Now these women are coming in to get treated for cancer. They miss appointments because they had to pick up the kids from school or they didn't have a token for the bus. It is difficult for the doctors to understand why they miss treatments, why they don't purchase their medicine. They are accused of being noncompliant or not understanding the severity of the situation. Of course they understand, they're just so accustomed to putting everyone else first, that even their chemotherapy is secondary to being able to go in for their shift or watch the kids. I'm not trying to stereotype women as martyrs or angels, I'm just retelling the stories that I hear over and over again, every single day. To me, this is why feminism belongs in public health.
Many of these women are also obese or overweight. When you live in a neighborhood where there's no grocery store for miles but there's a 7-11 on every block, eating healthy becomes a joke. When you live in an area where even little children know to duck when they hear gun fire, taking a walk around the block is impossible. When you get off of a double shift and there is no food in the house but at McDonald's there is a dollar menu, what do you do? When you give everything to other people and the only thing that you have just for yourself is a candy bar or a bag of chips, how can you go on a diet?
Fat acceptance people love pointing to these women as an example of how anti-obesity activists are actually classist jerks because low income folks are made fat by oppressive systems, but then in the same breath, denying the relationship between eating habits, exercise and weight. Many of my colleagues in public health (the classist anti-obesity activist jerks) are working with communities, trying to make sustainable changes. These include programs for nutritious school lunches, subsidized fitness programs, setting up farmers markets, etc., etc. It's a big job with no easy answer, but there is a lot of community buy-in, as community members see with their own eyes the effects of poor health, poor nutrition and obesity. The last thing these communities need is fat acceptance, with their all-talk-no-action, I'm okay, you're okay drivel. Fight medical discrimination against fat people, that is awesome. Just don't deny their reality.
3 comments:
Hey there ringlet,
I've read this post and your profile and I'm interested in hearing more of what you have to say, I'll be following your blog.
I'm an FA blogger, living in the UK and a lot of what you said, rings true to my experiences of the people I know and have grown up with.
I must disagree with this assertion:
The last thing these communities need is fat acceptance, with their all-talk-no-action, I'm okay, you're okay drivel.
Whilst I agree that FA has a problem with class; this reflects society unfortunately, I think this is condescention out of keeping with the rest of what you have written.
The people you are working with/ for are not stupid, they can and do make the best choices they can out of what's available-don't we all? It's for them to decide what they do and don't need.
Why does everyone seem to fall into the same trap of assuming without asking?
Probably because obesity means that people don't know what's good for them, which illustrates a lot of the problem with 'obesity'
Whenever I discuss FA, people respond with the same variety of opinions that you would expect from a community tied together as much by income as anything else. One myth that shouldn't be pandered to is that WC people don't think, they just do, they think as much (or as little) as anyone else.
Self acceptance is most certainly not drivel, if you do not accept who you are with an open mind, whether you feel it is ideal or not, are you saying that working class people can do without that anymore than the middle classes. I know you don't think that!
Questioning both the use and level of health panic used to promote anxiety, is not the same as dismissing it. Your views on healthy living are all very well, but they can do more harm than good, if based on assumptions about the stupidity of the WC's.
Anyhow, I think that's more than enough for now and I wish you the best of luck with your endeavours, whatever we agree or disagree on, I think what you want to acheive is worthwhile (and frankly shouldn't have been taken away/ should have been there in the first place, regardless of people's class we all have the same basic needs).
Hi Wriggles, thanks for commenting.
This is a pretty typical fat acceptance response. Sometimes I think their movement is a giant game of Mad Libs. Observe the tactics:
1. I write a post accusing some FA activists of over-looking how certain systems that primarily affect lower income people lead to obesity.
FA response: No YOU'RE classist!
2. I discuss how people experiencing multiple oppressions require real solutions, not rhetoric and internet slactivism. I give examples of how public health workers are working towards change in conglomeration with the communities they serve.
FA response: You think working class people are stupid! You are condescending! You are making assumptions!
3. I mention that the FA denial of the link between poor health outcomes and obesity is the problem in this situation I *specifically* mention that fighting medical discrimination is awesome.
FA response: Why are you against self acceptance?
4. I discuss the established relationship between poor nutrition and lack of exercise with poor health outcomes.
FA response: You're engaging in health panic!
I do give Wriggles credit for abstaining from the mentioning the word "healthism", which being the word of the day, would have caused green slime to pour down onto my head. Thanks Wriggles!
Hi Ringlet
Out here where I live, there is a huge movement to bring a produce truck, grocery stores, and community gardens to parts of town that have only liquor stores and check cashing. The schools are changing over from frozen and canned only to only unprocessed whole foods. It's impressive, and I'm glad it's happening.
I also love your previous comment. You have more patience and humor than I.
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