FAT ASSES FOR PEACE.

[starstealingirl]

I should really be going back to work, but I just have to-- HAVE TO-- share the following gem of an article with y'all:

OH NOES, YOU GUYS. AMERICANS ARE GETTING TOO FAT TO JOIN THE MILITARY AND FIGHT SENSELESS WARS. WHICH SURELY MEANS THAT THE TERRORISTS ARE GOING TO WIN! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I mean, I could get upset at the uncritical fatphobia here

Comments

[theh]

That article is ridiculous. The only reason they've recently started enforcing the "too fat" rule is because there is actually now a surplus of people joining the military due to the economy being so poor. They're turning down people and kicking people out for whatever reason they can find and not meeting the height/weight requirements is the easiest one to come across. That is why significantly more people are being turned down now for being overweight--not because the childhood obesity rate is rapidly getting worse (although I don't doubt it). They're actually allowing people to quit the military if they want to now. And if they're so scared about Americans being too fat to fight in the future, maybe they should fucking stop forcing us to eat crap all the time and start subsidizing healthy food instead, start regulating the food industry again to prevent crap from being put in the market in the first place, and stop making us work such long hours with no breaks so we have time to actually move around and get some exercise. Why is

[leatherfemme]

well said.

[starstealingirl]

Um. There is no direct correlation between endurance/fitness levels and body size. Fat by no means equals out of shape, any more than thin equals fitness. In any event, my mocking is clearly directed at the idea that fat = increased security threat to the nation-- a concept the generals in the article clearly promulgate.

[theh]

I agree. Both my best friend and my fiance have struggled with weight problems their whole lives, and yet they're the fittest, strongest, healthiest people I know. They're both very active and are obsessive about their diet. And then there's me, who's scrawny as hell and is a slug all day and lives off of cookies. Go figure!

[uniquelysimilar]

Did anyone else get the "oh noes, not our cannon fodder!" vibe from this? Since, you know, the groups of people most likely to join the military fresh out of high school (poor, rural, minorities, etc.) are also most likely to be overweight. It would explain the solution of changing diets in public schools.

[starstealingirl]

I'm ashamed to say I hadn't thought about that, Emily, but-- yeah, unfortunately that makes sense.