General

Hey guys. For my government class, I had to go to a website and chose a current event topic listed on the website (I can’t remember the name right now) and Obesity was one of the topics. I’ll post my assignment below. I would like you all to give your feedback and critiques. Did I do a good job defending fat people? Or did I still have room for improvement?

My goal is to end or at least reduce Fat Shaming and Fat Phobia

1. Explain the topic that you chose.

The topic I chose to research is obesity because it seems to be a major topic in America lately, particularly on social media.



2. What 2 news sources did you choose to watch or read? Why did you choose these sources?

I looked up two different news sources, CNN and Fox News, because they are well-known but often have different perspectives on various topics.



3. Were they biased in any way? Meaning, did the person reporting on the issue seem to have a preference for or against the issue? If so how? If not, explain how they did not.

Yes, while CNN’s article focused on the health risks of obesity, showing medical research and expert opinions on how obesity increases the probability of heart disease and diabetes. And Fox News, spoke on obesity from an economic point of view, discussing how rising obesity rates lead to higher healthcare costs for taxpayers, both parties didn’t take other variables into account. Which makes both outlets biased in my opinion. While neither source seemed extremely biased, CNN leans towards government intervention and public health policies, while Fox News highlighted personal responsibility in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here lies the problem, what is healthy? What does that mean? Does it mean body weight or body fat? Does it mean eating foods that are considered healthy as opposed to junk food? Because there’s dozens of skinny people who eat junk food. Are they still healthy despite not being classified as obese? What about bodybuilders? According to Body mass index, a bodybuilder would be categorized obese despite living a healthy lifestyle.



4. Did they show any evidence or sources to back up their claims?

Both outlets included creditable sources from expert opinions and research studies.

CNN naturally cited studies from medical journals and of course Fox News referenced economic analysts and policy experts.



5. Why is it important for news sources to report on this issue without any bias?



It is important for media outlets to report on obesity without bias so the public can make informed decisions based on factual information rather than political or ideological viewpoints. This is how phobias are created. In this particular case, fat phobia. This literally why the Fat Acceptance and Body Positivity Movements got started because women are tired of being bullied on for their weight due to weaponized misinformation about health and wellness for the sole purpose of bias against plus sized women. Because think about it, heavyset male celebrities are never accused of promoting obesity. The Hip Hop Culture proved this with rappers such as Biggie Smalls aka Notorious B.I.G, Heavy D, Fat Joe, Big Punisher, The Fat Boys etc. This obesity outrage only became a problem when public figures like Tess Holiday began gracing the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Or when singer, Lizzo became a mainstream performer. And then the public literally fat shamed and bullied her into losing weight. This begs the question, does America honestly care about health or do they care about maintaining misogyny?



Sources:



CNN Health. “Obesity rates continue to rise across the U.S., experts warn.” September 15, 2024. www.cnn.com



Fox News. “The financial burden of obesity: Who pays the price?” September 16, 2024. www.foxnews.com

Interesting read so far! It seems like based on what you wrote there and your research, it seems like yes we all do know that obesity to an extent does have its risks. But also what exactly is health if you only look at someone based on looks alone? It’s kinda like you are using critical thinking in hand. I like that!

I also like the last paragraph that you had written there. It’s almost kinda similar to what you said on the forum post about why so many people are mad about the BP/FA movements. Heck you can base some of the stuff you have read there to help you out (especially with the few early comments I made on that)!

The only critique that I can say is that I don’t think that it’s just only women who are tired of being bullied. Though they are the majority, I think some men have had their fair share of it. Or really anyone else who doesn’t fit the “beauty standard” is all fair game.

Otherwise I hope this assignment of yours goes well for you!

This is a good point. Sure, women will always have it worse when it comes to fatphobia, but men aren't safe from it either.

For example, it's common for people to see fat men as ugly. How often do you hear people mocking men for being fat the moment they do something someone else doesn't like?

I also see people tell fat men that if they want to find love, they have to have other things that "make up" for their fatness. Hell, when my partner told his parents about me (before we even met or he showed them a picture of me) they were worried I was a scammer trying to get his money. It wasn't anything I did or said. They were convinced that no one would want a 500 lbs man unless they wanted to use him.

Thank you! And you also got a point as well when it comes to emphasize the part when I mentioned the men. It’s already hard enough to be a guy in the modern dating scene, but to really try and prove yourself even as a bigger guy is a whole different story.

Oh and how you can relate to your own personal experience (with your current partner) was an interesting thing to mention. Especially true when usual couples get together and people wonder if they’re using them or just ONLY for a fetish.

Yeah, that was a whole thing. Thankfully, no one assumes I'm with my partner for fetish purposes, but this is mainly because a black Southern woman, and there's a whole ass stereotype. But even then, it's sad how people refuse to believe that anyone could find fat people attractive without being "deviant."

Yeah exactly. I had have seen such things happening firsthand, especially in comment sections out on the socials. It’s not fun whatsoever.

But hey I’m happy to hear that you’re able to work things out well with your partner with how everyone thinks about you two!

Yeah, we did. Some people don't get it if we are not together and show off pictures of the other. But whenever we are together, people immediately understand. We get stopped a lot by people saying how cute we look together.

That’s awesome! I remember you mentioning that in a few others forum threads. Even I had moments with ex girlfriend/daters when people thought that we were cute.

It’s nice to see people appreciate fellas like us with a partner of a certain size IRL instead of the shallow cesspits of the socials trying to burn us! 😅