http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11960&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=495&sid=d5e2ff1bb38c05683062c201e1c7ef54Oh my.
I was concerned for the Vegas blimp, figuring he had hit some sort of plateau, and getting discouraged, he had given up on his hopes to be at 400 by the holidays, and hence ready to go out and pound the pavements after the New Year's, looking for a job.
There's no rotting body parts or sex mentioned here, so it's safe for all to read.
And by the way, yeah, it appears the Vegas blimp has hit a plateau.
Ege Bamyasi
November 17, 2009
This has been nearly two weeks in coming, but I think now is the time.
I want to start off by apologizing to the community here, and to everyone who has been concerned about my well-being, for going off into lurker status for so long without any explanation. The truth is -- as you shall see -- I just didn't know how to explain what was on my mind without going overboard or upsetting people; so, I more or less stopped trying to force the issue and let the passage of time clear my head a bit.
What I am getting at is that (in my humble opinion) this is one of the last places where contributors should engage in any sort of major political grandstanding, or the repeated mention of viewpoints which might be divisive or which may cause inappropriate stress to other members. Sadly, however, we have a number of people here who seem to think it's just fine to write things which are very painful for others of us -- such as myself -- to read, and to pass them off not merely as opinions but as gospel truth.
When I first started posting here several months ago, I made a vow to myself that I would keep my strong political opinions out of these forums. I recognize that they are merely opinions, and as such they may not always reflect practical solutions or realistic ideas.
Further, since I'm very polarized to the left, I don't believe it serves any constructive purpose to alienate those with more moderate or right-leaning ideologies when this is first and foremost a forum about basic human struggles about health and wellness rather than democraticunderground, dailykos, redstate or freerepublic.
I can go over to the "DU" any time I want to and verbally duke it out with those of dubious progressive stances -- not to mention the constant influx of "trolls" -- any time I so choose. Choosing to do such a thing here is, again in my humble opinion, both as counterproductive as it is stupid.
That being said, there have been too many times almost from Day One where I have been made to feel like a completely inferior or irrelevant person because of those who would glibly recommend that people like myself and the millions upon millions of other poor and/or uninsured in this country should have no recourse for life-threatening health problems other than "charity", because it is not for either the government or the private sector to guarantee Americans a shot at good health.
Well, forgive me and the entire fifth or so of this nation's population who lack the sufficient "bootstraps" by which we may "pull ourselves up" via "rugged individualism" and "Free Market Capitalism". Should we all go buy shovels and start digging our mass graves now? Or will some charity be stepping in to handle that aspect of it instead?
It should be very much apparent that I hold a special brand of rancor towards anyone who would -- in this forum of all places -- repeatedly make statements which would marginalize the plight of a group of citizens which is anything at this stage but "marginal".
I have wondered countless times over the past couple of weeks just how many lurkers or potential new members have come across the posts to which I'm referring, only to back away in disgust or emotional hurt with the realization that the grave inequities which plague our society are in full display in one of the few places on the internet where people should be able to come and get much needed guidance and support without feeling as though they have a bulls-eye on their backs simply due to their financial standing, or (in)ability to acquire any form of insurance protection at all, let alone a worthwhile job? Those who are down on their luck are already constantly castigated and chastised for their lot in life. For that kind of thing to not only exist here, but to be propagated by Star McDougallers (there being at least two guilty parties of which I'm aware) is just beyond the pale.
The straw which very nearly broke this camel's back is over in The Lounge, in a thread entitled "A Sad Story". I'm not going to bother expounding upon that thread, because frankly attempting to do so will only cause my blood to boil for the 63rd time. Anyone brave enough to bear witness to some of the exchanges in that thread -- after navigating through one of the most tangled nests of strawmen and fallacious arguments ever committed to "Teh Intertubez" -- has my blessing and one simple piece of advice: Don't forget your Pepto Bismol.
I traded private messages with one individual who was caught up in that thread, both commending them for their strength and as a way to cool off just a bit. It was either that or risk losing my posting rights on these boards entirely. Now that I've had time to distance myself from all of it, it seems so silly and completely unnecessary that such shenanigans should be taking place here.
How do these barely contained "flame wars" help anybody to feel better physically, mentally or emotionally? How do they help anyone release weight? How do they help keep our blood pressure down? How do they help to dissuade the cross-section of us with serious eating issues from going off to hunt down some placating SAD snacks like we've done countless times before as a reaction to stress?
I have already had it suggested to me more than once that it is best to stay out of The Lounge. I am sorry, but the reasons I find myself unable to do so are twofold: First, there are many threads in that forum which don't dissolve into contests to see who can best channel the corrupt spirit of Ayn Rand, and as such I reserve the right to contribute when I feel I may be of help to someone or that I might have something worthwhile to add; and second, why should participation in this journey to better health and healthy eating be saddled with such ridiculous conditions? Simply put, it shouldn't.
I have lost count of the number of other journals I almost posted in over the last couple of weeks. On at least four other occasions, I got several paragraphs in to what I'm sitting here pouring my soul out about right now, only to get angry with myself or the boards -- or discouraged, or yet something else I don't have quite the correct word for -- and hit my browser's "back" button. I also can't tell you how many times I almost removed this tab from the five which I have set to open by default when I launch Firefox, simply because I didn't want to announce my presence down at the bottom of the Forum Index page.
Consider this my open letter to the entire McDougall community that we, as a collection of individuals who only want to live healthier and more complete lives, really need to drop the political posturing and the casting of judgment upon the least of us for that which they lack, and instead unite in one common purpose. We either have our health or we don't.
When the final curtain falls we're not taking anything with us, so can we please put the intended purpose of these boards above the health care issue in the more public areas? I'm not about to tell anyone else what they can or can't write about in their own journals, because if I don't like what someone has to say I can concentrate on the journals of those I'm more sympatico with. But in the more public discussions, encountering statement after statement which makes anyone here feel unworthy of having their basic human needs met based upon their net worth just isn't right.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this. My mind is completely drained now, but I will be back to post like I used to starting later today.
Looks like the Vegas blimp's feelings got hurt.
Not a good attitude to have, when trying to lose weight, being overly sensitive there.
