Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Misogynist, Bigotted, and Prejudiced much?

I had a piece already to go and then, somehow, I deleted it. It was about a personal experience with misogyny directed right at me. I may re-write it some day, but for now, I want to concentrate on this, which I learned about on Shakesville. Professor Arthur Caplan, PhD, head of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics addresses the issue of whether or not Dr. Regina Benjamin is too fat for the job of surgeon general. Yep. Fat. I have heard Art Caplan speak and he is a very smart guy, and I am glad that he is writing publicly about Dr. Benjamin's merits, but why is this even an issue.

Apparently the blogosphere was abuzz yesterday with the fact that Obama's Surgeon General nominee, Dr. Regina Benjamin, isn't skinny enough for them. It doesn't matter that she is the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant, or that she runs a clinic to treat the poorest of this country. Apparently, it is her weight that counts. Not the fact that there are 42 million (and growing) uninsured Americans. Not the fact that she was the first African American female physician to sit on the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, or that she rebuilt her clinic twice after two hurricanes.

Not only is Regina Benjamin NOT FAT, she is beyond accomplished.

Watch this insane fuckery if you can stomach it. Naturally, it includes images of disembodied fat people walking around and/or stuffing their faces. Because, you know, if you are fat, you should'nt be seen eating.



UPDATE: I keep adding to this post because that guy in the "No Chubbies" shirt who calls Regina Benjamin lazy is possibly one of the most offensive people I have allowed myself to watch in a long time. Bigotry is harmful in all its forms, this is true. And, maybe this item is old news to you, but I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Fox News guy is the reasonable one in this clip.

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