It is very disheartening to me that some people in this world seem to exist solely to criticize and hurt people. I believe, at our core, people all just want to be accepted. To be heard. To be respected. There is a name for the group of people who do not understand this.
Children.
Bullying and shaming are downright ignorant and childish behaviors that, unfortunately, can leak into some adults’ lives. It cannot be a coincidence that people are most commonly bullied for what makes them different — in elementary school.
Perhaps YouTube “comedian” Nicole Arbour should pay a visit to Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary to learn some manners.
Arbour recently uploaded a video titled, “Dear Fat People,” in which she expresses her views and lists her complaints regarding overweight people. It is easy to tell that the material is supposed to be comedy, but instead the video just seemed crass and unintelligent.
From the time I pressed play, Arbour’s comedy was very lewd, with her comment regarding her hair, saying, “I don’t know if this is hairspray or semen.” She then proceeds to antagonize and belittle overweight people. Then she discusses the issue of “fat-shaming.”
Fat-shaming, according to the Macmillan dictionary, is defined as unkind and usually public criticism of someone for being overweight. She insists that fat people made up “fat-shaming” as a way to seem discriminated against, and then backs up her claim by comparing it to pulling “the race card.”
Arbour even says in the video that she encourages fat-shaming. She says that if the constant ridicule is what finally motivates fat people to lose weight, then she is doing a good thing. She added that she would sleep well at night knowing that she is helping people.
Unfortunately, there are some people in this world who agree with Arbour. While her video was met with overwhelming disapproval, there are some who think she is completely correct. This could spark an increase in fat-shaming and other forms of harassment.
Arbour was aware the entire time of the hole into which she was digging herself. She said at the very beginning of the video that the majority of the audience would be offended. She then made the assumption that nobody would do anything about it.
Most people who saw the video took to social media to express their general disgust for Arbour’s views. Overall, the body positivity movement reigns supreme and most people realize that this video was just crass and distasteful.
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