WLS Protest Article AGAIN!
Barbara,
I first heard of this stunt a couple days ago… and was horrified- to
say the least! I kept wondering what I would have done had I been one of those
people in that room, facing a difficult decision, scared of surgery, scared
of my situation to remain as it was, and feeling as if I had come to a point
where I was trying to make my life better for myself. What ticks me off (and
trust me, I’m trying to restrain myself here), is that I don’t walk up to any MO
person and try to push my choices on to them under the misguided heading of
“education.” I expect the very same from my MO brothers and sisters. I tried
to subscribe to the fat activist movement- unfortunately, it felt as if I was
lying to myself (and every other important person in my life) when I had to
constantly remind myself that I was happy being the way I was, and that I loved
myself. I did not love the fact that I couldn’t stand up for very long, nor
did I love the fact that I cried in dressing rooms when nothing fit, I
certainly did not love not fitting into roller coasters, or through turnstiles,
or
couldn’t keep up with my friends, or go out dancing (crimeny- I couldn’t walk
more than a block and a half without getting out of breath, what makes me think
I
could go out dancing very long?) I certainly did not love the fact that I
sweated doing EVERYTHING- even sitting around. Yikes… this really makes me
pissed.
I know I’m preaching to the choir. The point of this missive is a bravo-
bravo to you for standing up and letting your voice be heard in the eloquent
and brave way that I have seen you do ever since I’ve been a member here. You
have shared the good stuff and the bad stuff, and I don’t know if I’ve ever
said it, but, thank you.
Smiles,
Jess
Lap RNY12/02/02
314/165/???
December 30th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I agree with much of what Barbara and others have said about the fat
activist movement and their protests against weight loss surgery. I
don’t understand why you can’t demand respect and fair and
compassionate treatment of ALL people, including fat people, while
at the same time acknowledging the health consequences of obesity.
I still support many of the goals of the fat acceptance movement
even if I think they’re deluding themselves when they claim that
even morbidly obese people can remain healthy.
But I did find the ad quoted in the article raised my hackles. It
said “It’s not what you have to lose, it’s what you have to gain.
Pride. Dignity. And Better Health.” This DOES imply that obese
people can’t have pride or dignity, and I find that offensive. I’m
glad the hospital pulled those ads, and I hope the protests cause
them to re-think the way they get their message across.
Celia
December 31st, 2006 at 12:22 am
Jess and Barbara,
Well said. In the last few months, we have also had anti-WLS
newspaper articles published that I have felt the need to respond
to. I, along with others, did prompt the reporter to also publish a
more unbiased article in a later edition.
Over the last few years, I had such a struggle that I finally came to
the conclusion that either I was going to have to accept the fact
that I was going to be fat or do something serious about it. I tried
to accept it, but the fact is that I can’t accept myself as fat as I
was and I berated myself almost constantly because of it. This lead
to more binge eating and was really a terribe way to live. I had no
co-morbities, besides a nagging sense of desperation, when I made the
decision to have surgery. I am glad that some people can come to
terms and even love the fact that they are fat. This is one
alternative to the solution and a lot bettter choice that wallowing
in self-pity and depression over it. But, I think that our decision
to take action should be respected, also. It is an agonizing
decision and I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be to
be the target of a protest at an informational meeting. I know, for
me, it took guts just to get to the point that I could publicly admit
that I was so overweight that I needed to have the surgery and to
actually attend a meeting. I was lucky to meet a very supportive
group of people. Had I been at the meeting described in this
article, I would have likely ran back home and hid from it even
longer.
I often feel like I have a born-again mentality and want to preach to
every M.O. person I see. I think, “Listen to me, I know a better
way!!” But do I know where these people are in their lives? Do I
have the right to make them feel like I am making a judgement on
them? I would not want to be the cause of that pain. So, I do not
initiate conversations, but am open about my decision and happy to
discuss it with interested people.
I’m done now. You all have a great day!!
Kim