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| A weighty challenge for the Libertarian mindset | |
Fat chicks are always good for a few cheap laughs. Anyone who enjoys food more than sex
must be a bit deviant, but SBS
recently screened a
documentary which stretches the envelope of deviance and decency to a new
level - literally. The show documented F.A.s (Fat Appreciators) - men who like fat women. Of
course all good rednecks enjoy a few curves, and attraction to a body in which
nothing at all wobbles would be a form of deviance in itself. But these men
like their women really big. Really big. Like - the bigger the better. Think
300Kg of of fat spreading around like a mattress. Like women who can't even
physically get off the bed. But it gets worse. Some of these men are 'feeders'. These are men who force, coerce or otherwise
persuade their padded female companions to pack on more and more to the point
where it just becomes dangerous. Some literally use feeding tubes (like those
weird fattened geese) to make their partners pack it on. These fat women are emotionally vulnerable (they don't exactly have dates
lined up), and having some man appreciate them for what they are (or at least
the bits of them made of fat) is something they have never experienced. And
being spoiled by every form of junk-food they can imagine is even better. They
have a natural propensity for weight gain, and they get even fatter. And
fatter. And fatter. And eventually they are totally helpless and can't even get
out of bed. They are totally dependent on their carers even for their basic
hygiene needs. One woman had to be rescued from her feeder by a small army of
police, firemen, social-workers and ambulance crews who had to cut holes in the
wall to get her out. Every self respecting husband gets a bit of a thrill when shrilly summoned
by the better half to kill a spider or small rodent - that warm inner glow of
having the missus admit to a slight dependence and helplessness which makes him
feel big, important and powerful ('she couldn't possibly survive without me
- I'm the man!'). But having a full-time job caring for 330Kg of fat?
That's just weird. Desire to control other people is pretty normal, but someone
who is 380Kg can't actually do much except .. well, wiggle. Perhaps the most interesting thing about feeders is the issues it raises
about consent and free
will. If a feeder is slipping 'fattening powder' into the woman's big-macs
is it consensual? When a woman gets to the stage where she can't leave the
relationship (because she can't even leave the room), is it her free will to
stay in the relationship? As the show's relationship expert pointed out - you can imprison someone in
a house, in a cellar, or in their own body. Many of us believe that the world would be a better place if society,
governments, or other people spend less time and energy prying into people's
private lives. One of the best things we can learn to do is to accept that
people can do what they want to, and just let them do their own thing. But this
level of deviance is a real test of how far we are willing to let the principle
of live and let live actually go. When should society intervene? Maybe this is just a reminder to us all to take a bit more notice of our
exercise and diet patterns. In particular, think twice about how much of that
tasty but fattening Easter egg you really want to eat. Be a nice guy - maybe
give your share to the wife instead?
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