ARISTOTLE REPRIMANDED GREENHORN ARISTOTLE REPRIMANDED GREENHORN scientists in his Academy for their immature disgust toward the gross and unappealing in nature. “The consideration of the lower forms of life ought not to excite a childish repugnance. In all natural things there is something to move wonder" (Boorstin 51). He believed that all things looked at impartially are manifestations of the divine. Ralph Ralph Waldo Emerson Waldo Emerson extended Aristotle's estimate of the beauty of nature into the process of death itself: “There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful. Even the corpse has its own beauty”(Emerson 9). In our society we consider physical deformities, decay, death, and any unpleasantness of appearance as objects of aversion. Aesthetic aversion to fat may be at the top of our contemporary list.
Ken Wilber Ken Wilber (b. 1949), philosopher of science and consciousness, developed a unique method to reveal the deeper meaning of any subject. Approaching obesity from Wilber's “four quadrants” (the objective, the subjective, the cultural and the systemic) has enabled me to appreciate the role that fat plays in culture. To understand fat we must suspend judgement on the unhealthy condition of obesity, look unflinchingly at fat as a substance that behaves in observable ways, and view it as an internal condition experienced by individuals. Once the objective and subjective perspectives have been considered we can view fat culturally and systemically.
Seeing Fat: The Seeing Fat: The Objective Objective Quadrant Quadrant
Scientifically, fat can be described in terms of components and processes that are substantially agreed upon by reers. In its pure form fat is a colourless, odourless, semi-solid comprised of three basic molecules, thus the name triglyceride. The molecules of hydrogen and carbon are
chemically bound together by an agent called a glycerol. Fat is produced by the absorption or conversion of proteins and carbohydrates. There are two basic types of fat: unsaturated (fat derived from plants) and saturated (animal fat)
While present throughout the body, fat is especially related to the digestive and lymphatic (circulatory) systems. In addition to the sheer delight of making food taste better and increasing satiety, fat provides the body's energy and insulation, helps absorb vitamins, creates cellular membrane and protects vulnerable organs. Obesity develops when fat is stored instead of converted into energy by the body. The presence of excessive fat deposits leaves individuals vulnerable to a variety of health dangers including high cholesterol, heart disease, hardening of the arteries and social psychological complications.
Treating obesity requires a multi- disciplined approach that may include behavioral therapy, nutritional counseling, exercise and chemical treatment aimed at increasing serotonin (and other neurotransmitters) levels in the brain. A restrictive food regime and yo-yo dieting unsupported by the above- mentioned therapies can increase weight and endanger health.
These are the objective facts of fat yet the first time I attempted to consider fat dispassionately, it was displayed in a way that left me reeling and revolted. Like Aristotle's young students I was grossed out by nature. My pseudo-scientific instructor placed a simulated example of two pounds of human fat tissue on the table. There it lay a brownish yellow, lumpy substance with a greasy, shiny texture. Isolated from its in the human body, it was an undefined mass with no natural framework to contain it. It was not a part of anything, never mind a living person. Science, which can be so helpful if used correctly, can encourage a distortion of the facts of fat by addressing it in isolation.
Being Fat: The Subjective Quadrant Being Fat: The Subjective Quadrant
Fat is not an amorphous mass disassociated from me. Walt Whitman said, “I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones” (Whitman sct. 50). My body is fat's domicile that transmutes its mass and shape into a totality called Arthur Paul Patterson. Nothing is closer to me than the parts of my body and fat is one of those parts.
The ancient Hebrews viewed the body as an interconnected whole. Using the body as a metaphor of deep communion, each interdependent part connects to its whole personality. Some parts of the body are viewed as honourable, we give them VIP status, whereas other parts are third-class passengers along for the ride. A subspecies of this sort, fat is considered baggage-class. The wisdom of an ancient writer maintained that all parts are equal manifestations of the whole to be treated with honour. The lower, weaker parts need the most tender care and must be seen as essential to the whole organism.
Nothing empowers a person more than to give them a say in how they are understood or treated. Wilber's upper left quadrant, the subjective, is designed to give a voice to experience. I can think of two ways to do this. One would be to tell you how I feel about being a fat person. Another is to let my fat itself do the talking, as if it were a person. This second, more metaphorical, approach is closer to what Wilber's subjective quadrant is about. Giving my fat a voice allows it to speak from its subjective depths:
Whether I've seen too many pictures of the first human figure, the fat Venus of Wildendorf (30,000 BCE), or have associated the process of eating with my mother, I see myself as a feminine substance. This clashes with the masculine body that I find myself in: no “man of steel”here! Most people with a superabundance of me are female. Most books written about me are written by women. Most support groups that deal with me speak in female images and tones. Yet I am male with a distinctively feminine concern. As a result, I don't tend to talk about it much. After all, Susie Orbach has declared that “Fat is a Feminist Issue.” This is part of the reason my words get caught in my throat. I don't know how to talk about myself in ways that make sense to the deepest part of me.
I not only protect Art's vital organs, I also form sheath-like armour around his personality to ward off damage to his inner being. Odd isn't it, to hide in something as conspicuous as fat? Standing out, larger than life, I obscure the more subtle aspects of Art. Low as I am in the body's hierarchy, I protect his sense of smallness, vulnerability, any part of him susceptible to annihilation. Art's sadness, tears and a multitude of confused feelings of inferiority are embedded in my mass and are defended from the blows he fears.
My boundaries have not maintained their fortress strength. As Art matured, he discovered that retreat into his flesh only made him stand out in the crowd. Too much protection ironically left him more vulnerable. The difference his appearance made distanced him from others. Children laughed and taunted him because of my presence. His association with me led some to think him slow, slovenly and stupid, no matter how much he achieved. The French linguist Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929) put it poignantly
"The obese is... in a total delirium. For he is not only large, of a size opposed to normal morphology: he is larger than large. He no longer makes sense in some distinctive opposition, but in his excess, his redundancy." (qtd. in Boorstin)
This quotation confirms Art's suspicion that the presence of body mass doesn't make a clear statement about boundaries, self-protection or nurturance but communicates only an extraneous “waste of space.” I have been marked as a symbol of indulgence rather than a creative, however unsuccessful, response to threat.
I can no longer hide myself in myself; I am forced out. Art can't avoid playgrounds, airports, restaurant booths and clothing stores so I will go there with him. I will literally take up my burden and try to translate the message written in my cellularity: “We all, fat or thin, need protection, compassion and understanding.” I will use my voice and my body to ask others to look past the scale, the fashion statement and the prejudice into a soul that lies not on the surface of people but within them.
Communities of Fat: Cultural Fit Communities of Fat: Cultural Fit
Homosexuals, women, people of colour and now of size (eg. fat people, small people, etc.) have come to appreciate how their vantage point affects their worldview. All groups have radicals and moderates, their fringe and balanced perspectives. Group identity anchored in common characteristics forms the basis of morality, philosophy, aesthetics and rights. For the fat and other visible minorities, there is no monolithic culture but a variety of types all struggling for self-definition.
There are those who define themselves in reference to their antipathy toward fat: the fatophobes. At the other extreme are the fatophiles who evaluate fat and fatness as a unique and desirable state. Finally, there are medical and health care professionals who approach fat from a therapeutic or re point of view. They could be called fatologists.
The first two groups make the absence or presence of fat a culture-
defining principle. They derive their morality and values from it. This is most obvious by their use of value-laden language, describing food as either good or bad, that which leads to fatness or thinness - whichever the desired goal. Aesthetics and fashion are determined by the cultural standards that dominate these groups. Here is my understanding of the three contemporary communities of fat:
Fatophobes: Fat is Evil Fatophobes: Fat is Evil
Dedicated to the curtailment and, if possible, abolition of fat, fatophobes divide into subgroups that might include metabolically advantaged sport enthusiasts, dedicated dieters and (unconscious) crypto-anorexics. The presence or absence of fat on a human body determines moral character within these groups. The fat are slovenly, undisciplined gluttons, whereas the thin are righteous upholders of cultivation, hard work and high self-esteem. Thus the comment, “She's taking care of herself.” Or conversely, “She's letting herself go.” There is, however, toleration for the fat person within the context of conversion. Those with fat must admit personal responsibility for their condition and vow to amend their lifestyle through willpower. “At least they are working at it,” they say. Fatophobes, wittingly or not, advocate ineffective and even dangerous weight loss regiments. Through chiding themselves and others, they unintentionally increase guilt, the leading ingredient in weight gain.
Fatophiles: Fat is Beautiful Fatophiles: Fat is Beautiful
Fatophiles advocate for social change and acceptance of fat individuals. They are intent on promoting fat culture as a legitimate expression of difference. Fatophiles with an activist proclivity emphasize the legal and social barriers to fat acceptance in society. Equal opportunity, health benefits, insurance policies, size- appropriate accommodation are
high priorities for this group. They often align themselves with other victims of “looksism”: the small and the cosmetically unattractive.
As in many reform movements, the politically correct use of language is a prerequisite. Certain words and behaviors are evaluated in reference to a fat acceptance perspective. Aesthetics are “Rubens-esquely” effected: sized individuals demand a place in photography, fashion and even erotica. Fatophiles sometimes develop a reverse discrimination against the thin and culturally beautiful. Desiring acceptance of individuals, fatophiles unwittingly advocate unhealthy nutrition and, in extreme cases, promote weight increase for political reasons.
Fatologists: Fat Just Is Fatologists: Fat Just Is
Health providers and obesity reers are not immune to fatophobia (fear) or fatophilia (love) but they tend to moderate these emotionally charged interpretations. At their best, fatologists emphasize the need for fat people to form health partnerships with informed individuals. Their education-oriented standpoint can correct inaccurate ideas about fat as either the cause of all physical illness or as health neutral. At their worst, fatologists tend to align themselves with scientific and economic communities which complicate their contributions. The multi-million dollar diet industry influences them by insisting on restrictive and unhealthy diets, whereas drug companies promote inadequately tested medication, turning fat people into guinea pigs, exploiting them for financial profit. Even if a chemical panacea for obesity was found, merely substituting chemical therapy for healthy living styles and good nutritional choices would impair health.
Fat's Fit: How it Functions Fat's Fit: How it Functions
So far, we have seen fat's surface characteristics, explored its subjective aspects, and expressed three community interpretations. Wilber's fourth quadrant looks at how fat functions beyond our love or hate, observation or re. The final standpoint asks us to observe how fat intermeshes with economic, educational and political structures in society.
Fat and Economics Fat and Economics
Fat makes money, lots of it. Put cynically, it is a cash cow for the health and food industry. Whatever your subjective feelings about fat, the meanings and mythologies you bring to it, you are guaranteed a clientele when you set up shop in fat's auxiliary industries. The bond between fat and economics is complex yet what stands out along with the economic opportunity is the need to adopt morally responsible economic principles.
The choice between avarice and civic responsibility becomes intensified in relation to fat. Given what we know about human metabolism and its response to repeated dieting, it is immoral to promote types of diets that can not be lived with or which guarantee weight gain. To ignore or misuse re to enhance cash profit parallels the tobacco industry's decision to obscure, and sometimes secretly enhance, its product's addictive characteristics. But making money from fat related goods and services need not be predatory or self-serving. There are responsible ways to make money from fat.
Fat and Education Fat and Education
Economics and education must be coupled. Health providers have special roles as educators. These educators must acknowledge that solutions to chronic obesity are complex and not simple, multifaceted and not monolithic, and individual not general. Providing strategies for individual patients could be considered as “a coaching service in a health partnership” rather than specialized top-down consultation. Making the mental shift from BMI's (Body Mass Indexes), calorie counting and scale obsession to mutually agreed upon health goals could go a long way in making fat's educational aspects legitimate sources of revenue for health professionals. This could revolutionize the way we educate the community when our science has not as yet solved health problems. A participatory approach including patients, para-professionals and professionals in health care is long overdue. Addressing this larger question of medical education and service in the context of fat could be an admirable starting place.
Fat and Politics Fat and Politics
Politics has to do with internally conflicting interrelationships among people in society. While fat can lead to disease and has health ramifications for our society, obese people can be made the victims of social prejudice. Wilber suggests that a differentiation exists between a disease that can be cured and a sickness in need of healing. Cure involves the upper right quadrant of objective science. What is the most effective way to minimize the harmful effects of fat in the human body? Re is needed to find the link between the causation factors of obesity. Socially, sickness involves the meaning we attribute to a disease. In Grit and Grace, Wilber says that we are doomed to for a meaning to our sickness. This naturally takes place in the left-hand quadrants, both subjectively and collectively. At what point do we consider having a certain amount of body fat as being sick and what social meaning do we bring to that sickness?
If obesity is something that we do to ourselves, if it is completely a question of will-power, then requiring society to pay health care expenses or employers to swallow the expense of absenteeism is unfair. Conversely, if obesity is not a matter of willful gluttony but truly an eating disorder or genetic condition then it is only right that sufferers of this disease be treated with dignity and compassion. It seems that the less that is known about the condition the more prejudices surround the sufferers.
As obesity becomes understood objectively we will be able to respond to it subjectively and culturally. The first political step would be attempting to find out the causes of obesity through re and distinguishing between simply being overweight and suffering from a chronic disorder. The second step would be to educate the public and then protect those with obesity from prejudice and misinformation. A cure may be found but, more importantly, healing of the chronically obese can only come when the original meaning of the term therapy is restored. Therapy means “an aid from one who attends.” Ironically it can be paraphrased as “bear each other's burden,” until we are able to carry our own. This is the least and the most that should be asked and received from society.
Conclusion Conclusion
Ken Wilber calls evolution “spirit in action.” Evolution, the struggle to overcome inertia, stagnation, and maladaptation through a spirited response, lies at the heart of our health dilemmas. Will we evolve a holistic, multifaceted approach, where all dialogue partners can be heard, their contributions integrated and their limits transcended? Or will we continue to cling to partial truths about obesity that bind us to inadequate social interpretations and prejudice? To evolve requires humility and respect for the dangers of imbalance.
Looking at the facets of fat through Wilber's quadrants promotes humility since no quadrant is discounted nor are any quadrants given final say. Subjective, individual experiences and community interpretations that have wide-ranging implications for health care balance objective, scientific truths about fat. The result is an integrated approach combining body, mind and spirit. Collaborating with Aristotle, Emerson and the sacred wisdom traditions, this way leads us away from repugnance towards wonder.
Bibliography Bibliography
Atkinson, Brooks, ed. ("Nature", pp. 3-42), The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. York: Modern Library, 1992.
Boorstin, Daniel J. The Seekers: The Story of Man's Continuing Quest to Understand his World. York: Random House, 1998.
Some quotations (Baudrillard, Orbach, Whitman) from Microsoft Bookshelf 1998.
Wilber, Ken. A Brief History of Everything. Boston: Shambhala, 1998.
_______. The Eye of the Spirit: An Integral Vision for a World Gone Slightly Mad. Boston: Shambhala, 1998.
_______. Grace and Grit. Boston: Shambhala, 1993.
Copyright 1999 by Arthur Paul Patterson, Winnipeg, Canada.