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Aug. 19th, 2006 10:23 pmI hate it when words have a connotation that is far more drastic than their reality - for instance, "obese"; when I hear "obese", I think of HUGELY fat people who need custom tailored clothes or have to shop at special stores. Obesity implies "no longer attractive" and maybe even "has a hard time getting around". But RUSSEL CROWE is obese. *I* am obese (I think? I have to look again, I think I dropped from obese to overweight when I lost weight before, but then moved back up). A fairly significant portion of all people that you see on the street around here are obese. "Morbidly obese", which to me means the people who get lifted out of their beds with cranes on talk shows, is just the people who I think are regular obese - the ones who kids might comment on since they don't know any better.
Likewise, "poverty". To me the term denotes starving children with distended bellies crawling through the mud. But by definition poverty is people who live here in America, who wear new clothes that are just from KMart instead of a designer store, are probably on Medicaid or uninsured, and most likely drive a piece of shit car and live in an iffy neighborhood (by middle class standards). You can live in POVERTY and still be OBESE. I think it's actually more likely than if you're rich, because the rich have personal trainers and chefs, in this country.
There is also "high risk", i.e., my pregnancy since it's post c-sections, as well as anyone elses' who has already had
-a previous preterm labor
-gestational diabetes
-is over 35
-started out OBESE
-Etc, etc, etc.
I wag my fingers at your high risk labels, you revolting obstetric machine!
Anyway, yeah, here I sit, a chick who gets a lot of stares and flirting when I'm out alone, wearing fairly new clothes and typing at a computer. I ate very well today, went swimming, took a vitamin, drank a lot of water and feel good. I am tired. But I don't feel like an OBESE woman, living in POVERTY, who is suffering through a HIGH RISK pregnancy. Words are on the one hand so powerful, but at the same time, they're only what you let them be. In this case, hollow.
I'm having a very eventful couple of days, but I don't have the energy to write about something of substance right now.
Likewise, "poverty". To me the term denotes starving children with distended bellies crawling through the mud. But by definition poverty is people who live here in America, who wear new clothes that are just from KMart instead of a designer store, are probably on Medicaid or uninsured, and most likely drive a piece of shit car and live in an iffy neighborhood (by middle class standards). You can live in POVERTY and still be OBESE. I think it's actually more likely than if you're rich, because the rich have personal trainers and chefs, in this country.
There is also "high risk", i.e., my pregnancy since it's post c-sections, as well as anyone elses' who has already had
-a previous preterm labor
-gestational diabetes
-is over 35
-started out OBESE
-Etc, etc, etc.
I wag my fingers at your high risk labels, you revolting obstetric machine!
Anyway, yeah, here I sit, a chick who gets a lot of stares and flirting when I'm out alone, wearing fairly new clothes and typing at a computer. I ate very well today, went swimming, took a vitamin, drank a lot of water and feel good. I am tired. But I don't feel like an OBESE woman, living in POVERTY, who is suffering through a HIGH RISK pregnancy. Words are on the one hand so powerful, but at the same time, they're only what you let them be. In this case, hollow.
I'm having a very eventful couple of days, but I don't have the energy to write about something of substance right now.
