The last acceptable/open form of discrimination?
I've been seeing in a number of blogs recently that discrimination against fat people is the last acceptable form of bigotry. I'm not so sure. There are many groups which are just as maligned and which in the grand scheme of things probably suffer more. These people are failing to consider that many people would rather be accused of being fat rather than of being homosexual. Moreover, I think most people relate better to fat people than to homosexuals and trans* people, because everyone knows at least one fat person - in fact they probably grew up with fat relatives, neighbors, or friends. These same people meet relatively few openly gay or trans* people. "You're so gay" is still a popular insult, even among those who consider themselves allies (Oh, I don't mean anything by it!" they say).
Discrimination is rampant in our society. Discrimination against trans*people and homosexuals is just as common as against fat people. Discrimination against women is still common. Feminism is a dirty word. People discriminate and make derorgatory comments about racial and ethnic minorities. And each one feels they are "the last acceptable one." There are laws against discrimination against women and minorities, but when the law is enforced, the person who made the complaint, no matter how justified, is often viewed as a crybaby who should have just taken it (at least in the media and often by the offender is unrepentant). What I understand to be the small number of fraudulent filings sullies the reputation of everyone who has a complaint, just as with rape cases.
Our society still largely favors straight white males. I don't like hearing fat straight white men complaining that they are discriminated against unlike their thin/average peers. It feels kind of like the rich girl I knew in high school who pitched a royal fit when she didn't get diamond earrings for her 16th birthday. Fat compounds the discrimination issues of gender, gender identity, and sexuality, but all by itself is not much of an issue (white men are the least negatively perceived group of fat people). What's more, bigots are not generally inclined to commit violence against fat people for being fat, whereas they routinely are so inclined about trans* and homosexual people. (see Remembering our Dead, a project for awareness of violence against trans* people, and Lambda Legal's Hate Crime statistics page, and see the FBI, Bureau of Justics Statistics, RAINN, or Planned Parenthood's websites on rape and domestic violence). Still, a man who realizes he's slept with a fat woman doesn't kill her and then use 'fat panic' as an excuse, as has happened numerous times to gay and trans* people.
I'm not saying that fat discrimination doesn't exist; I understand it's fairly common. I'm saying it seems like an argument from privilege that someone's fatness will keep them from being promoted whereas someone's sexual or gender identity can get them killed. It's hard to let go of an "I'm the most persecuted" attitude, especially when you're feeling the effects of discrimination every day. But what we need is more education, more organizing, and more banding together of oppressed groups, or we're all going to stay oppressed and never going to get anything meaningful accomplished.
Discrimination is rampant in our society. Discrimination against trans*people and homosexuals is just as common as against fat people. Discrimination against women is still common. Feminism is a dirty word. People discriminate and make derorgatory comments about racial and ethnic minorities. And each one feels they are "the last acceptable one." There are laws against discrimination against women and minorities, but when the law is enforced, the person who made the complaint, no matter how justified, is often viewed as a crybaby who should have just taken it (at least in the media and often by the offender is unrepentant). What I understand to be the small number of fraudulent filings sullies the reputation of everyone who has a complaint, just as with rape cases.
Our society still largely favors straight white males. I don't like hearing fat straight white men complaining that they are discriminated against unlike their thin/average peers. It feels kind of like the rich girl I knew in high school who pitched a royal fit when she didn't get diamond earrings for her 16th birthday. Fat compounds the discrimination issues of gender, gender identity, and sexuality, but all by itself is not much of an issue (white men are the least negatively perceived group of fat people). What's more, bigots are not generally inclined to commit violence against fat people for being fat, whereas they routinely are so inclined about trans* and homosexual people. (see Remembering our Dead, a project for awareness of violence against trans* people, and Lambda Legal's Hate Crime statistics page, and see the FBI, Bureau of Justics Statistics, RAINN, or Planned Parenthood's websites on rape and domestic violence). Still, a man who realizes he's slept with a fat woman doesn't kill her and then use 'fat panic' as an excuse, as has happened numerous times to gay and trans* people.
I'm not saying that fat discrimination doesn't exist; I understand it's fairly common. I'm saying it seems like an argument from privilege that someone's fatness will keep them from being promoted whereas someone's sexual or gender identity can get them killed. It's hard to let go of an "I'm the most persecuted" attitude, especially when you're feeling the effects of discrimination every day. But what we need is more education, more organizing, and more banding together of oppressed groups, or we're all going to stay oppressed and never going to get anything meaningful accomplished.