NAAFA anybody?

So I know, in light of last year’s criticisms, it probably seemed as if there was no way, ever, hell no, that I’d go to a NAAFA conference. And of course, there are things from last year that I still wouldn’t attend… I won’t be going to a fashion show, or any of the dating or FA workshops, or the Grand Ball. I saw the schedule and was pretty sure that, again, I woudn’t be attending altogether. But then I saw this workshop listed:

Introduction of Fat Politics, by Marilyn Wann

And I thought, what the hell, why not propose an Advanced Fat Politics? Or a fat media advocacy session? Or a “rethinking NAAFA” workshop? Or something on radical fat feminism? But of course, I’m a) too poor for the registration fees, and b) not willing to go it alone. I’ve already got a couple of rad fatties on board (some coming from pretty far to do something), but I’d like to get a good gaggle of people who can commit to such a shindig.

So, open invite: if I’ll go through the motions of proposing a session (or multiple sessions), who would be down for helping construct/co-lead a session/sessions? I understand that most folks still have reservations (or EXTREME DISLIKE, HEY) for NAAFA, and I totally respect if you’d rather not be associated with the org. I figured, though, if we could get some folks together, we might catalyze some kind of… wake up.

And, since we’re talking about NAAFA and the last round of criticisms: I’ve gotten sporadic comments/emails about how, after that big hullabaloo about how the website would be fixed, essentially nothing happened. I wish I could tell you guys what’s up, but from the one time I emailed about it I get the impression that the one person who was going to do it had stuff going on, and they didn’t/wouldn’t get somebody else. I’ll leave my comments about their website/public image to that, I think, but suffice to say: don’t ask me about it, because I don’t know. Sorry!

Apparently, you’re fat because you’re depressed.

Oy. Esther Rothblum just posted this to the fat studies list, and I had to share. An article came out in the New Scientist last week that suggested that - surprise! - it’s all our prescriptions that are making us fat. No, really:

Prescriptions in the US for Zyprexa alone run into millions. In 2004, 32.6 million Americans purchased outpatient prescriptions for antidepressants, stimulants, antipsychotics and tranquillisers, up from 21 million in 1997. Overall, around 50 million Americans - that’s 1 in 6 of the population - currently take at least one psychotropic drug. From a crude look at the numbers, it seems that they could potentially be causing a significant - and growing - portion of America’s obesity problem.

Key words there being, of course, “a crude look.” And, you know, “obesity problem.” Actually, come to think of it, the whole article is kind of laughable, seeing as they can’t seem to decide if pills are causing teh fatness or teh fatness is a mental illness needing more pills.

In a curious article last May in the American Journal of Psychiatry (vol 164, p 708), two doctors even proposed that obesity be classified as a mental illness. One likely consequence of that would be another massive increase in the prescribing of psychotropic drugs, resulting, no doubt, in another upsurge in obesity statistics.

What’s amusing to me is that the article doesn’t seem to offer any “solutions” to this “problem.” Are we actually suggesting that folks with severe, sometimes lifelong mental illness just don’t take medications that were previously helpful because (eek!) they may gain ten pounds?

Calling all Massachusetts Fatties!

Remember that bill I talked about way back in March of 2007 that would outlaw discrimination based on size in Massachusetts? Well, it is finally gaining momentum: there’ll be a hearing on March 25th at the State House in Boston!

For those who want to get involved, head over to Kate’s site for the details on who to contact and where to show up. Here’s our chance to have policy implemented in a whopping two (sigh) states!

“A thousand words” my ass.

Yeah, so it’s actually worth a little over 19k. After draft one.

I’m pretty sure there’s a macro in this one.

Thesis writing is hard work. Be back soon (I hope).

Sperm from female eggs/bone marrow

Alternate title for this entry: When it rains it pours, or: holy excessive posting, batman!

Colleen sent me this article about how sperm cells have been created from female embryos. They say they’ll soon be able to do it - if they get permission - from bone marrow as well, opening up the door for female same-sex couples to get preggo without male sperm at all. I’ve been surprised not to hear a lot about it on the feminist blogs I read, though I’ve heard a bit about radio-controlled sperm (which is a whole other post that will not happen at Seeworthy, because two posts on sperm is two posts too many).

Thoughts?

VOTE.

I’m on my way out to vote… I’ve been fairly torn since my favorite candidate dropped out a while ago, but I think I’ve committed. Walking around campus this morning was surreal… you’d think nobody had ever heard of Clinton, with all the Obama posters everywhere.

Anyhow, whether you vote for Clinton or Obama, be sure to get out and vote. Neither are great on fat stuff, but none of the current options really are.

Not necessarily the highest form of flattery

As has been posted at BABble and Big Fat Blog, everybody and their mama got a post (or several) ripped off, modified crapfully and re-posted at one “BIGBOYMARK DOT COM” (no link = no traffic for the offender). While I guess I’m, uh, flattered that somebody thought my post about weight watchers back in December was neat, I’m (more than) a little perturbed to see it copied, more or less in its entirety, at some crappy second-rate knock-off fat lib blog. No word yet on whether or not the guy had any original content or if everything he had was stolen, or whether or not he’ll… y’know… apologize.

Also, in addition to just being a plagiarizing jerk (language temporarily censored in case my students/admissions committees are watching - Hi! I’m awesome, admit me!), he’s also a misogynist jerk; if you check the link, he’s changed most (all?) female names to men, so Meiran has become “George”, darkdaughta becomes “Kingsized” (wtf?), and my own comments are renamed to either “Dee” or “BIGBOYMARK!!!11!!one!!1″

Or something like that.

Anyhow, I’ve heard once your work is plagiarized that means you’ve made it. In my case, I think it just means that I’m unlucky and the internet is full of idiots.