I admit I am overweight and unfit and if I am really truthful I am obese. But I did not get here by overeating day in day out. I don't believe I am alone in this. But I am sick and tired of jokes about fat people and what they eat. I am particularly tired of hearing it on my way to work every second morning on 94.5 (in Perth). I have been a listener of Botica's Bunch for probably 15 years or more - well since he first started on Perth radio really so it may be even longer. But recently the amount of fat people jokes told by one of the Bunch - Captain Paul - and then commented on and made worse by the rest of the Bunch made me turn off the radio. How dare they in their ivory tower judge me. They don't know my story. They don't know what got me here, but guess what, I have chosen not to listen any more. I am just one listener and they don't even know I am gone - but I am. I am not moving to another radio station as their morning shows are all really bad but I have a 6-stacker CD player in my car and lots of CDs to play. So goodbye Botica's Bunch have a great time in what must be your perfect slim lives.
And to the rest of the world who looks at overweight people and thinks they know their stories - well I bet you are not even close. Shows like Biggest Loser don't help - as all the people on there are overeaters - stories on things like Today Tonight are the same - someone loses a lot of weight and they show how much food that particular person eats in a day and so the public's perception is that every overweight or obese person must do that.
Sure some people overeat, some just because they love food, some because they use food for comfort and some because they can. But there are a lot of people like me, I eat what my husband eats and he is not overweight. You go figure. I'm not saying I don't occasionally enjoy chocolate (it is after all the best thing in the world) and other things like potato chips or cheezels but I deliberately don't have them in the house so when I do want them I have to make an effort and it is a conscious choice. Oh and for the record my boss' wife eats a family block of chocolate a night, pretty much every night of the week and she is a size 6.
I used to be a size 10-12 then I had babies and went on the pill for 5 months - that was all and no doctor has been able to tell me why that has made my weight increase, but it has.
So if you are thin and you see an overweight person eating an icecream don't shake your head and think to yourself - I know why they are overweight - it may be the only icecream they have had in a year.
And if you too are sick of being the butt of the jokes - just turn off the radio like I have.
Just because you are fat doesn't mean you can't have a sense of humur. Plenty of fatty's are funny (or even jolly!). I think you need to lighten up (no pun intended) and have a bit of a laugh. Most jokes have someone of something joked about (ever laughed at an Irish joke or a joke about Eddie McGuire?). I don't think a radio announcer is targetting you directly. In fact, I have heard that particular show and I think the joke telling traffic guy is the butt of most of the jokes and I don't see him blogging and having a cry publicly about it - he seems to laugh it off as it is just a joke. Maybe you should put the fork down and use your mouth for having a laugh instead. Life is too short not to laugh at yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, honestly, what a pathetic comment. "Put your fork down and use your mouth for having a laugh instead?" How rude, and more to the point, how spineless. Not even having the courage to stand up and put your name to your comment.
ReplyDeleteAaaah, the internet: where cowards can hide behind anonymous identities and insult others.
ReplyDeleteOverweight people can lose weight but assholes will always be assholes.
Well Anonymous - thank you for your comment - funny thing is I don't laugh at Irish jokes or blonde jokes or jokes about Eddie McGuire or Sam Newman. I don't think jokes that target a race of people, a person by their hair colour or just because someone makes an idiot of themselves on TV are funny. I actually don't tell those type of jokes either and surprisingly enough I had originally written that in my post and removed it. So maybe I don't have a sense of humour but what I do have is a sense of pride and courage. So you are welcome to your opinions just as I am welcome to mine. But you know what frustrates me the most about your comment, is not that you attempted to insult me (which by the way didn't really work), it is that your put the fork down statement showed that you didn't get what I was saying at all and so your comment is in fact worthless and shows that you are just as ignorant as those people that tell those types of jokes.
ReplyDeleteOnly cowards comment anonymously and say such empty stupid things.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, lay off my friend, she was really brave to talk about what she did in her blog.
Here's a suggestion for you, maybe you should put your ego down and go look in the mirror.
Seriously, whats the point of commenting and running without leaving your name, did you really think that she would take advice from a cowardice person like you? If you did you are delusional.
Kakka - thanks for your post, I agree with you, there are plenty of people who's weight issues are related to anything but food. I have a friend who is so sick she can't exercise and she is obese, she is judged all the time and its very frustrating for her. For some reason people seem to think that someone else's weight is public domain whereas in fact it is no ones business but their own.
Kakka - I'd blog this commenter.
Anonymous.....if you knew the person whose blog this is you would know she has a fantastic sense of humour and also defends others who are sometimes targetted by cruel people.
ReplyDeleteI too am overweight because I have arthritis from my head right through to my big toes, a crippling back problem and have just had bi-lateral total hip replacements. It is because of this I am unable to walk any distance and do much more than exercises when sitting.
I too eat the same food (perhaps even less) than my husband and he is of normal weight while I am about 20kg too heavy. I do not drink any cool drinks, eat chips, cheezels etc., or any of that type of food so 'anonymous' unless you know your facts you should keep your mouth SHUT until you know what and whom you are talking about.
I know nothing of the radio show mentioned as, being nearly 80, I do not like commercial FM radio and I definitely do not watch any of the so-called funny shows on television where so often these days people constantly take the mickey out of others and some of the "mickey-takers" really should take a look at themselves first. I just don't like smart arses of any kind.
P.S. Like Kakka I also went on the pill (but for medical reasons) when in my 30s and put on 2 stone (28 lbs) in 3 months. Needless to say I threw the prescription away but since that time have always had a problem losing weight easily. I do think some females are more affected by the pill than others. I do not use this as an excuse but it does seem to have a bearing on why some women are overweight after being on the pill. I do think that 'back then' the pill definitely had more side effects than it does now.
Hang on....we're not supposed to laugh at Eddie McGuire jokes???????
ReplyDeleteslowly backing out of the room. ;)
Thanks to Mel, Beef, Mimsie and Amanda for coming to my defense. It is really heart-warming to find that cyberfriends and family are behind me. However Anonymous is entitled to their opinion and because this is an open blog they are able to comment and I won't take their comment down for that reason. Yes it would have been nice if they had the courage and conviction to sign their name but again that is their choice.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mel - you can laugh at whatever and whoever you find funny including Eddie McGuire - I think quite a lot of people are on your side on that one. Plus we all need to laugh every day if we can. xxx