Junk Food or Junkies?

As you may or may not know, VH1 has a tendency to run its programming over and over again. Right now, they’re constantly running and rerunning their reality shows such as Kept, the Surreal Life, Celebrity Fit Club, and so on. Prior to that, it was the “I Love the (fill in the blank with a decade)” series. Several years ago, however, it was “Behind the Music”; an hour long show about the rise and fall of bands both important and flash in the pan. It really was a great series. One of the shows featured the ridiculous, big hair, glam-band Poison. A sizeable portion of the feature focused on the antics of cartoonish guitarist, C.C. Deville. C.C. battled drug addictions while living in a fairly sad existence. He overcame the drug problem, but in the process gained weight. He talked about the discrimination he felt while being overweight. In one of the interviews on the rockumentary, C.C. made a profound statement. He said something to the effect of, “It was more acceptable to be a junkie, than overweight.” Wow! Although a rock and roll clown said this, I don’t think a truer statement could have been made.

Think about this for a second. “It is more acceptable to be a junkie, than overweight.” Both in movies and in real life, junkies are seen as tragic heroes while the overweight are lampooned as buffoons. Junkies are seen as victims while the overweight have “done it to themselves.” Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, and Cobain were just victims of their stardom. Their early exits just enhance their legacies. Mama & Papas songbird, Mama Cass Elliot, dies of a heart attack in London, and rumors float around about her choking on a sandwich. What’s worse is that the rumors are widely believed to be true. Do you see the double-standard?

In movies, television, cartoons, commercials, and sometimes even literature, the overweight are depicted as slow both in physical aspects and often in wit. Unless you’re wearing a red suit with a big white bushy beard giving toys out to kids all over the world, you must be clownish or dumb. Look at the movie “Stand by Me” which is based on Stephen King’s novella, “The Body”. While I’m fond of the movie, and even more so, the written version, Vern, the character who is made fun of throughout both vehicles for being fat, is not very bright. This is not an isolated case. You see it throughout these forms of entertainment.

Now let’s take a look at the fashion industry. It is next to impossible to find fashionable clothes for larger males. Oh, there are Big & Tall stores. Have you ever been to one? Atrocious clothes including golf shirts with elastic bands at the bottom hang from the racks screaming out, “Wear me and you’ll look like you belong in a retirement home!” The prices are insane! For those amounts, I should be wearing Diesel or DKNY. But No! It’s John Daly’s Husky wear! Have you ever looked at a catalog or advertisement for a big and tall store? The models are never big, just tall. Polo, along with any other Ralph Lauren line for that matter, I’ll probably always be partial to. It’s one of the few fashionable lines that cater to the robust gentleman. Go to some of the more fashionable stores, though. Check out Abercrombie & Fitch or DKNY along with countless others. I challenge you to find a pair of pants that go above a 36 or 38. Here’s the message I’m hearing loud and clear. “We don’t want your fat body to be seen in our clothes, destroying our image.” I love clothes. I especially love fashionable clothes. But most of the fashionable clothes are designed for people who appear to be junkies. I swear you have to be on heroin or crack to fit into them. You have to be able to fit your butt in a coach seat on an airplane to be able to look good. Although I d not choose to sport the style, I have to admire the hip-hop clothing designers. In just about every line, larger gentlemen can find clothes to fit them.

My last target of complaint is the medical insurance industry. These companies embody the statement that it is more acceptable to be a junkie than overweight. If you are requesting to be placed into rehab to get off drugs or alcohol, you are 100% covered. Often, you don’t even have to pay a co-pay. You’re admitting that you have a problem, and that is heroic. We are proud of you and want to help you in any way. Please don’t get me wrong. Going through these steps is very admirable and you should be applauded. If you’re overweight, however, more often than not you are not covered. You did it to yourself. Get yourself out of it. The insurance companies would rather you get diabetes or heart disease and treat you for that, than help you shed the pounds for a healthier lifestyle. They would rather you have a heart attack or stroke. They would rather you die. No surgeries, no medication, no subsidizing of any sort. Food is not an addiction; at least according to the insuring world. Deal with it. In light of these facts, here is what I propose. Are you overweight? Here’s what you do. Become addicted to a drug such as crack or heroin that is known for reducing the weight of its addicts. Lose the weight because of your addiction. Then, put yourself into rehab. You’re a hero!

Please don’t get me wrong. Again, I admire drug and alcohol addicts who admit they have a problem and better yet, overcome it. Also, I don’t blame anyone but me for my weight problem. However, if you’re going to applaud the one group for indulgence and addiction, why not the other? If you’re going to help out the one group to overcome their problem, then why not help the other? If you’re going to cover the cost to treat the one group, why not cover the cost for the other? It is a double-standard, and frankly I’m sick of it. I would never condone the idea of becoming addicted to drugs to lose weight, but do you see how ridiculous this is?
This is where I will end my whining. I would like to, however, explain the basis for my diatribe. If you’re reading this blog, there is a 99.9% that you know me. And, you know that weight is an issue I’ve struggled with my entire life. You also probably know that I have fought it before and have done well. However, those demons always come back to me. I’ve decided to do something about it. I am going to work on losing the weight and lowering my cholesterol as it is sky high. In reviewing my insurance plan document, I’ve also looked at what my possible options could be. There aren’t any outside of taking care of it myself, and it has gotten under my skin. My insurance company would rather worse things happen to me medically. So, I ask you all to pray that I find the willpower to battle my weight problem and cholesterol problem. I am looking to change insurance companies next year, and ask that you pray that the company I go with be more sympathetic to my situation than my current one. I hope this blog finds everyone happy and in good health. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.


I Corinthians 9:24 – 27 (NIV)

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Goin' Back To Houston....Houston...Houston

It's been a while since my last post. There are several reasons for that. The first being that I've been busy. John Lennon really hit the nail on the head when he sang, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." Our computer spent last week under the knife getting a power supply transplant. Our old power supply went out after a storm the other day. Probably the main reason, however, is that I've been trying to figure out a way to keep this entry from sounding like "You Might Be a Redneck If...". This blog is geared toward my fellow Native Houstonians.

Let's face it. We may not live in the prettiest city. The weather here is ridiculous. Chances are, however, if you're a Native Houstonian, you love the city. The food is great. The people are the friendliest. We live in the fourth largest city in the country, but you would never know it. If you recognize elements of the following list, you may be qualified as a Native Houstonian. I offer my deepest apologies if this is at all reminiscent of a "You Might Be a Redneck" or "Here's Your Sign" list. I assure you that was not my intent.

The Houston List
1. You used to go to Sea-a-Rama in Galveston to watch the seals and dolphins.
2. You used to beg your parents to take you to the Foley's at Northwest Mall because their
children's shoe department was a pirate ship.
3. The Thanksgiving Day Parade downtown will ALWAYS be the Foley's Thanksgiving Day
Parade.
4. You often confused former mayor Kathy Whitmire with Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie.
5. You either had a birthday party or at least attended a birthday party at CandyLand on 59.
6. Astroworld just has not been the same since the Alpine Sleigh Ride closed.
7. You danced at DanceTown USA on Airline.
8. You remember when Greenspoint Mall wasn't scary but actually had really nice fountains
throughout the mall.
9. The Astrodome is a sacred place for you.
10. You watched wrestling on Saturday night at the Sam Houston Coliseum.
11. You remember when Matress Mac was just a crazy guy trying to sell furniture in
commercials during wrestling, and you thought he'd never make it.
12. You remember when Houston had 7-11's
13. You used to watch movies at the Garden Oaks Theater.
14. You know there is a Houston Baseball Museum in the big Finger's on I-45 across from UH.
15. You watched movies at the United Artist theater in front of Northline Mall.
16. You had a shirt or bumper sticker proclaiming, "Luv Ya Blue".
17. You owned a 45 of the Oiler Fight Song.
18. You know why the Astros should retire the number 50.
19. You played putt putt or raced go-karts at the Castle.
20. You've tried Warren Moon's cookies
21. You're shocked that Dave Ward and Bob Allen have looked the same for darn near 30 years.
22. You know that Gilley's wasn't just some made up honky tonk in the Urban Cowboy.
23. You've eaten at Barbecue Inn and know not to order the barbecue.
24. As a child, you wanted to attend UH because they were turning out Heisman winners.
25. You remember when the Souther Star Amphitheater was the place to watch a concert.
26. You rembember those big weird characters at Astroworld with the orange hair.
27. You remember when Astroworld was safe.
28. Six Flags was just a park in that crappy wanna-be city, Dallas.
29. You remember Dream’s “Unbeatable” McDonald’s Commercials
30. Hakeem was Akeem
31. You shopped for a Christmas tree in front of DelMar Stadium
32. Tomball and Conroe were small towns too far away to think about driving to.
33. You've shopped at Kaplan Ben Hur in the Heights.
34. You consider Mike Scott royalty
35. The mosquito bites don’t bother you anymore
36. You refused to call the Rockets’ home, Compaq Center. It was the Summit!
37. You still hate Reliant for putting their name in front of the Astrodome
38. 1960 was just a Farm Road until Games People Play opened up.
39. You watched bands play at Billy Blues
40. You hated the “Go See Cal” commercials
41. You know the words to the Mac Haik jingle and the Westside Chevrolet jingle
42. You own a copy of the Houston Rockets version of "Whoomp There It Is!"
43. You remember when the Chronicle had to compete with the Post.
44. You know that before it was Splashtown, the land in Spring was Hanna Barbarra Land.


"As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else left for us to learn, except possibly algebra." Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee