Archive for the ‘controversy’ Category

Ohmigod Will The Royal Baby Be Fat?!

Honest to goodness, that’s paraphrasing a headline I came across this weekend. Normally, I link to my inspiration, but not this time. The entire column was horrible for me because it was written by someone I normally enjoy. I thought he was a level-headed health adviser.  Instead, he titled his column about the new obesity prediction tool to get reactions and readers.

If you haven’t heard, there is a new on-line tool that claims to accurately predict the chances of your newborn being overweight in the future. It takes into account a variety of information and spits out the results.

I used a height predictor with the twins when we adopted them. It was right on when it predicted that they would be 6’5″ tall. The only information I had at the time was their birth mom’s height, I guessed at the rest. So I’m not adverse to an on-line tool to predict things.

However, using the not-even-born Royal Baby to garner readers is just tacky. And downright abusive. Because now fat bullying has finally started while a person is still in utero.

I doubt the Prince and Princess have once sat down and had a conversation about the future obesity of their unborn child. Because there are other things on their minds. From recent headlines, I’m guessing the topic at hand is “how many times did you throw up today, dear?”

While the on-line tool I used to predict height for the twins was spot on, I have my doubts about one that could accurately predict anything else about them. One’s muscular and thinner, while the other is muscular and bigger. One’s talkative. One’s not. Same parents. Different outcomes.

I’ll even use myself as a reference. Eight kids from the same parents. I have very tall brothers and I am five feet tall. I’m the fattest. Some are thin.

There are many things that can be done to combat childhood obesity, none of which involves bullying. I’m wondering how the threat of future obesity will be handled. Pre-obesity bullying?! “Some day you are going to be fat so I will treat you cruelly in advance to prevent it!” Yup, that worked with me 100 pounds ago.

Do you restrict your infant’s food because you’re scared they will be obese? Ignore the need for whole milk and fats for brain development? I mean, we all know stupid is better than fat any day. Not!

Will Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers gift cards be requested on baby registries? Might as well be prepared for the future. Plus, these mega billion dollar corporations haven’t dipped their toes into the baby food market…yet. Yes, you can feed your baby the same chemical-laden foods that you eat from these companies. How’s that for maternal and paternal bonding? I mean, who needs fresh fruit and vegetables and meat and sugar when there’s a chemical created to imitate real food?!

I’m sure a NutriSystem pre-school is just around the bend too. Milk and cookies?! Never! Pre-packed, pre-digested food? Oh yes! Counting taught via calories! Learn the alphabet and the forbidden foods list at the same time! Boot camp play time!

Can we just agree to leave the kids out of The War Against Obesity? Especially the unborn ones?

OK, people, why aren’t you listening to me?! I’ve talked about judging fat mannequins and being mean in the past week. But it keeps happening!

This week’s victim: a bride-to-be. Check this out. Like one of the commenters, I had no idea Jeff Probst has a talk show. I’m not even sure who Jeff Probst is, but I am associating him with Survivor.

A couple decide to be clever about their obligatory save-the-date announcement. Instead of garnering well-wishes and congratulations, the video goes viral. And people hate her teeth. Particularly, a “dead tooth.” Honestly, I watched her mouth every time she speaks and I still am not sure which tooth is dead.

Once again, let me say this: your opinion of someone’s appearance should never be spoken. Never ever. Didn’t your mama teach you that if you have nothing nice to say, keep your friggin’ mouth shut? Who died and made you the boss of everyone’s underpants? Like I keep telling Aaron, “every thought in your head does not need to be spoken out loud.”

I understand teeth are a hot subject now with all the tooth whitening products on the market. Commercials tell you that you will never meet Mr. Right, get married, give birth without having glaringly white teeth. Or that Mr. Dumped You will only live to regret it if you have glaringly white teeth. Or you’ll never pick someone up in Vegas without glaringly white teeth. We are being brain washed by Crest and Colgate.

Why are we–imperfect people–falling prey to the idea that everyone must be a perfect human specimen? Is it reality television? Just because the Kardashians appear perfect, doesn’t mean they represent the entire human species. Real Housewives aren’t much like any of the housewives I know. People on television are not real, even when their shows are called “reality.”

Frankly, everyone who comments on someone else’s appearance–even if the comments are made “for their own good”–needs to be slapped. A la “Airplane.” That means no comments on weight, height, skin color, eye color, choice of clothing, choice of makeup, hair color, hair cut, etc.

I am not perfect. Believe me, the war on dingy teeth has me making comments in my head about people’s teeth. I mean, did you know in television shows from just a few years ago, not every character had nuclear teeth?! The horror! One thing I do when I catch my inner catty coming on is focus on something good about a person. Cool shoes? Oh yeah! Smells good? Kudos!

Unfortunately, we live in a time when we all think each other’s business is our business. This is what the media has led us to believe. That’s why they have entire articles about the state of dress of some b-list actress or the state of the Kardashian Nation. Fashion and celebrities really aren’t news. Politics, world issues, domestic issues are news worthy.

Please don’t make me say this again: shut your mouths and be nice to each other. Appreciate our differences.

 

In a perfect world, bullies would grow up and be good citizens. They would realize the error of their ways and work to make the world a better place. I think this does happen to many childhood bullies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen for some. I think William Bailey–facing jail time for mocking a disabled classmate of his son–is an example of a childhood bully who didn’t grow out of it.

It takes a special kind of stupid to be an adult who makes fun of a child for any reason. Adults are supposed to be helping children. Adults are supposed to be the protectors of children. Mocking and bullying a child is absolutely wrong.

Once again, I feel the need to point out that childhood bullies learn their behavior somewhere. Probably at home, considering the behavior of some of the parents I’ve seen in action at schools in my neighborhood. Imagine the behavior of the children of Mr. Bailey.

Making fun of any person for any reason is never okay. It doesn’t matter what someone looks like or how they behave, making fun is not allowed. It doesn’t matter how different someone is, bullying is not allowed. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the person, making fun is not allowed. It doesn’t matter if the person next to you is doing it, bullying is not allowed.

Black, white, fat, thin, attractive, not attractive, smart, less smart, boy, girl, short, tall…it’s all off limits. No one gets to comment about another person’s disability or appearance, ever.

Remember, this applies to everyone–adults too. You can’t sit at home and make comments about someone on television looking or acting differently. You can’t report in the media about someone’s weight gain or weight loss. You can’t comment about a celebrity’s bad dress, bad hair cut, or bad anything.

Looks. Disabilities. Off limits.

Maybe, we just need a reminder about the niceties of a polite  society. Hopefully it won’t take jail time for any more of us to learn the lesson.

 

A store had the balls to use a fat mannequin and some people are bothered by it. I think these people have a problem.

Aren’t you tired of going into any department store and seeing the clothes tailored to fit the mannequins? By tailored, I mean pinned in the back so everything looks perfect and fitted. No matter what your size–unless you are blessed with the American ideal of model-thin physique–you are never going to have clothes that fit you like they will the mannequin.

Imagine being a plus-sized woman going into a clothing store catering to your demographic and seeing plus-sized clothes pinned and folded to fit the nowhere-near-obese mannequin. Even before putting on a stitch of clothing, you know it’s not going to look that good on you.

Kudos to retailers for realizing that a larger-sized mannequin might be a good thing. They could go even further and get mannequins that represent a variety of body shapes. I’ve read so many magazines where they present a selection of women all wearing the same size–and not one of them look the same.

As for the fear that obese mannequins might make people think it’s okay to be fat…well, there are fat people. Fat people spend money on clothes. Fat people want to look good. And you don’t catch fat from a mannequin.

As Ragen Chastain says, people don’t take care of things they hate. So why is it the goal of retailers to make their customers hate themselves? Or why would non-retailers be worried about people seeing fat mannequins? What is it really going to hurt?

 

Honestly, I thought Illinois was going to be sane in this insane rush by “concerned citizens”  to petition for secession from the United States of America. Alas, I was wrong. Unfortunately, Illinois wasn’t even one of the last of the 50 states to petition either. Sigh.

Shouldn’t the citizens of Illinois recognize that one thing our state isn’t great at is governing? I mean, we have two former governors in the big house for irregularities. Chicago is the butt of all election jokes with the dead-people-voting schtick. We are at the bottom of the list in offering education to our state’s children. So I don’t know what the qualifications are of these people who are willing to secede to bring upon us a new government.

Hopefully, if this goes forward, we will get a chance to vote on it. By that I mean, only the living Illinois residents will get to vote on it.

Illinois is known for being a Democratic state. This year’s election found 57.3% of the voters casting ballots for President Barack Obama and 41.1% for Mitt Romney. Assuming the secessionists are anything other than Democrats, their petition probably won’t get much juice.

I figure the people behind this are the ones also supporting the people trying to get President Obama impeached for the past two years. Although they don’t seem to have gotten much accomplished standing on the corners of Army Trail and County Farm Roads waving a handwritten sign and a clipboard.

Borrowing the words of Tina Fey, America is no longer being held in the hands of gray-faced men with $2 haircuts. It’s a new world being made up of different voters with different expectations.

We’ll just remain part of the United States of America under President Barack Obama, thank you, supporting women’s rights, marriage equality rights, and responsible taxation of all citizens. Looks like things will be getting better. Enjoy the ride.

I’ve saved the best for last. Joe Walsh is running in my very own district here in Illinois against Tammy Duckworth. I had an opportunity to meet Duckworth last spring and she earned my vote. She didn’t have to yell at me or insult anyone to do so, either.

I thought Walsh was his own special breed of politician because of his caustic manner and outspoken ways. He has made it clear that he has absolutely no desire to play nice with anyone. Which makes it really really hard to be an effective representative in politics.

What surprises me is the amount of support Walsh seems to have in my area. His signs dot lawns and empty lots along busy streets. Elderly people wear name tags declaring their support. I fail to see his appeal. At. All.

I delayed writing this because I thought Walsh might do even more things to earn the imbecile label. And he did when he said abortion is never necessary for the life of the mother because modern medical advancements prevent all deaths/danger from pregnancy. Oh, Joe…I only hope your staff has been keeping you abreast of the medical people who came out to say you were wrong, as well as the number of bloggers who wrote heart-wrenching tales of losing their children because continuing the pregnancy was life threatening.

For some reason, Walsh needed to join the ranks of misogynistic Republicans who need to make their utter lack of reproductive knowledge known to all the world. He could have kept quiet. He could have hidden at least that part of his personality–that of woman-hater.

Interestingly, Walsh once supported abortion rights. Guess being someone who supports abortion gets less press than someone who comes right out and insults women. He should remember that women do get to vote.

But why worry about insulting women when he’s been so good at insulting all kinds of people. He actually got press coverage because he yelled during a meeting with constituents. I love that the headline calls his behavior a “meltdown.”

He insulted the Muslim community. Here’s what he said…

“One thing I’m sure of is that there are people in this country – there is a radical strain of Islam in this country -– it’s not just over there –- trying to kill Americans every week. It is a real threat, and it is a threat that is much more at home now than it was after 9/11,” Walsh said.

Walsh went on to claim that radical Islam had found its way into the Chicago suburbs, including some that he represents.

“It’s here. It’s in Elk Grove. It’s in Addison. It’s in Elgin. It’s here,” he said.

I’m pretty sure the towns mentioned (all surrounding my town, by the way) contain some of his constituents. There he goes winning over voters again!

He’s insulted Tammy Duckworth with comments about veterans. Apparently, veterans should never talk about their service to our country. Unfortunately, Duckworth, a double amputee from her time in service, wears her veteran status in full view.

Even President Obama isn’t immune from Walsh’s condescending insults. Walsh called the President “son” and wants to pat him on the head while telling him to go home because he was never ready to be president. Again, he’s demonstrating how well be plays with others, isn’t he.

Walsh himself isn’t immune to scandal. Last year, reports surfaced that he allegedly owed $100,000 in child support to his ex-wife. I don’t know what resolution was reached. But don’t people wonder how someone who would shaft his own children could be a responsible representative for them in Congress?!

I’ll end with my own personal favorite: Walsh’s interview with CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield. Please watch the video to get the full effect. Not a day goes by when the chorus of “Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Ashleigh” doesn’t ring through my brain. A commercial…a person’s name will fill me with the dreaded chanting. Joe Walsh behaves like a middle-school aged boy!

My only hope is that after tomorrow, Walsh will be gone from the political arena. We should take to the streets and have ticker tape parades for Tammy Duckworth if she wins. Just for sparing us from anymore of Walsh’s nonsense.

Go vote!

When did Donald Trump become part of our political process? I think I missed the memo telling us how he is even relevant at all. Again, he has a reality show and I don’t do reality shows except crafting, crime, and hoarding. I certainly have better things to do than watch someone yell “you’re fired!” Or whatever he says.

But this entire campaign season he has been lingering on the fringes. Mostly he makes controversial comments (like Ann Coulter?!), goading the fringes into a frenzy, and sits back to watch and gloat. Maybe it’s a sociological experiment on how stupid actual Americans are.

Or maybe it’s just an experiment to see how stupid the Republicans in charge are. I honestly believe that there are truly moderate Republicans who don’t believe that abortion is the only issue that matters, that rape resulting in pregnancy is not a gift from god, that women can’t get pregnant from rape, that handicapped children are a curse from god for having an abortion, and that modern women are in no danger from pregnancy and childbirth. There are because I do hear from them in my real life.

But somehow the current Republican party has left behind these people and has embraced the Donald Trump-like idiots. They’ve allowed him to participate in their game. Why? Because he brings the best toys (aka money)?

I do have some faith because Mitt Romney has started distancing himself from the abortion issue. I have concerns about Paul Ryan because he just seems a little freaky to me as a basic human being, much less a politician.

Trump’s latest publicity stunt (asking President Obama to produce his college transcripts) is just sad. It’s like it’s one last effort to make someone pay attention to him. Like a spurned woman claiming a fake pregnancy from some soap opera. Or the same soap opera, different character, using a fatal illness to keep her lover near. Wait! He’s like Glen Close in Fatal Attraction! Good god, will he be boiling bunnies soon?!

Yes, Donald is a sorry sorry little man. But the Republican Party is even more sad. Why? Because they’ve let him get this far. Someone in charge should have stepped up long ago and given Donald a little speech about how he is appreciated but not needed. Maybe then they’d still have some credibility left as politicians.

Sometimes when I am struggling to write a post, something just jumps into my lap. Thank you, Ann Coulter, for being that person and providing today’s topic.

Seems Ms. Coulter got herself into hot water by tweeting that President Obama is a “retard” during the debate this week. Even I–who has been told that “retarded” is an actual diagnostic term (yes, brought back from days gone by)–gasped in shock that someone in the media spotlight would us it. That was a gasp. Out loud. At my desk.

I don’t pay much attention to Ann Coulter because I don’t know what her relativity is to actual politics. Except she likes to write books that say outrageous things and then gets recognized for it. I honestly believe that if Ann were a short, fat, brunette, average American woman she would be relegated to blogging like me. And only really very special people would pay attention. Thank you.

A Special Olympian responded to her tweets (yup, more than one using variations of “retard”) with an open letter. The letter made me get a little teary.

There are so many ways to bash Ann Coulter. My main complaint was stated above–that she really doesn’t say anything that isn’t caustic and controversial, then reaps the rewards with media response, public appearances, and book sales.

But Ann’s use of the word “retard” really sums up her intellectual base, doesn’t it? Sure Twitter limits your responses to 140 characters. But for some of us, that has made us become more creative and concise. Ann just seems to have reached a limit of some sort.

Calling someone a “retard” is junior high boy behavior. How do I know? I am now living with my third. That’s a typical response when they have nothing better to day. They will evolve into an American adult and eventually use terms such as “asshat” like their mother.

Ann’s tweet was just a mere 65 characters. That left so much room to be pundit-worthy. But she didn’t take it. Apparently, Ann likes resting on her faux laurels and her celebritician status.

I think I understand Ann. Who cares why you’re famous or making money in America as long as you are. We no longer reward people for actual talent in our country. She doesn’t even have to try to create controversy by being factual or clever.

And this is our fault people! Yes, you! Me! We have dropped our standards so low that this has become the norm! This is why my reality TV has been limited to crafting, true-crime, and hoarders, with some episodes of true fashion thrown in (I really need a makeover). Because we need to demand higher forms of entertainment and information.

Until we do, we will have people like Ann Coulter sweeping in and pretending to be relevant. Stop giving her your money…stop tuning in when she appears on something…it’s not like she’s saying anything important.

Recently the headlines have been full of stories of company CEOs trying to influence the way their employees vote. The infamous Koch brothers are involved, of course. Koch Industries president Dave Robertson implicitly warning:

“many of our more than 50,000 U.S. employees and contractors may suffer the consequences” of voting for President Obama and other Democrats in the 2012 elections, a list of conservative candidates the company’s political action committee endorses and a pair of editorials: one, by David Koch, supporting Mitt Romney, and the other, by Charles Koch, condemning Obama.

Wow. I thought what we did in the voting booth was secret. I thought voting how we wanted was a fundamental right of being American.

The poor Koch Brothers (that was tongue-in-cheek!) just can’t catch a break. Try to buy the election with secret PACs and generous donations and not sure it will work? Threaten your workers.

They aren’t the only ones, however. The article referenced above names other companies making suggestions for the right person to vote for.

I hope that Americans old enough to vote are also strong enough to vote their way. Surely people know that their votes are secret and they don’t have to tell anyone how they voted.

Shame on the business people of America thinking that Democracy is something to be bought and sold. Shame on them for putting corporate interests above the country. America is for the people by the people. Not for the company with the deepest pockets.

No matter how you vote in a few weeks, I just want you to vote. I want you to go in the booth and vote proudly. You will be exercising the fundamental right of our citizenship.

But if you don’t vote, I don’t want to hear your complaints about the state of our country. I don’t want you to criticize when you couldn’t be bothered to vote.

No matter who wins in November, we all have to work together to make our country run well and its citizens thrive. We can’t do that when corporate America threatens Democracy.

 

 

Here in America, we have a tendency to focus on something and suddenly it happens everywhere. I don’t know if this happens in other cultures. I don’t know if it happens more because we live in an instantaneous/share everything/share immediately society. We no longer have to be the nosy neighbor on the front porch checking out the neighbors; we can read their blogs and their twitter streams to see what’s happening.

Suddenly, information is everywhere about bullying. Everyone has a story about being bullied (I’ve told some of mine). A few of us have admitted to being a bully (yes, I’ve done that too). But not every cross word spoken your way is bullying.

I cheered when I saw journalist Jennifer Livingston spoke out to the man who criticized her for her weight. He made assumptions about her health from her looks and deserved to be publicly chastised. She didn’t ask him for his opinion. As far as I know, she never asked any of her viewing audience for comments on her appearance and health.

But was she bullied? When I saw the upsurge in comments about Livingston being bullied, I kept thinking: “nope, she was criticized.” Because it was a one-time thing and he wasn’t exactly cruel. Unless there’s more to this story and the gentleman has been writing her and calling her repeatedly, calling her fat. Since that hasn’t come out, I am assuming it hasn’t been happening.

Finally, I saw an article about Octavia Spencer’s thoughts about the incident and they were in line with my own.

It isn’t bullying if it only happens one time. According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary, bullying is defined as: 1. to treat abusively and 2. to affect by means of force or coercion. Spencer’s definition is ”facing coercion or physical repercussions on a daily basis.”

Bullying is a problem. And where it exists, it should be fought. People should be enlightened about the how and why of bullying. But defining every cross or critical word as bullying diminishes it when it really occurs.

Livingston is a hero to many people, me included. She had the means and the guts to do what many people dream of daily. But her experience is completely different than the children who are bullied every day for being different. They are the ones being truly bullied. They are the ones who can’t or won’t or don’t know how to fight back. They’re the ones that need our help.