People, please stop the fat-shaming

While I applaud the people who embrace fat people and make life easy for them, there are those who get kicks off them and engage in mental terrorism.

They don’t understand the hurt fat people go through on a daily basis, as they are bullied, verbally abused, called names and humiliated through bad jokes, in the home, on the streets, in offices, while using public transport and at gatherings.

It is high time people stop this nonsense.

Not everyone could withstand the onslaught. Some who can’t end up being depressed with the attendant mental problems and suffer silently. There are those who fight back using creative language.

Some of the names fat people are called are “fatso,” “bobolups,” “fat pig,” “big belly,” “big guts,” “roly poly” and “plus size.” On getting into a taxi they are sometimes asked, “Yuh paying for two seats?” How about “Doh buss meh shocks, eh.” Then there is “Go in the back seat, yuh go squeeze meh.” Or “Yuh should go in the trunk.” As fat people go about their daily lives, there are those who offer advice like, “Yuh eating too much,” “Yuh living in the kitchen,” “How yuh fat so? Yuh need to join ah gym or run round the Queen’s Park Savannah,” “Yuh belly go buss,” “Yuh shirt cyar button.” Or they may be asked, “Yuh making twins?” Lord, when will it end? It is high time influential people speak out.

KEITH ANDERSON via emai