuing body size diversity."  These all sound like great things, but calling it Health at Every Size is a misnomer.  Every size is not healthy.  Obesity is the enemy.  Prejudice is ugly, yes.  Funerals for people committing suicide by food are uglier.

Be nice to fat people.  Respect them and know that they are not failed human beings.  They can be as capable as you, as smart as you and they have feelings like everyone else on this planet.  I am guilty of these prejudices on some level myself.  If the world just treated everyone with respect, then groups like the NAAFA wouldn't have to exist.  They could spend their time trying to love themselves before insisting the world love them too.  The latter needs the former to coexist.

Cya Sunday,
M

What I ate Friday and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Kashi Go Lean Crisp cereal w/toasted pecans and almond milk
Lunch ~ A sliced rotisserie chicken sandwich w/avocado and lite chipotle mayo
Snack ~ 1.5 oz. of beef jerky
Dinner ~ 1/2 a smoked turkey sandwich and lemon chicken orzo soup.
Exercise ~ Crossfit session and a 20 minute dog walk.  I went to bed very early as a result.

To learn more about the NAAFA, visit http://www.naafaonline.com.