Fatness and Rob Ford
I’ve written before about Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, being attacked for his weight and not just his conservative ruling of that city with an iron fist. Shameless Magazine has a GREAT post up today that we should read and pass around. I wish more progressive sites would listen to this author!
Please go read the rest and share widely:
Let me tell you something: I am fat.
I am fat, and I am right here when you say that Rob Ford would do better to lay off the gravy. I’m right here when you say that grotesque individuals like Ford would be a lot better off if they got on a bicycle now and then, because they’re harming the environment as well as being grossly obese. I’m right here, and in many cases I am putting myself out there and directly questioning your need to bring Ford’s weight into a conversation where it is completely irrelevant, and you are either ignoring me or telling me that his weight is a fair point of criticism because it represents his supposed sloth, greed and disregard for the environment, because he’s a bully who “throws his weight around.”
Hat tip to Vitty10 who posted this on Facebook!
*Groan*
I hate having to defend him because he’s such an unbelievable asshole.
But that’s what REAL progressives do. I hate having to defend Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann from misogynist slurs, but that’s what real feminists do. For the greater good!
I agree with protecting them fro misogynist slurs, but I think the old slogan, “The best man for the job is a woman,” no longer applies.
But, seriously, it seems that weight and looks are important in politics.
I often find myself also defending Maggie Gallagher, even though it makes me want to vomit.
That’s the thing, you don’t attack politicians on looks or what they wear, etc - you attack them on their policies and how they affect the people they represent. So attacking Ford because he’s fat is just plain wrong, while attacking him because he has dangerous fiscal policies or you don’t agree with him on other grounds is perfectly reasonable. Anything else is just playground bullying and is something that the media and other politicians should never indulge in, let alone the electorate that put him in office (if you don’t like his policies, vote him out at the next election or stage a recall and elect someone else).
Today I’m busy on HuffPo defending Chris Christie (ugh!) from fat hating comments. It makes me sad that liberals can’t take the higher ground on this issue. I guess fat hatred is one of the few truly bipartisan issues.
Peace,
Shannon
I live (and vote) in Jersey. I absolutely detest Chris Christie. He’s an obnoxious asshole, who, in my opinion, is one of the worst Governors we’ve had in decades. Of course being a fairly liberal (but reasonable) progressive myself, I am at complete odds with Christie’s Republican-conservative-nearly-Tea-bag policies, his ties to corruption, his contempt for unions and the public school system, and his wallowing in wealth, and denial concerning the poor working stiff trying to survive in Jersey….
But I will NOT call him names that mean or allude to his being FAT. I just can’t do it. Everyone around me does it; family, friends, people on the street or in restaurants; pretty much anywhere anyone brings up his name, (hard to believe he was even elected!) you will hear the “fat hate” come out loud and clear. It is discouraging to say the least.
I usually counter with something like, “Yea, he is a rat-bastard, isn’t he? However, I don’t care HOW fat or skinny he is… he’s a rat-bastard and a terrible Governor- that’s all that counts”. 99% of the time, that comment goes unheard. ::shrugs::
I defended Ford regarding the fat issue on my blog about a month ago. He’s truly one of the most horrible people ever to be in municipal politics here in TO but his size has nothing to do with his gross ignorance, stupidity (he wants to cut the “lieberrie” budget-I kid you not-and just in case you don’t know what lieberries are, they’re places were you can go and borrow books, read magazines and use a public computer) and disdain for anyone who’s not a hardworking “taxpayer”.
Yesterday, Ford invited Torontonians to make a deposition at City Hall regarding budget cuts. Of course, he and his henchpersons want to slash and burn: lieberries, programmes for immigrants, battered women, persons with AIDS, school lunches, zoos, bicycle paths…you name it, if it doesn’t cut taxes for the poor suffering taxpayers, he wants it out. I was there, making my deposition at 1 a.m.
Rob Ford is the quintessential Tea Partier of Canada. He’s a vulgar piece of work. But I’ll fight anyone who criticizes him based on his weight.
Torontonians - cool word!
That’s what we’re called!
Thank you for going and stickiing it out until 1am! That meeting made me so proud of this city.
I loathe the Tea Party. I think their bigoted and downright moronic version of politics are dangerous for America. I belong to several anti-TP pages on Facebook. But when fat-bashing occurs, I say attack everything else but their weight because I’m fat, and body size has nothing to do with political opinions. For the most part, I have people agree with me so that’s a good thing.