Posts Tagged ‘humiliation’

Earlier this year my father turned 80, and along with the family we gathered and celebrated, as families do.

In the back of my mind I kept looking at Dad, he was pretty much fully recovered from a hip operation and he’s a pretty spritely, wondering how I was going to get around at his age. I could see a wheelchair, or maybe one of those cool scooters, and an oxygen mask – not a very positive outlook. But if I didn’t start this change, maybe that’s exactly what I was looking forward to.

In May of last year, on impulse, I decided to join the local gym where my brother is a member.Thinking that I’d get his support, meet some people he knows and basically make that environment less confronting. For a larger person a gym is a place full of fear and dread and a constant reminder of what a weak bastard you are. It’s full of fit and healthy people, it’s not designed for people like me. All the fit people look you up and down, as though to ask “what the hell are you doing here? It’s way too late pal”

I didn’t start SavingAlan until February of this year, so I took advantage of the delays (read: procrastination) to take less care of myself than before and added another 10 kilos in the 7 months. The only reason I know my weight then was that I took a fitness test with Vanessa (personal trainer) and she set up a program for me. As part of the outcomes of that test is that Vanessa put the details into a database to measure me up against others, and provides me with a rating based on age .. so you see what I am getting at right?

Here are the outcomes;

SavingAlan's Fitness Age & Ratings

It’s pretty sad that at the age of 46, my physical fitness is rated as 80 years old. So you can see clearly the importance of getting SavingAlan started and implemening real change.

At the end of May I’ll do an update for comparison sake.

Over Christmas took my 8 year old son to the Circus down at Mornington, it was a great afternoon, great illusions, clowns and aerialists

I think his favourite thing was seeing one of the clowns drag me on stage .. so there were two clowns on stage, and then proceed to put a Dreadlock wig on me and make me pretend to play drums, with only made the young fella laugh louder and harder.

I went to the supermarket this afternoon to pick up some last minute supplies, as I walked in the door two young children were playing and the little girl no more than 4 pointed at me, jumping up and down yelling to her brother and father “Here’s comes the fat man .. look, look!”

Ahh, from the mouths of babes .. I wanted to tell her that I’ve lost 8.5 kilos, but she would have kept yelling.

It didn’t really annoy me, what did was her fathers amusement. But he’s not alone in objectifying obese people and using them as objects of humour and ridicule. In the office just the other week a bunch of people were laughing about the woman who had bought two tickets on Jetstar and Jetstar had assigned he seats apart. That was funny, what wasn’t funny how the conversation and giggling went to the size of the woman.

We all make jokes at the expense of other people, we objectify, we humiliate, we vilify – I do it, I try not to, but I do. Maybe it’s time to stop, think and give due consideration and understanding to all.