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aight here we go: thread on the eugenicist science behind the BMI, the tie between this science and food swamps/food deserts, and how itâs all literally a form of systemic, slow and SUCCESSFUL genocide. first, letâs define all of these terms.
1 . Body mass index is a value derived from the mass and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of kg/mÂČ, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in metres.
because this science is literal bullshit, let me simplify it in a way we all know pretty well; the idea that there are âhealthyâ weights, then âoverweightâ, then âobeseâ, then âmorbidly obese.â This is all determined by weight and height, despite muscle mass being proven to +
weigh more than fat, therefore rendering that equation irresponsibly incorrect.
Aight, now weâll define food deserts and swamps. A food desert is defined as such:
Aight, now weâll define food deserts and swamps. A food desert is defined as such:
an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.
On the opposite end, a food SWAMP is an often urban area thatâs chock-full of fast food areas and severely lacking in places to attain healthy food. It often gives its residents little to +
On the opposite end, a food SWAMP is an often urban area thatâs chock-full of fast food areas and severely lacking in places to attain healthy food. It often gives its residents little to +
no choice over what food they have access to; this contributes to poor health. Not WEIGHT, as there are VERY FEW GENUINE TIES between being heavier and being unhealthy, but POOR HEALTH, because *processed* sugars and fats are known inflammatories. Now, weâre gonna move on to +
the creator of the BMI; Adolphe Quetelet. https://www.google.com/amp/s/elemental.medium.com/amp/p/7d8dc2aa33bb read this article for a little more info.
To sum this up in an easy to read way; the BMI was NEVER MEANT to accommodate people of color, because Quetelet did not see people of color as PEOPLE. And yet, this science is weaponized against us everyday. Let me explain how.
It is NO secret that fat people are medically discriminated against. People being fat is used to deny healthcare, to justify withholding genuine treatment under the guise of âyouâre just fat! workout and thatâll fix itselfâ, and it manifests in forms of very real violence. +
fat people have been murdered for countless years by being denied the healthcare they rightfully deserve. Proof in the articles below: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/health/obese-patients-health-care.amp.html
https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2012/apr/28/doctors-treatment-denial-smokers-obese
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2012/apr/28/doctors-treatment-denial-smokers-obese
but how does âobesityâ manifest on a grand scale? We can tie this all back to food deserts and swamps. Some people would be fat regardless; and thatâs wonderful, because there are so few genuine tie ins between weight and health. but for some people, consuming unhealthy foods +
Can then manifest weight gain as a side effect, and instead of addressing the fact that So few people have access to Good, nutritional food, doctors can then weaponize the BMI, assign this unhealthiness to being fat, and completely justify denying fat and poor people good +
healthcare. Food swamps are created FOR THIS REASONâ an urban area with a plethora of McDonaldâs is no mistake. It creates a source of steady money for large corporations, because theyâre fully aware that this is the only food those areas can afford, and that directly +
Contributes to the mistreatment and murder of poor and fat people; which corporations would have no reason to care about. Articles on that below: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5359167/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277865/
These are not opinion articles BTW; these are both academic journals.
These are not opinion articles BTW; these are both academic journals.
Alright, so letâs tie this all together. The creator of the BMI was a virulent racist, who created a system of measuring weight used only to accommodate white folk and specifically to disenfranchise minorities and the poor on the basis of eugenics. Corporations swamp urban +
areas, consisting mainly of said minorities and poor folk, with sources of severely unhealthy and nutritionally lacking food. Americaâs racist medical system, founded on eugenics, can then justify denying fat people healthcare for the issues these processed foods produce on the +
Basis of them being fat without addressing the actual causes of health issuesâ such as the high sugar intakes in their diets, diets that are forced on them by their residential areas not having the resources to provide nutritional food. By denying these minorities ample +
food sources, the US has created a pipeline between fat/poor/POC and genocide via the violence of healthcare denial and eugenics.
Thanks for listening! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Thanks for listening! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Oh and a few more articles for good measure !!!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/15/food-apartheid-food-deserts-racism-inequality-america-karen-washington-interview
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4561&context=etd&httpsredir=1&referer=
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/15/food-apartheid-food-deserts-racism-inequality-america-karen-washington-interview
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4561&context=etd&httpsredir=1&referer=
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5