this american life 589

Each week we choose a theme. It was at a friend's comedy show. Based on the wildly popular public radio show, This American Life explores a theme - fiascos, do-gooders, conventions, the job that takes over your life - and transforms the stories into something funny or poignant, enlightening or bizarre. She was working at a weekly newspaper, The Stranger, in Seattle. Yeah, I'm sure people in the audience-- I mean, well, a guy came running out with a chair. He had traveled the world for those 25 years before we got there praying for the sick. And reading these two books was the first time I was able to imagine a parallel universe where I could have stayed fat. I didn't matter until I was this size. Like, they would decide, OK, today's the day, going to say it out loud to people, I'm fat. She says it took years, involved many humiliations, things she realized. I'm not having it. It just was. Echternkamp. In the before picture, she is painfully shy and not as happy. Here's the quote. This next story is about a very specialized example of this kind of moralism. They stayed fat. It's dehumanizing. And did this change the way that you saw fat people? I just really can't agree with the logic of the episode. On February 11, 2011, I wrote a scorched-earth essay and posted it publicly at the tail end of a sunny Friday afternoon. Newsy stories that try to capture what its like to be alive right now. We'd lived in the same small building for four years. That's crazy, of course. It's taken care of. It's saying that no weight is better than any other weight, which, given the health risks associated with greater weight that Lindy acknowledges, it can be hard to get your head around. But you're not helping. If the South Dakotans floating around us all got out of the pool at the same time, the water level would most likely have dropped 6 feet.". Quote, "Why stop with gay people? Yeah, and it's usually thin people who say that. The newscasters made it seem like this was some crazy Christian thing. I used the word "overweight" a few times. I would never do that now. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Oh, my god. So to actually say, OK, I am fat-- and I have been as long as I can remember, so I don't know why I live in this imaginary future where I, you know, someday I'm going to be thin. Oh, no, it's white people. Two of the biggest things in Paul's life were coming together-- God and exercise. How long have we been married? When I'm on it, I can legitimately say, I forgot to eat. Web2007 2 Seasons Documentary, Reality. I asked her to read this part of her story for us here. There was a paper banner that said my name. And we were talking about fat and beauty and how important beauty is for men. Because I was aware of the whole Pentecostal fundamentalist movement of Christianity, and exercise was not a part of that environment. Watch Trailer Stream Now. "Not my point at all either." This American Life: #589 589 It's like confirmation that you are giant, that furniture cannot withstand you. I want to have more stamina. Mark explains that he doesn't think I became comfortable with myself until I was thin. It's not like when you come out as gay or transgender. Daily. A woman in a white coat grabs his belly fat with a set of calipers during the interview. Stories of everyday people, based on the award-winning public radio show. This American Life: 25th Anniversary Watch Trailer Stream Now. She'd have to go back to the dorm, say goodbye to her roommates, and go home. Then, as now, being fat was not just seen by lots of people as a medical failing, but a moral one. With one-third of Americans classified as overweight, and another third as obese, and almost none of us losing weight and keeping it off, maybe its time to rethink the way we see being fat. That was the gold standard for determining body fat in the 1970s. We're in the way. But I don't think it's difficult at all. I think just the people that were in-- just us special ones. He wasn't alone. Born again by losing weight. We Won a Peabody Award for Our Coverage of the Fall of Roe v. Wade. I was hired to be a page at the Letterman show. It was just me. Yes, it does, like you're even lower on the sort of totem pole of dignity. Echternkamp. So I tried the same thing at a different deli, this time on purpose. Season 1. She's fat. Everyone in the world already thinks fat people are lazy and gross. How old were you when you first came out? They'd whipped up a host of reasons why it was right and good to hate fat people-- our repulsive, unsexy bodies, of course, the classic, but also our drain on the health care system, our hogging of plane armrests, our impact on "the children," our pathetic inability and/or monstrous refusal to swap austerity for gluttony, oh, and our health, because they care. Something lurched awake inside of me. I don't want to pretend that I'm OK with it, and it's not judging anyone else. This American Life The New York Times has officially launched its new audio app for iOS New York Times Audio and we're on there in a big way. What if they're still fat? I looked at my pile and began debating what would stay and what would go. And then I'll be back, and we'll unpack and everything. For a long time, I tried to get the skin to go away with lotions and exercise. But by the mid-'70s, diet plans were as ubiquitous as they are today. I have lived in this body my whole life. A show inspired by Lindy Wests book Shrill. This week, people revisit those decisions and we revisit a story we aired a year ago with new, fascinating updates about a groundbreaking study that turned out to be false. When guys came on to me, it didn't feel like it was about me. I had trained myself not to care what people thought, and I'd done a good job of it. And when I looked at those photos, they made me feel bad, because in the pictures, I looked happy. Is this how you're judging people? The way people talk about being fat is shifting. WebThis American Life: Created by Adam Beckman, Alex Blumberg, Ira Glass, David Schisgall, Julie Snyder, Christopher Wilcha. With one-third of Americans classified as overweight, and another third as obese, and almost none of us losing weight and keeping it off, maybe its time to rethink the way we see being fat. This American Life Web18 Posted by West Seattle 5 years ago Archived This American Life (Episode 589 Part1) had Lindy West's inside scoop about The Stranger's office battle over being fat and workplace snark thisamericanlife.org/radio- 56 comments share save hide report 67% Upvoted This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday This American Life: #589: Tell Me I'm Fat June 20, 2016 6:59 PM - Subscribe The way people talk about being fat is shifting. Well, I'm thrilled with it. He appears on TV. And it's big, with seminars and books like Help Lord, the Devil Wants Me Fat. At least, it worked for me. Thanks. And I expected something cliche but sweet like, "I wanted to make sure our community was part of our marriage," or, "I wanted everyone to know how much I love you. The show pioneered a new form of audio narrative journalism. Can I have you talk about that? Occasionally, Kathy says that some passers-by see what's going on and approach her to complain that this punishment seems too humiliating. You guys, I've been working really hard on not showing this to people. And I know some of your best friends are fat or whatever, but you sound like a bigot. Stuff like this is all around us. Did you conceive of yourself as fat? The older and wiser we get, the more bewildering our past decisions can seem. WebFull episode 589: Tell Me Im Fat Act Two Its a Small World After All Share a clip Transcript Elna Baker lost a lot of weight, 110 pounds. Faron Yoder lives in Amish country in Indiana. For the first time, I wondered if I had done the right thing by killing off old Elna. And one of our staffers, Elna Baker, blurted out, if she put one of those on today, she'd feel like herself again. I'm not concerned with whether or not fat people can change their bodies through self-discipline and choices. Paul Brynteson loves to exercise. I was confused. Yeah, but you know what's funny? Yeah, but I was determined to not be fat forever. Oral Roberts still has a physical fitness requirement. For Your Reconsideration A year out of college, I took stock of my life. No Coincidence, No Story For Your Reconsideration. It's no secret. Tell Me Im Fat You know, packed, sold-out theater. We've arrived at Act Three of our program. I didn't tell him about old Elna. Late in his life, he did a series of these gorgeous black-and-white photos called The Full Body Project, where he photographed fat women naked. I was a huge flirt with lots of guy friends. She thought it was an exaggeration. They made an incision around my entire waist, cut out a 6-inch belt of skin, and then sewed me back together. Listen to me. Specifically, lose 8 pounds each semester and 1% body fat. It's about "ew." Roxane Gay has written a lot about race and some about obesity in her book Bad Feminist and elsewhere. Then anything can happen. Editorial help from Julie Snyder. "Just take it," he said. One day, I went to pay for my groceries at a deli and realized I was short, off by a full $10. Why was Aham doing intense face? WebThis is my first time listening to this episode. And people will say, you know, this is the first-class line, as if I don't belong there. I am usually up until 4:00 AM. Newsy stories that try to capture what its like to be alive right now. Host: Ira Glass. And those costs include premature death and lower average life expectancies for Iowans.". It just felt impolite to talk about, like me not wanting to burden you with my failure. So I had to pack the wound with gauze and keep packing it. Phentermine turns off the part of my brain that thinks about food. Roxane's black. From there, she started searching the internet with the intensity, she says, of a teenager looking for porn, only she was looking for sites where they posted images of fat people. Also, your super fucking obvious and regressive point has been made. I will take another one at 4:00. A show inspired by Lindy Wests book Shrill. Paul Brynteson may have taught what he called God's diet plan to the kids at Oral Roberts. What if they're fat forever? The way people talk about being fat is shifting. The post was called, "Hello, I Am Fat." I don't know how they reconcile that, you know? I said nothing. Now, I'm down to 270. Act Three, How You Doing with Sizes? We nodded when we saw each other in the hallway. It was just bright, happy, funny, smiling people wearing cute outfits. It's OK. CBS two was for fat people, elderly people with a visible illness, people who looked like they might be disruptive, and goths. "Almost every day, I hear some kind friend say, Sophie, dear, I think you're much too stout. It does seem weird to me too. Love, Lindy.". Students there still have to collect aerobics points. Did you see yourself as fat? You can't change it. Then I faked debating which ones to choose. An anthology of true stories pertaining to various themes are illustrated. They think youre fat because youre weak and cant get control of your own life. "Hey, Dan. Our editor's Joel Lovell. This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange. Well, I was praying. It took so much more kindness, hard work, and ingenuity to be a person in the world when I was fat. That's why deciding to stay fat and be OK with it is at a peculiar frontier right now, where things are shifting and people do not agree about what is acceptable to say and think. And I am on speed, because I need to stay thin. Sarai Walker's book Dietland hit me just as hard. A show inspired by Lindy Wests book Shrill. 589 I'd hear comments that I would ignore. Act Two In God We Trust When it comes to love, coincidences tend to loom extra-large. New Elna didn't have to be a good person. And she says those two things together have a huge impact on the way people perceive her. And they think, well, no, she can't possibly be a woman. They might get a point for walking a mile or two for playing doubles tennis or five for bouncing on a trampoline. Fat people are told all the time they're choosing to be unhealthy. For some individuals, I suppose if they were four pounds over and they didn't meet a goal that they were supposed to meet, not allowing them back in school-- for some individuals that could be a turning point where they could change their life around, and that would never happen again. Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday WebJuly 1, 2022 Act Four: Next Host Ira Glass walks through possible next steps with a pro-life activist who worked on the Texas SB8 bill, that set a precedent for enforcement of abortion bans throughout the country. It was 120 people last year. I'd never even tried coffee. He said he heard me, but I was accusing him of being a bigot-- a serious charge against someone exhibiting, by my admission, no animus. I mean, this was just my favorite one of these fat acceptance blogs. After dropping the weight, I had so much extra skin that I could lay on my side and pull it a half foot in either direction. Then anything can happen. I have never been thin enough for Asian men. X-Ray TV-14. I learned how to do the worm, and I would do it in dance circles. Not that any of that matters, because it is entirely none of your business.". The ACLU got involved. Because, um, I don't believe you. For Your Reconsideration. It's so weird to actually hear you say I'm fat. I'm not all there yet, and I'm trying. Nine months in, I started seeing a guy from my building-- a kindergarten teacher who left love notes on my door. But it's a story I can live with. And we hear how a dollar bill ended up clinching a marriage, after floating around Chicago for years. And he spent a big portion of his life teaching people how to stay in shape. X-Ray TV-14. That's what Dan wrote. When we asked the school about the Pounds Off program, the current administration said they hadn't heard of it. He was responding to some Republicans' argument that gay marriage should be illegal because gay people supposedly die younger. The school told Jerri at the end of sophomore year that she'd have to keep on losing weight. Our website-- thisamericanlife.org. And plenty of others said basically, sure, it's discrimination but in a good way, like it could inspire lazy people to get in shape. That if you're fat, you must be lazy or lack self-discipline, that there's something wrong with our country that so many of us can't control our weight. And sorry, I reject your "ew." And then I said, let me go over. Here's something that surprised me. That's the medical term? For WBEZ Chicago, it's This American Life. 805 IMDb 8.4 2007 6 episodes. 589 It made it hard to trust people. This American Life The startling rise of the number of people on disability in America. They said it was super difficult to comprehend that such a thing had existed. And as I did that, little by little, I observed that I think I wouldn't have to pray for the healing and health of these individuals if they would just take care of themselves. And the women in these photographs were so proud and just full of life. I kept a journal during that time and recently read from it on stage. I don't think so. "WE GET IT! I called my friend Andrea sobbing. Just let me be me. I've always said I think the real you is the skinny you. So it's like falling down, making a scene--. A show inspired by Lindy Wests book Shrill. It read as follows. OK, I'm going to jump in one more time here, because this health question is actually kind of the third rail when people talk about fat people. The job she wanted in her case was she wanted to be an actress. He fiercely and persistently defended his, quote, "refusal to take the self-esteem-boosting/public-health-shredding position that you can be obese and healthy. WebPodcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows. This week, people revisit those decisions and we revisit a story we aired a year ago with new, fascinating updates about a groundbreaking study that turned out to be false. Echternkamp. They were tested on a bunch of stuff-- their lipid levels, their lung capacity, and their body fat. Here's how the provost from back then, Carl Hamilton, explains it now. I picked out more items than I had money for. I just thought it would be nice to end the show with one last anecdote from Lindy West's book. 589 He's been on many, many times. But it was a painful month. Gay is the author of Bad Feminist. Not really. The New York Times has officially launched its new audio app for iOS New York Times Audio and we're on there in a big way. WebGet This American Life a Day Early in New York Times Audio. Back to regular case. You think fat people are icky. In the fall of 1974, he took over the school's aerobics program at a brand new $2 million center with a fancy indoor track. There's a Tumblr called, "hey, fat chick!". Our program was produced today by Susan Burton, Elna Baker. Of course, I'd lost the weight to fix two specific problems. The Today Show, ABC, the BBC-- news crews arrived on campus to film the students doing their aerobics and sit in on special lectures for the fat kids. And I'm sitting on the stage. And then they would put you on in the water. Because if you were concerned about my health, you would also be concerned about my mental health, which has spent the past 28 years being slowly eroded by statements like the above. I know that all of this is wrong. For the next year, he went back to posting semi-regularly about the horrors of the obesity epidemic with no discernible interruption. It's mean. And you noted, Lindy is what you call Lane Bryant fat. They cut up my legs from my knees to my groin and took out as much skin as they could. WebThis American Life: Created by Adam Beckman, Alex Blumberg, Ira Glass, David Schisgall, Julie Snyder, Christopher Wilcha. Description. I wanted to get a job and find love. But they don't mean, this is who I am. They talk down to you like you're stupid about nutrition and calories, as if pretty much every fat person has not been around the block 500 times on that one already. I've also appeared on his podcast and Vice program, which I recommend wholeheartedly, the Savage Lovecast. It was like Mission Impossible. But I also feel like I can't be honest with you, like we won't really get anywhere unless I admit it. Who wouldn't have loved me. Whatever. First, anyone who denies the existence of the obesity epidemic in the United States hasn't been to a water park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He asked simply if I'd ever detected any animus from him personally. But then there's a lot of people who don't like that attitude in me. She'd have to weigh 180 pounds by the time that she came back in the fall. Students like her were put onto something called the Pounds Off plan. Did I want to be the kind of person who didn't fight? He's a runner. But those things just make you stronger, Ira. Some people think so. But the biggest turning point-- the moment that she actually came out and said to everyone she knows that she's fat-- happened as the result of a fight she got into with her boss-- or, to be more precise, the boss of her boss. The older and wiser we get, the more bewildering our past decisions can seem. And I asked him the question, why is physical fitness so important to you? Making that home a fit one is one of the ways to glorify God and the Holy Spirit. The show pioneered a new form of audio narrative journalism. I called the doctor in a panic. And she did as a culmination of a bunch of experiences and changes in the way that she thought about being fat. The deli guy waved his hand. And you're the very last person that the dealer will walk up to, because they think you can't buy a car. Generals were average people. So now that you're equating the stigmatization of fat people with the stigmatization of gay people, does that mean you're going to stop stigmatizing fat people on this blog?" It wasn't enough to lose the weight of an entire adult woman from my own body. Back in 1974, just the idea of regular exercise was cutting edge. It was me. As new Elna, I once went on a date with a cute guy who said to me, I know this is going to sound mean, but I just can't tolerate fat people, and then took my hand for the very first time. Paul was a Pentecostal Evangelical Christian. Each week we choose a theme. Now I have a scar that runs completely around my waist, as if a magician cut me in half. And I talked to her about this in our interview. Black dudes noticed me. Act Two, It's a Small World After All. 379: Return To The Scene Of The Crime Fewer than 1 in 100 obese people get thin and keep it off, according to one recent study, which tracked over a quarter million people for nine years. Her book's called Shrill. You don't totally admit to yourself you're fat, because, well--. You know what's shameful? He was deliberately missing the point. I actually have never said it. I just mean she has access to spaces that people like me do not. She lost 110 pounds, and she's kept it off for years and years. Black people know what I am. 589 Which means saying to everybody, let's just decide together that, like most fat people, I'll probably always be this way. Just curious. It's just that I know the realities of living in my body. Old Elna looked for a job for a year and a half. And so it's like, let me feel the way I want to feel. Just a thought. 805 IMDb 8.4 2007 6 episodes. I'm Ira Glass. Prologue Web2007 2 Seasons Documentary, Reality. As I looked into the history of weight loss culture, I came across this amazing tape of John F. Kennedy from a speech he gave on child welfare in 1962 and sounding not so different from Oral Roberts. Subject-- hello, could you lay off the fat people shit? I say I know how to read and just leave it at that. But not all of us of have been able to get to that space where we don't care what other people think. There's another level. So I did what honestly I thought Dan Savage would do, what he'd taught me to do over my years at the paper. And they would tell you-- up to your neck. It's undeniable. So obesity in America affects a higher percentage of black people than white people. There's the person who's maybe 20 pounds overweight, who's fine as they are. 20 more pounds, white guys noticed me. He said, I've probably laid my hands and prayed for over a million-- well over a million-- people. So when we were all talking about what wanted to put on this week's show, we come to the subject of fat suits. Now, I'm down to 270. Listen now. Maybe you remember her story about confronting an internet troll. Tell Me Im Fat So obesity in America affects a higher percentage of black people than white people. 25% for males and 35% for females would be a good cutoff. This American Life But this is what's behind this entire thing. Season 1. In fact, the question she's asked most often these days is, where do you get your confidence? The dots were the beautiful people. This whole nonstop anxiety conversation happens in my head all the time for just basic life functions, like, oh, I have to go do this, you know? We Won a Peabody Award for Our Coverage of the Fall of Roe v. Wade. You've said this thing-- fat is all I ever think about, and it's exhausting. ", Then I went all caps. Can it really be that so many of us are just weak and choosing to be unhealthy?

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