Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
Letters to the Editor
Dear People:
Fat Is Not a Four Letter Word
On page A4 of the Friday, November 24, 2006 opinion page columnist Leonard Pitts talks about "Michael Richard's meltdown".Mr. Pitts talks about Mr. Richards repeatedly using the N word at The Laugh Factory.
Mr. Pitts says "You might angrily snap that somebody is a' fat so-and-so' without really meaning it. You don't spend 2 1/2 minutes calling them fat unless fat is exactly what you mean."
Fat is a descriptive adjective, it is not a four letter word. I am fat and many of my friends are fat. A 300 or 400 pound person is not chubby, they are not big boned, they are fat and to call them so is not an insult. Compare and contrast. Mr. Pitts could have referred to a thin so-and-so, a tall so-and-so, a blonde so-and-so, or a legless so-and-so. The selection of the word fat certainly implies that Mr. Pitts thinks that calling someone fat is an insult.
I find it interesting that Mr. Pitts, while trying to protect one group from discrimination was perpetuating discrimination against another group.
Yours truly,
Russell Williams
Dear People:
Fat Is Not a Four Letter Word
On page A4 of the Friday, November 24, 2006 opinion page columnist Leonard Pitts talks about "Michael Richard's meltdown".Mr. Pitts talks about Mr. Richards repeatedly using the N word at The Laugh Factory.
Mr. Pitts says "You might angrily snap that somebody is a' fat so-and-so' without really meaning it. You don't spend 2 1/2 minutes calling them fat unless fat is exactly what you mean."
Fat is a descriptive adjective, it is not a four letter word. I am fat and many of my friends are fat. A 300 or 400 pound person is not chubby, they are not big boned, they are fat and to call them so is not an insult. Compare and contrast. Mr. Pitts could have referred to a thin so-and-so, a tall so-and-so, a blonde so-and-so, or a legless so-and-so. The selection of the word fat certainly implies that Mr. Pitts thinks that calling someone fat is an insult.
I find it interesting that Mr. Pitts, while trying to protect one group from discrimination was perpetuating discrimination against another group.
Yours truly,
Russell Williams
