(no subject)
For those of you that are on Facebook, you know that it can be a little bit of a scary place when it comes to encountering a LOT of negativity about size, especially as it's full of teens and college-age kids still figuring out who they are. Generally I don't let it get to me, but when a friend pointed out this group to me, I was shocked:
http://rutgers.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2256536649
The "Rules for Fat Chicks" is seriously disturbing (see below), and has more than 140 members. And as I discovered with some more poking around, simply plugging "fat" into the group search turns up more than 4 dozen groups made expressly for the purpose of discussing how disgusted they are by fat people, some with as many as 500 or 1000 members.
And browsing through the topics and walls, I was seriously horrified. A lot of college kids seem to have huge amounts of anger, violent anger, towards fat people. And call me naive if this is some universal truth I didn't realize sooner, but if this is what people are thinking when I walk around campus, then I'm actually afraid for my safety.
I know that Facebook is the dregs of the internet, but there is supposed to be a minimum of decency with the creation of groups, as the policy notes, "groups that attack a specific person or group of people (e.g. racial) will not be tolerated." Shouldn't this include people of size or am I just overreacting? Should I ask the site maintainers about it, and what would I say?
I don't know. It was a depressing evening looking through all that, so I coped in the only way I could think of, which was to create my own group, Ban Fatphobia!. Join if you like, it's global.
Stuff like this manifests itself on campus all the time, but it's just odd to realize that sometimes these are the kinds of thought processes behind the actions I often write off as garden-variety ignorance.
EDIT: here's the insane example I mentioned above. But there are a lot of groups like this:
The rules so far for the `Fat Chick Reform Act 2007`
Hereby stand the rules for `fat chicks` from now on:
1. If you are classified as a ´fat chick´then you must stay inside your home until the wieght is lost and you are no longer a disgusting blob of offensive blubber.
2. The only reason for a ´fat chick´ being allowed to leave the home is in case of fire. (this is purely a safty measure as if the ´fat chick´ were to catch on fire she might explode)
3. A´fat chick` is only allowed to use a phone if the call is of vital importance, if the `fat chick`has fingers that are too fat to dial a phone she will be issued with a speacial `dialling rod`will be delivered to her home.
4. During a `fat chick´s´ time at home she must have the curtains closed at all times so that no person from the general public will be offended if they accidently look through the `fat chicks` window.
5. Upon being classified as a `fat chick` you will be administered with a special scale that you must use daily, only when this scale accepts your body/fat ratio as acceptable can you apply for freedom from your home (this application must be sent to the appropriate agent on your area and may take 2-5 weeks to be processed)
6. Upon being given freedom from you home you must attend regular fat tests every week for up to a year, this is similar to probation from prison but if it is found that you have regained the weight you will not only be sent back to your home, you will also be shot in both feet.
7. Upon being classified a `fat chick`you will be given an official weight loss document. This document will give you plenty of tips on how to lose weight in your home and will also contain phone numbers to order gym and weight loss equipment to be delivered to your home.
8. During your time at home all cloths that are considered too tight or too short shall be confiscated and given to the skinny. All photos of you shall also be confiscated and burned.
9. `Fat Chicks` are banned from having sex....period!
10. `Fat Chicks` are banned from having children as they may turn out to be fat themselves and if that is the case they will be gased.
11. If a ´Fat Chick`is ill and needs to go to hospital im afraid thats just too bad...NO ambulances shall be sent!!!
12. If a ´fat chick` is married her husband is just as much to blame for letting his women turn herself into such a gross mess, therefore all ´fat chick`rules shall apply to the husband unless he agrees immediately for a divorce (in the case of divorce the ´fat chick`recieves nothing and must be moved to a ´fat chick`detention center as she will no longer have a home to stay in.
13. If a girl is on the verge of being a ´fat chick`she must be cautious as if he mannerisms appear ´fat chick`like (i.e she wears tight cloths that look unnatractive and is loud and annoying) then any person of the public can call the police and have her arrested and sent to court where she will be trialled and possibly given the status of ´fat chick`and immediately sent home.
14. Every doorway to every building will have strict regulations on width, hright is not a factor. If anyone has difficulty entering through these new doorways they will have to attend a ´fat chick`court hearing where they chall be trialled.
15. Anyone who is friends with a ´fat chick`may be punished if they visit the ´fat chick`at home for any reason other than to check if they are still alive.
16. While at home ´fat chicks`are not allowed to eat anything, they may only consume tap water. This is to ensure that they lose weight and become acceptable to society.
17. ´Fat chicks`cant vote.
These are only the preliminary rules for the `FAT CHICK REFORM ACT 2007` so please post more regulations on this group that you think the reform act should include.
It is also important to mention that this is a global reform act, its impact and legislation shall be worldwide!