I don’t know if Alton Brown is in the George Takei Club, or if George Takei is in the Alton Brown Club, or maybe they’re both in the Ariana Grande Club. Regardless, just in case anyone wasn’t clear that Alton Brown is a weight bigot, he’s done his best to prove it in a recent article in The New York Times. Despite his commitment to understanding the science and food of cooking – his show “Good Eats” was a fabulous show on which he not only showed how to cook something, but why and he often took time to do some myth busting – when it comes to fat people he can’t seem to get beyond cheap stereotypes and misinformation:
Obesity is not a disease…the second that our society starts thinking that shoveling Big Macs into our face is a disease then we’re done, we’re done as a culture.
Holy hyperbole Batman – even if every fat person did eat tons of Big Macs (spoiler alert – they don’t) and even if obesity was a disease (spoiler alert – it’s not) I feel like our culture would somehow manage to go on.
What the hell dude? Did he get confused and think that the Emmys were being voted on by Reddit this year? How can I put this politely…STFU you bigoted, stereotyping, ridiculous asshole. Yeah, that’ll do it.
I agree that being fat is not a disease diagnosis, but that’s because I know that having a weight in pounds times 703 divided by one’s height in inches squared that is over 30 is not a health diagnosis of any kind. It’s not because I like to engage in stereotyping and shaming of people who meet that definition.
Let’s go over it one more time Alton, and I’ll type slowly. Body size is not behavior – it’s certainly not eating a single food. There are plenty of thin people who shovel Big Macs into their faces. Neither being fat nor eating a lot of Big Macs is a disease or, just to be clear, any business of yours when we’re talking about other people’s bodies and Big Macs.
If Alton really wants a better society, he could help by not engaging in bigotry and stereotypes.
The Fat Activism Conference Is Back!
This is a virtual conference so you can listen to the talks by phone and/or computer wherever you are. Whether you are looking for support in your personal life with family, friends, healthcare providers etc. or you’re interested in being more public with your activism with blogging, petitions, protest, projects, online activism, or something else, this conference will give you tools and perspectives to support you and your work, and to help you make that work intentionally intersectional and inclusive, so that nobody gets left behind.
Get all the details here!
Like the blog? More Cool Stuff!
Book and Dance Class Sale! I’m on a journey to complete an IRONMAN triathlon, and I’m having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here!
Like my work? Want to help me keep doing it? Become a Member! For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you. Click here for details
Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!
I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com
A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development, you can follow the progress on Facebook!
If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.
