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Friday, July 11, 2008

The Battle Over Animated Fatness

posted by on July 11 at 11:03 AM

27_thefutureofthehumanrace_lg.jpg

I saw Pixar’s WALL•E last week and everyone’s right: it’s wonderful. It’s also the rare “family film” that drips with contempt for its audience. In Wall•E’s world (small spoiler alert) the earth is an uninhabitable wasteland, leaving mankind—every single member of which is morbidly obese and strapped to a full-body iPod—to float around outer space in a huge, stupor-inducing spaceship.

It’s a ballsy choice—for comparison, see Blade Runner, which presented a dystopia that quietly stroked audience’s egos. (The future may be ruled by some vague Asian conglomerate, but at least we’ll get to fuck Daryl Hannah-shaped robots!) But in Wall•E, the earth is a big dead trash dump, and humanity is so fat it can barely move of its own volition.

For what it’s worth, the fatties in Wall•E are adorable (like babies) and hilarious (like platypuses). But people of size aren’t laughing.

Here’s New York mag’s link-heavy overview of the brouhaha.

And here’s a heartfelt letter written to Pixar from disappointed fan:

Do you know what it feels like seeing a shipfull of fat people who exist to show how dissolute and horrible and wasteful people can be? I’ve had fat jokes directed at me. I’ve had people laugh at my pictures. Since childhood, I’ve even had family members poke fun at my body, where I’m supposed to “take a joke”.

Pixar, this is one joke I don’t want to take. It is horrible when you see the only bodies shaped like you as things to laugh at, as living examples of as a culture, how shoddily we treat the earth. There’s no complexity, no understanding, just an easy punchline. Why is it instantly funny to see people fall and struggle and be hurt?

Worst yet, I sat there watching trying to be hopeful because at least the fat couple touched hands and smiled at each other. Unlike Wall-e and Eve, they never got to dance.

Read the whole eloquent letter here. (And go see Wall•E! At the Cinerama, if you can…)

RSS icon Comments

1

can we even call the morbidly obese blobs of flesh people?

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 11:07 AM
2

So, what is this person's theory for what people would look like after floating around in a space ship living completely sedentary lives for 700 years?

Posted by Levislade | July 11, 2008 11:16 AM
3

Maybe they're just mad because they had to pay for two seats in the theater.

Posted by sepiolida | July 11, 2008 11:17 AM
4

The point is that they're too lazy to get off the hover chairs, being fat is a side effect of the situation they are in. There's, like, maybe one offensive fat joke in the movie and that's them rolling around when they've fallen off the chairs. These people need to calm down and see it for the situation it is: being lazy enough to not do anything yourself will lead to fatness but not all fat people have are fat because of laziness. Shit like this really pisses me off, I mean, I get sensitive, but this is ridiculous.

Posted by seriously? | July 11, 2008 11:19 AM
5

Jesus. Way to take a generalized criticism and make it personal. Obesity has been a symbol of gluttony and waste in the arts for centuries. Why? Because when people consume to excess, they generally get fat! That's just math, physics, physiology. If you are somehow uncontrollably predisposed to obesity, you are not the depicted subject. The film is about humans who made gluttonous choices, not humans with glandular problems. Similarly, when an artist depicts a character as being stupid, they are not implicitly pointing a finger at the developmentally disabled. Get a grip.

I didn't think this "letter" was eloquent at all. I thought it was childish, solipsistic and ill-considered.

Posted by Matthew | July 11, 2008 11:21 AM
6

Nasty, BA!

They prefer to be called Blobs of Flesh People-Americans...

Posted by NapoleonXIV | July 11, 2008 11:23 AM
7

We were able to afford a full tear-off roof replacement -- including those classy architectural shingles -- due to the obscene yet not unappreciated profits from Finding Nemo. All I'm saying is you can ignore the fatosphere and see this movie (and buy the toys and video games or maybe just see it twice) lots of truly nice folks will be able to put in that second bathroom they've been talking about. Plus, Wall-E comes with an awesome message for your kids about consumerism or something.

Posted by elenchos | July 11, 2008 11:28 AM
8

As a tall, lanky dork I am offended by Goofy

Posted by Yardlie | July 11, 2008 11:29 AM
9

I have a problem with morbidly obese people demanding that the non-morbidly obese ignore their fat, fat bodies and make unreasonable accommodations for them at every turn.

Obesity elicits a shocked, startled response because it is shocking to imagine the amount of food required to maintain that person's weight is consumed on a daily basis. A few days ago, an obese man was in front of me at Wendy's. He ordered 6 sandwiches, 2 orders of Biggie fries, a frosty and the largest soda they had. He was alone and not ordering for two. And he ate it all. How is such gluttony OK? I feel sorry for the guy that he has belly-fat pouches reaching to his knees, but he's doing it to himself. Nobody is forcing those six burgers into his mouth.

But living in Seattle means that I must turn a blind eye to his selfish over-indulgence. I'm a "bad person" if I should voice even the slightest criticism of any person who eats 10 times more than I do. I'm expected to have sympathy for them and hope one day they'll invest in surgery to curb their eating habits.

It's all BS of course. Fat people should be ostracized a little bit to provide them motivation to lose weight. I'm not talking throwing stones or firing squads (as the fat-advocates will insist is what I'm hoping for). But if you're over 300 lbs, don't be so indignant when nobody wants to sit next to you on a plane.

Posted by montex | July 11, 2008 11:31 AM
10

Pixar, this is one joke I don’t want to take

Hey fatass, it's not a joke. It's what happens when you consume consume consume.

Posted by Mike in MO | July 11, 2008 11:31 AM
11

I thought Pixar was remarkably restrained with the fat jokes. They gave a semi-legitimate reason for it (the lost of bone mass due to life in space and the lazy consumer culture) and refrained from a lot of easy fat jokes. Hell, two fatties fell in love and one became a hero. How often do you see that in a movie?

Posted by JC | July 11, 2008 11:33 AM
12

@ 1 ftw

fortunately, morbidly obese people aren't helpless. it's a choice. if they don't like being made fun of, which i don't condone, they should try working out.

i know it's harder for some people to loose weight because of genetic predispositions, socioeconomic status, metabolism rates, etc. but it's not impossible to do. your body WANTS to loose weight when it's that unhealthy.

in my opinion, obesity is synonymous with gluttony, and that's why it was a relevant component of the movie.

Posted by tiffany | July 11, 2008 11:34 AM
13

@9,

Too bad for you that negative reinforcement makes people fatter.

Posted by keshmeshi | July 11, 2008 11:35 AM
14

"Worst yet, I sat there watching trying to be hopeful because at least the fat couple touched hands and smiled at each other. Unlike Wall-e and Eve, they never got to dance."
That's because they were too fat to move!

Posted by kebabs | July 11, 2008 11:36 AM
15

I'm with montex @ #9. Quit super-sizing your double cheese-burger meal deals, cut back to only ONE Thirsty-two Ouncer of Mountain Dew a day, eat a fucking vegitable (WITHOUT CHEESE SAUCE) once in a while, and maybe take a fucking walk now and then.

Posted by monkey | July 11, 2008 11:38 AM
16

^ROTFL "WITHOUT CHEESE SAUCE"

Posted by Non | July 11, 2008 11:42 AM
17

"It's all BS of course. Fat people should be ostracized a little bit to provide them motivation to lose weight."

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess fat people are probably already ostracized a lot in this society. I don't think it's my job to make people feel worse about themselves than they probably already do in order to spur them on to go to the gym. I've seen people yell insults at fat people on the street and I doubt it was someone doing hoping against hope that they would be inspired to lose weight. Personally, I think it's more about feeling morally superior to someone than it is about concern over health.

Posted by hal | July 11, 2008 11:45 AM
18

Where were these people when Dune featured the fat, floating Baron Vladimir Harkonnen?

Posted by Banna | July 11, 2008 11:46 AM
19

@12 - I'd rather be fat than not know the difference between "loose" and "lose".

Posted by j4zz3rgrl | July 11, 2008 11:47 AM
20

If anything, Wall-E displays an admirable degree of fat acceptance. Everyone in the movie is fat, and I don't recall hearing a single unkind remark about the size of humans in general, much less any one in particular. If anything, it portrayed that the human race was victimized by a corporation lulling them into submission. I certainly didn't laugh at the human characters because they were fat, or make fun of them later when talking about the movies. In fact, I don't think I've mentioned to a single person that I told about this movie that every single person in it was fat. But then again, I don't make fun of real fat people, either. Still, I think this viewpoint is super over-sensitive.

Posted by Bella | July 11, 2008 11:52 AM
21

It isn't always as easy as going to the gym and not having that McDonalds. I never eat fast food, rarely drink soda, at least make a good attempt to control and watch out for what I'm eating (although I draw the line at making it obsessive, and yes, sometimes I still have things that are unhealthy/too many drinks), and go to the gym frequently, and I'm still far more than I want to be or than is probably healthy. It does kind of make life/my image of myself suck, on more occasions than I'd like. But hey, it's all my own fault, right?

Posted by Abby | July 11, 2008 11:57 AM
22

i suppose we should have seen this coming, and i'm sure pixar did see it and probably calculated the blowback from all the indignant plus-sized (lardos) people out there.

i know that obesity is a trap of sorts that most people fall into when they are young, and it is very tough to get healthy once a person's body is in that state. but i can't help but think that fattness is generally a product of our horribly unhealthy culture. fast food and tv and all the lazyness. but there are those who would be fat under any circumstances, and for those people i am sorry. but the tubbies who eat themselves stupid and expect everyone to treat them with dignity are never going to get what they want, people will always react harshly to gluttonous behavior.

Posted by douglas | July 11, 2008 11:58 AM
23

So the message of this movie is it's OK to ravage the planet and consume all it's resources as long as you don't get fat? Skinny people buy lots of shit, live in McMansions and consume just as much if not more of our planet's resources than fat people.

Posted by crazycatguy | July 11, 2008 12:04 PM
24

Speaking as a seriously fat dude who eats really quite a sensible amount and quality of food (my nutritionist agrees), let me add my two cents' worth.

1. Some people are fat because they are lazy and overeat, but some are genetically or otherwise-medically predisposed to it. Can you honestly spot the difference by eye, outside of an all-you-can-eat buffet? Didn't think so.

1a. Lugging around all that extra weight requires extra energy. It's physics. To move a 150kg mass 1km requires more energy than to move a 75kg mass the same distance. Where does energy come from? Food. Think about it.

2. Losing weight is hard. Really, really hard. Even for the gluttonous. The body doesn't like to change its size. And once you've got fat, "just eat less and exercise" is tougher than it sounds. If you look at the statistics, most people who lose weight gain it back and then some in short order. Are they all spineless gluttonous losers? I think not.

3. Ostracism, ah, yes, don't you remember in high school how being picked on made you want to pull up your socks and be a shining example of citizenship? No? Right. Ostracism leads to depression, which leads to not giving a shit, which leads to not doing any of that really hard stuff that *maybe* leads to losing weight, etc.

3a. Yes, fat people are quite ostracised enough, @17. I don't mind if you want to say "I don't want to have sex with a fat person" - you are attracted to whatever you're attracted to; that's fine - and you don't need to have fat people on your sports team if they can't keep up with the game. (Not that you'll find a lot of us even trying out.) But in other areas of society, like work and general social hangin' out, ostracising fat people makes as much sense as ostracising based on gender or race.

Sigh.

Posted by Breklor | July 11, 2008 12:05 PM
25

Where were these people when Dune featured the fat, floating Baron Vladimir Harkonnen?

Posted by Banna | July 11, 2008 12:05 PM
26

keshmeshi, is that why you're fat? did daddy not give you enough kisses or did he give you too many open mouth kisses?

If pointing out that being fat is gross and unhealthy only makes fat people loathe themselves and other people more, then I dare say we can't be mean enough to fat people. I'll toss out bricks of salted lard dipped in chocolate like penny candy if it means the fat die faster.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 12:06 PM
27

@20
What a wonderful point! As I watched the movie, the intial shock at all the obese people COULD be constrained as slightly offensive, but look at the tenacity! The captain actually had a sharp mind, somehow going from "dirt" to "ho-downs" and intrigued once he found something that sparked him. The three central main characters suddenly came alive, became more than just empty-headed consumers, even though their outer bodies didn't necessarily change. When the two lovers were splashing around in the pool or saving the babies? Can you imagine the strength it must have taken the captain to be the first human to stand in maybe 400, 500 years? That is not the message of "HATE FATTIES." That is the message that humans make mistakes but are remarkable and adaptable creatures. I felt the movie, especially the end, was the definition of redemption.

Posted by Marty | July 11, 2008 12:08 PM
28

@ 19

enjoy a life of being putrid on the eyes. i on the other hand, will be perfectly content proportioned and attractive.

give me shit for a typo... you'll still end up hating yourself.

Posted by tiffany | July 11, 2008 12:09 PM
29

Abby,

Yes, it is.

What exactly are you trying to say? That not eating fast food is so hard but you do it anyway. That even though you suffer so your life still sucks? Stop wallowing in your own greasy misery, people.

Posted by karst | July 11, 2008 12:12 PM
30

your body WANTS to loose weight when it's that unhealthy.

No, it doesn't. How much do you suffer by being such an ignoramus?

Posted by keshmeshi | July 11, 2008 12:13 PM
31

There are a couple critical plot points in Wall-E that should be emphasized: the captain of the ship, and the passengers, made a choice to overcome their condition out of a desire for a better life and a willingness to help others. They started as passive victims and became heroes in spite of their debilitating obesity.

Hello? The message of Wall-E for fat people is to hang in there, keep trying and you can succeed if you don't give up.

Posted by elenchos | July 11, 2008 12:17 PM
32

@ 24 -
Well-put. As "someone of size" or rather, as the rest of the posters here would say "A giant waste of humanity, gluttonous slob, why do you bother to exist?", it's easy to single out a group and beat them when they're down. Part of human nature, I guess.
Thanks, people, you give me so much hope.

Posted by Madashell | July 11, 2008 12:19 PM
33

Yeah, I've heard all the arguments that obese people are victims of society and they can't help it - blah blah blah. But there is a huge difference between someone who is 30 lbs. overweight and someone who is 300 lbs. overweight. Why is it that the girl who is fussing about her muffin-top is equating her struggle with Mr. 400 lbs? There is no comparison. Grossly obese is not the same as a BMI of 30. You really have to work at achieving a weight that is over the maximum most scales can measure. And that is where the shock comes in.

I also have a couple of 300lb+ coworkers who try to fool everyone into thinking they're not gluttonous pigs. When ever we have a company event where food is served, you won't see these hefty hippos eating any more than the tiniest portions. Their unvoiced statment being that it's not their fault they are so fat - it's glandular! I used to buy that until the day I saw that Miss Large's car was crammed with trash from fast food restaurants. She may be eating a vinegar salad in front of us, but when she gets in that car it's off to the drive thru for her real meal.

Posted by montex | July 11, 2008 12:22 PM
34

@28: outwardly attractive, maybe. too bad about your insides.

Posted by haunted leg | July 11, 2008 12:23 PM
35

@ 13 Negative reinforcement does not *make* people fatter. Your remark seems to suggest that overweight people somehow lack free will and such a suggestion is dehumanizing and negative in itself. Individual reactions to negative reinforcement may trigger a desire to eat in some but negative remarks alone cannot cause anything the hearer does not allow.

Posted by inkweary | July 11, 2008 12:23 PM
36

@29: Not eating fast food isn't hard. Eating dessert maybe once every two months is hard, however. Watching my friends eat all sorts of crap (especially stuff that I enjoy, like German food) and never look anything but skinny is hard. And going to the gym four times a week (including sessions with a trainer) is hard, especially since I don't really see any sort of motivating change in me. Because, well, even if I am changing my behavior, Internet jackasses like you will always make me feel like shit, no matter how much I think I have a thick skin now.

Posted by Abby | July 11, 2008 12:24 PM
37

@ 30

you're retarded. yes it does.

it is WAY HARDER for me to loose fifteen pounds at 120 than it would for someone to loose fifteen pounds at 435.

So.... shut the fuck up.

Posted by tiffany | July 11, 2008 12:25 PM
38

@26,

Why of course.

So what's your excuse for being a worthless piece of shit?

Posted by keshmeshi | July 11, 2008 12:27 PM
39

@37

why the fuck would you want to lose fifteen pounds at 120? Unless you're four feet tall, that's perfectly healthy, if not skinny.

Posted by MK | July 11, 2008 12:33 PM
40

Somewhat prescient I'd say, except that it's likely that by that time the world's population will be mostly Asian. There is an even greater stigma to being overweight in most Asian cultures, but I'm sure that eventually, as China becomes more solidly developped, they too will succumb to the irresolute foibles of the West that they have supplanted.

Posted by kinaidos | July 11, 2008 12:34 PM
41

...to shit my high fat/low fiber 1000 calorie breakfast in Bellevue Ave's mouth. Anyone want to help hold him/her/it down for me?

Posted by Fatty with an urge... | July 11, 2008 12:47 PM
42

@36

Google Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and see if you have any of the other symptoms (assuming you haven't already been diagnosed). It's a common condition (estimates are that 1 in 20 women have it) and it can affect much more than your weight. You might also want to get your thyroid checked.

Posted by Anonymouse | July 11, 2008 12:50 PM
43

Fuck the fatties.

Posted by Jay | July 11, 2008 12:51 PM
44

Oh for fuck's sake. As a fat guy, NOTHING in Wall*E was offensive. As opposed to 80% of this thread.

Thanks for implying all of us are oversensitive joykills, and for stirring up the pot, Schmader.

Posted by Big Sven | July 11, 2008 12:56 PM
45

As someone who lost 80+ pounds through diet and exercise, I just want to say SHUT UP YOU FAT PEOPLE. Lose weight--- you will like it. Really you will.

Posted by Hartiepie | July 11, 2008 12:57 PM
46

As a former smoker all too familiar with reminders that "It's unhealthy and gives you cancer" from friends and strangers alike, I say:

Call out the fatties. Publicly and often.

Posted by Nick | July 11, 2008 12:58 PM
47

This was a movie about Disney giving us a lecture about how useless crap is going to overwhelm and make toxic our planet.

Next time I'll take my environmental and health warning messages from Walmart.

@40-- its illegal or will soon be illegal to be over a certain waist size in China. Prison time for fatties.

Posted by Jasen Comstock | July 11, 2008 1:01 PM
48

Anybody who makes Abby feel like shit for being fat -- which she is not -- should FOAD at the earliest opportunity (you're a doll, toots).

There are far better reasons to attack her: her miserable taste in football teams, for instance.

Posted by Fnarf | July 11, 2008 1:07 PM
49

@47: As long as the message is right, I'm not sure I care who it comes from. I certainly wouldn't give Disney *credit* for it, since the hypocrisy is there, but if it changes one more person's mind ...

Posted by Gloria | July 11, 2008 1:09 PM
50

Awww, Fnarf, you're the nicest Spud I've met.

@42: Thanks. I wish I had infrequent/no periods, though, periods suck.

Posted by Abby | July 11, 2008 1:10 PM
51

You know what, letter writer? The people at Pixar weren't going out of their way to torment you about your obesity and glandular problems or whatever. In fact, they weren't thinking of you at all. They were trying to make a point about the perils of too much comfort, automation, and sedentary habits. Does that sting a little bit? Maybe it should.

@48: Abby is adorable.

Posted by Greg | July 11, 2008 1:26 PM
52

@36/48 No one here is making Abby feel like shit except Abby. If you don't have any motivation to change (besides your obvious misery [why is that not motivation?]) then just accept that you're fat and will be fat for the rest of your life. Don't come whining in here talking about your poor fat life if you won't do anything to change that. Grow some fucking spine already. (But you'll probably say thats glandular too)

Posted by karst | July 11, 2008 1:52 PM
53

@38,

This worthless piece of shit at least is having fun when he trades barbs with you. Are you having fun?

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 1:53 PM
54

Who was it that pointed out that WALL-E should have found a little plastic WALL-E toy in the mounds of garbage he's processing? Probably should have found a whole mountain of them. The hypocrisy of this movie was pretty breathtaking, in that loveable self-congratulatory American liberal kind of way. Nice animation though!

Posted by Ramdu | July 11, 2008 2:02 PM
55

the best reason to attack abby is her non stop gushing about the arts high school she went to. I went to an arts high school too, but they made us ride a short yellow bus and some kids would finger paint with their drool.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 2:04 PM
56

That's funny, I can't even remember Abby mentioning her arts high school once. What did you finger paint with, your poo? Someone else's poo?

Posted by Fnarf | July 11, 2008 2:39 PM
57

@52: when did I imply that I wasn't doing anything to change it? I'm doing a lot to change it, it's a process I've been working on for quite some time now. I'm just saying that I'm still not happy with my weight (I've read that if I stop eating altogether I'll drop a lot, but I don't want to go that route) and it's a process that sucks, as it involves me doing a lot of things I don't enjoy (like exercising and not eating eggs Benedict) in the hope of becoming healthier and, in all honesty, looking better. But I'm doing it.

Posted by Abby | July 11, 2008 2:39 PM
58

listen up assholes, my cheeseburger may be supersized and dripping with mayonnaise, but i am fixing american and fixing the goddammed economy with my purchases! so suck it up and go back for seconds unless you want to live in a third world nation yuo yuppie ass-lickers!

Posted by james silla | July 11, 2008 2:59 PM
59

Thanks, James Silla!

Did I mention that there is a Wall-E video game? Well there is! Also, the more times you see it, the more cool stuff you notice. Wall-E is that good dude. Do you have a credit card? Have you thought about asking for a higher credit limit? Because often you can get a higher limit just for the asking. Try it and see.

See I'm seriously thinking we could have one of those retro claw foot tubs, you know? If the weekend gross stays over $30M I can totally see a claw foot in my future.

Happy shopping, my friend.

Posted by elenchos | July 11, 2008 3:14 PM
60

abby, honey, you're the greatest. i would give anything to look like you, cute and curvy and rubenesque and sexy. and no, tiffany is not outwardly attractive, if this is the same tiffany who was at the june slog happy and wouldn't let me take her picture. however, folks, feel free to take her advice and shun me early and often. i shall take comfort in the fact that i own property on capitol hill and have more money than a horse has hair!

on the other hand, if any of my slog buddies wants to be my personal trainer, let me know.

Posted by scary tyler moore | July 11, 2008 3:14 PM
61

STM, I can teach you to dance off those pounds!

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 3:27 PM
62

fnarf, I did finger painting with your menstrual blood.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | July 11, 2008 3:28 PM
63

i brush my teeth with fnarf's menstrual blood.

Posted by james silla | July 11, 2008 3:35 PM
64

@57 This is basic math here: "Fat Abby - Eggs = Thin Abby". No matter how much you hope your little heart out, if you still eat the eggs you'll still be fat. You cannot change this equation. There is no middle ground. There is no magical egg that descends from the heavens just to make Abby happy. You have to decide wether to eat the egg or become thin. It doesn't matter which you choose but you have to make the choice.

Posted by karst | July 11, 2008 4:05 PM
65

@ 60

i have no connection to the tiffany at the slog happy... i haven't attened any of the get together things yet.

Posted by tiffany | July 11, 2008 4:31 PM
66

Maybe we should mock Tiffany for her name. I haven't seen someone with a name like that except for an ankle biting poodle in a long time. Maybe you should change that Tiffany. I can help you with the forms down at the King County Courthouse.

And Tiffany, I'm portly and could give a shit about what you think. My partner and I still fuck as often we want.

Posted by Dave Coffman | July 11, 2008 5:43 PM
67

Miss Tiffany,

I'm an aerobics instructor. I'm in no way "putrid on the eyes" both in my top-notch physical fitness, and in my cute and winning smile.
But more importantly, I choose to mock people for specifics (like "typos") rather than stereotypes (all fat people are lazy, etc).
And yes, I would rather be overweight than ignorant. Truth. And I burn calories for a living.

Posted by j4zz3rgrl | July 11, 2008 5:48 PM
68

I feel that both sides are wrong being overweight isn't healthy and over eating isn't healthy. But people assume upfront a large person is gulttonous. I was 235 about 5'8 and ate normally was active not extremely so but i had to really cut my diet with exercise to lose weight. What gets me is now being 185 about 6 ft people will still call me fat. No amount of work or effort matters unless you personally saw a change like a family member or close friend would. People assume if you aren't stick thin you must over eat and gorge yourself, which is not true, however wall-e did not directly represent obesiety but the lack of personal gain. Everything was done for them, their body type was just an outcome of their lazy life styles.

Posted by bcool | July 11, 2008 6:03 PM
69

Ah, the Fat Wars has returned. I'll try not to get involved, other than to say, some people wouldn't know a real workout if it bit them in the ass. Lots of Stairclimbers I see being used, but not really used. That might account for some folks, "I go to the gym, but..." stories. I will definitely concede that losing body fat is not easy.

Oh, and while there are folks who are trying to do everything right (Abby) and generally succeeding most of the time (which is about all any of us can do) please, don't try to convince me that the rest of the 300 lb. Americans all around me are excercising, too, but just can't get the weight off. Americans _despise_ physical exertion. They also despise the outside world anymore. Too hot, too cold, too windy, my shoes will get dirty/wet, my hair will get messed up, too humid, too buggy, it's raining, I can't take a walk, so I'll watch TV, or do a half-assed equivalent of a real-world walk on a treadmill.

The real theme of Wall*E, after enviro issues: that the American definition of "The Good Life" is doing nothing, floating about on a cruise ship, drinking Brawndo from a cup. And gabbing all day -- but doing nothing. Americans aspire to that. And every day, in real life, they do their best to achieve that effortless, sweatless ideal. While they search for the closest parking space for two minutes, driving up and down the parking lot at MegaloMart. Our definition of "The Good Life" is killing us.

Dangit... I got sucked in...

Here's what worried me about that two-people-touching-hands-and-falling-in-love part of that movie. Where did the previous 700 generations of people on that ship come from?! Methinks there's robots involved that they couldn't put into a G movie...

Posted by CP | July 11, 2008 6:50 PM
70

okay, bellevue avenue, where or when? i have thrown down the dance gauntlet!!

Posted by scary tyler moore | July 11, 2008 7:28 PM
71

I know a guy that practically lives at the dojo, kickboxing and doing karate. He's a blackbelt, and he's overweight.


I still didn't think WALL-E was offensive, because the people didn't seem like they were supposed to be funny. They were just people, in a situation that they couldn't have done much to prevent, but still managed to change.

Posted by Emma | July 11, 2008 8:36 PM
72

Yeah, but just imagine how angry the fatties would be if the spaceship were full of stylized size-0 nymphs.

Nothing to see here. Just another missive from the league of the perpetually outraged. Move along.

Posted by also | July 12, 2008 12:49 AM

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