The big news around these parts is that we are finally getting a Sonic Drive-In. Actually, five Sonics over the course of the next few years. If you aren’t familiar, Sonic is a fast-food restaurant that features drive-up (as well as drive-thru) service, where you order from your own little stall with an intercom and someone brings your food out to you, sometimes even on roller skates! Sonic is known for their slushy drinks, their tots and fries smothered in chili and cheese, their corn dogs and burgers. I’ve had Sonic several times, back when I lived down south, and it’s pretty tasty, when you’re in the mood for that kind of thing.
Local social media blew up with this news, and right away I noticed something very interesting: It wasn’t just fat people who were excited. But, that can’t be right, can it? I mean, everyone knows that only fat people eat fast food. It’s why we want to tax it more, right? So that we can punish fat people for their poor dietary choices? Most of the people in my News Feed who were excited by this news are thin. A lot of these people were just as thrilled to hear we were getting our first Dairy Queen, and our first Golden Corral. I guess they didn’t get the message that they aren’t the people who eat at those kinds of places.
Of course I’m being sarcastic. But read just about any article about fat issues and you’ll inevitably see comments about how fat people need to stop stuffing their faces with burgers, fries, and milkshakes. It drives me nuts, because you know very well that those people have stopped at the drive-thru, too. Some of them probably go a lot. The hypocrisy astonishes me. It’s like the ban on oversized sugary drinks in New York City, that’s supposed to help curb the “obesity epidemic.” That implies that only fat people drink massive amounts of soda. I know – and I’m sure you do, too – skinny people who drink that stuff all day long.
Having a specific (thin) body type does not mean you are are granted the privilege to have certain things. Having a specific (fat) body type doesn’t mean you are not allowed to have certain things. Having a specific body type means you have a specific body type. Pretending that only fat people eat fast food – and should be shamed and even punished for it – is ridiculous, unfair, and just plain wrong. Should we all try to eat more nutritious food? Sure, if we want to feel better and have more energy. But shaming fat people for behaviors you are likely engaging in too is just mean and hypocritical, and shows your prejudices.
I, for one, am excited to have a little Sonic – in moderation. How about you?
