Comments on: Annals of Personal Responsibility, Cathy Seipp Edition

By: pseu

pseu — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 17:57:59 +0000

I’m afraid my “fat activism” has been limited to reading and occasionally posting on a few blogs and boards over the last year, so I’m a bit ignorant of the history you’re referring to. I seem to have inadvertently stepped into the middle of a personal beef, and as I have “no dog in this fight”, I’m going to disengage from the discussion.

By: Devon

Devon — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 17:46:56 +0000

You’re a fat activist and you have no idea what I’m talking about? Let’s just put it this way: the oldest and still highest profile fat activism group had a male founding member. He did all these great things for women – really was going to help them reclaim fat. Some people said fat was a feminist issue, and isn’t it odd that he’s leading us, doesn’t he have an ulterior motive… They were shouted down. “He’s our brave leader! You are trolls!” Why, he cared so much about women he started having get togethers for the group, so these lovely fat women could meet men who admired them. And he started a magazine to show how beautiful these women were. Of course, he also supported feederism, and his group and magazine became the best place for men who were into that to find those women and victimize them. So if you read a blog – just an information blog – that all of a sudden starts talking about taking it to the next level, get togethers, activism… Be afraid. Be very afraid. If you want more information about this, you should track down Kell Brigan. Before she was silenced by… well, you know… she was at the forefront of the fat activism movement and exposed a lot of interesting things about various males in the movement.

By: pseu

pseu — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 04:03:21 +0000

I have no idea who this “Conrad” is you’re referring to, so I’m at a disadvantage. And no one dictates my “agenda”, thanks all the same. As a feminist like you, I’m capable of looking at all sides of an argument and drawing my own conclusions, only some of which I’ve actually voiced in this thread. Maybe you’ve mistaken me for someone else, just as I confused your bombastic rhetorical style for Fumento’s?

By: Devon

Devon — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 03:10:35 +0000

I’m a woman, like you, and it’s why I’m so horrified by this whole thing. Seriously, fat is a feminist issue. Why you’re letting a man dictate your agenda is beyond me. The last one to do it was Conrad, and you know what his ulterior motives were. Remember, there was a time when people said “How could Conrad be evil? He’s in charge of the best fat activism group around! It’s not like those meetings are really meat markets where feeders grope us.”

By: pseu

pseu — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 00:27:29 +0000

You’re not Michael Fumento are you? You sound kind of like him.

By: Devon

Devon — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 00:25:36 +0000

My apologies. Not all doctors and researchers. Just the overwhelming majority that come down against fat acceptance. Here’s my suggestion: pay off some doctors and researchers on your side. You can hire McDonalds and Krispy Kreme to help you.

By: pseu

pseu — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 00:15:03 +0000

I never said all of the doctors and researchers in the world. Nice hyperbole, there. You seem do be adept at strawman arguments, so I’ll leave you to them. Have fun.

By: Devon

Devon — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 22:25:25 +0000

You’ve hit it on the head, pseu. All the doctors and researchers in the world are on the payroll of the diet and pharmaceutical industry. That doesn’t sound at all like a fringe conspiracy theory. You know, I’m surprised that doctors try to cure disease at all. Think of how much more money could be made just treating the symptoms without actually curing the disease! I bet there’s a lab in the desert that has the cure to AIDS, cancer, etc. The cures are only doled out to rich and well connected politicians. You’re really on to something. You don’t sound at all like someone desperately clinging to a thread of hope that lack of willpower isn’t responsible for weight in the vast majority of cases.

By: pseu

pseu — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 22:01:40 +0000

And regarding the question of “objectivity”, does it matter to Devon that the “obesity researchers” most often quoted in the media promoting weight loss for the sake of health are getting their research funding from weight loss and pharmaceutical companies? Or actually sit on the boards of Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and are paid fees by those companies?

By: Devon

Devon — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 20:32:57 +0000

May I be permitted an anology? Remember that professor a year or two ago that came out with the controversial book that said underage sex with adults was actually pretty normal and not damaging? Now, what if it turned out that professor was a pedophile? Would that put a different spin on her research? You have a man in Paul who’s a strong advocate for not dieting or losing weight – against the VAST majority of research and opinion. Yes, there are one or two books that support his position. He quotes them constantly, while ignoring or dismissing every other study done in the history of time. If it turns out that he might have an, um, unbiased reason for wanting people to remain unhealthy, isn’t that worth examining?

By: Larry

Larry — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 15:26:31 +0000

Devon: can you divulge your sexual fetishes and preferences here, as well? It sounds to me that if you want Paul to divulge his, you need to divulge yours. So, are you straight? Gay? Are you into bondage? As you can see this is extremely relevant to your conversation. This discussion makes me sick.

By: Devon

Devon — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 09:41:51 +0000

Great post, Paul. You really came up with everything but a denial about being an FA. Your “appreciative” comments on your blog about faceless fat women being so attractive would be my first clue. There are others. Take a look back – almost every picture of a fat woman is accompanied by some kind of remark about how good they look to you. There’s nothing wrong with this. More power to you. Just don’t try to victimize women and foster an unhealthy mindset to feed your own fetish. And, there are many other pictures of you on the web aside from the headshot. Do a little research on yourself. Maybe I’m way off base. After all, it’s crazy to think that a male FA could start a fat acceptance website… or even organization. (Does the name Conrad ring a bell?) Of course, I’m sure the women on your website will rush to your defense. After all, you find them sexually attractive and you tell them that there’s nothing unhealthy about being fat. Why wouldn’t they love you? So, tell me again… what am I apologizing for?

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 19:27:00 +0000

Devon: It’s run by an FA (Fat Admirer), who, by the way, isn’t obese himself. What is this, MetaFilter? First of all, I will speak my piece on this and then move on. But Devon has constructed a justified reason for BFB to exist: clearly, it’s just a guy trying to get in a woman’s pants. Anyone who knows me and knows what I believe about fat acceptance can laugh that one right out of the water. Devon, curious, where did you read that I’m a “fat admirer?” It’s clearly not on BFB, my other sites, or anywhere else. I suspect you decided to do some basic research on the entire movement, found the term “fat admirer,” and used it. Clever, but entirely baseless. And second, insofar as my fat goes, I’m within a BMI point or two of being labeled “obese.” Your conclusion that I’m “not even obese” comes from one (count ‘em!) photograph on the BFB site: a headshot. That’s it. I’m curious, though, as to how my fat actually plays into your little theory. Is it that someone who isn’t “fat enough” can’t be interested in fat acceptance? You’ve made entirely baseless assumptions and come up with conclusions that aren’t just incorrect, but are libelous. To suggest that I’m running BFB out of my own sexual interests is insulting, pig-headed, dispicable and deplorable. I demand a public apology.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 09:08:07 +0000

1. Current antiobesity surgery limits intake but allows continued normal absorption of the full spectrum of nutrients. According to the the NIH, the restrictive forms of bariatric surgery are not as successful as the malabsorptive forms. Most of the people I know who have had bariatric surgery have had the RGB procedure, which shortens the small instestine. In addition to only being able to take in small amounts of food, which limits the nutrients available, shortening the small intestine also limits the absorption of what nutrients might be present. These people need to take scads of supplements just to not starve to death. I only have two pleasures left in life, sex and food. And I’m not giving either one of them up.

By: Devon

Devon — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 07:33:12 +0000

I love love love Big Fat Blog – notice they were linked here. It’s run by an FA (Fat Admirer), who, by the way, isn’t obese himself. So, you have a man who’s sexually attracted to fat women running a site that caters (overwhelmingly) to fat women, telling them that it’s unhealthy and unnatural to lose weight. And they respond as if he actually has their best interests at heart! What a world.