I was going to write a lunchtime post about fat acceptance in America, but quickly realized that is just one form of acceptable hatred in America today. As much as we proclaim our love for liberty and equality, we sure love to hate the other guy in this country. Here are some examples.
Hating the Immigrant. Today the news is filled with reports on the protests on Arizona’s Immigration Law. Yet America seems to love to hate the immigrant. Take a look at this CNN poll. Much as there is a belief that the “melting pot” strengthened the country in the past, today’s immigrants are viewed much less charitably. Yet, were you to go back to the turn of the 20th century, you would probably be reading similar words about the Irish or the Chinese. As much as we say they should take the legal route and become citizens, we’ve made that much much harder than it was. We all seem to forget: almost everyone in this country was, at one time, an immigrant.
Hating the Wealthy. It seems to be perfectly acceptable to hate the wealthy in this country. Read the comments about the Clinton Wedding, and the fact they are spending $3 million (of their own money) on it. People seem to complain when the rich spend money—that they have earned—on all sorts of luxuries and staff, while forget that the spending pumps money back into the economy in terms both of jobs and taxes. So why is there this class warfare—why the hate?
Hating the Fat. Yesterday, I wrote about how large size bloggers are creating events to get more fashionable clothes. I ran into another article today in a similar vein: about how larger women want modern fashion, but Plus-Size stores tend not to stock it. This captures the general notion that is going around that large size individuals shouldn’t look good and fashionable; they should be penalized for their size. This is yet another form of hatred. You’ll even see the battle in the media: the LA Times is asking whether America is ready for a sitcom featuring plus-size leads, where their size isn’t the focus.
Hatred. No matter how we battle it, it is still around. Be it color, status, shape, size, orientation, ability: we need to see people as people and not labels.
