CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Ok, I am blogging about this. Shame on you, @UrbanOutfitters.

When I saw this link posted to a friend's Facebook page the other day, he was chastizing the "Holocaust Chic" look of this overpriced tee at Urban Outfitters. I will not provide you with links as I will not honor their business with any click-throughs. Eff them. 

This shirt is APPAULINGLY offensive to me:

Perhaps you are not picking up the reference. Lemme break it down for you.

During the Holocaust, Jews were ordered by the Nazis to sew this patch and ones like it onto their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public.

Last week, we had Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was fresh on my mind when I saw the link on my friend's page. Horrendous. 

For $100, you too can look like a bullied, religious pariah who lost six million members of their faith in a horrible, despicable world war. 

And today, this:

I suppose that's better however now there is just an ugly yellow tee priced at $100. 

More on this topic from other sources:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/urban-outfitters-tee-offers-auschwitz-chic/

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/23/anti-defamation-league-slams-urban-outfitters-over-shirt-featuring-perceived/

And on the solution (of which I'm too cynical to even consider it as truthful): 

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20120423_Urban_Outfitters_removes_controversial_T-shirt_image_from_site.html?cmpid=138890509

 

The manufacturer of this tee, Wood Wood, is a Danish company. Think the Danish weren't affected by the Holocaust? You would be quite wrong. 

Shame on you, Urban Outfitters. That shirt should not have been up there a day, an hour, a minute. It was up there for far longer than that before someone finally took the hint. Shame on you.

In the name of who?!

I was chatting with an old friend last night. Someone who is religious and kind. I am not religious and can only hope people think of me as kind. I wanted to ask her what she thought about people like the Westboro BaptistChurch, which - in case you have not heard of them - is an Independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals of American servicemen and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is actually monitored by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center.

To be clear, the WBC is not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations. They are a congregation of about 40, overseen by an impassioned self-declared "civil rights activist" named Fred Phelps. Phelps is a disbarred attorney who has named one of his websites "God Hates Fags."

I did not know who the WBC was until they decided to protest a Foo Fighters concert in Kansas. The Foo Fighters took an unusual but brilliant approach toward it. Waving their "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" signs, I don't even think they knew how totally ridiculous they looked, unknowingly cheering for the very band they were protesting. Morons. My favorite part is the old lady at the end with her "God Hates Fags" sign who says "I loved that song!" (They're singing about "hot man muffins" - she's clueless.) 

FYI, Dave Grohl looks dead sexy in flanel and cowboy boots.

And yesterday, I was reading about the WBC's plans to protest at Whitney Houston's funeral. 

 

Disgusting. 

 

So I asked my friend, how people who claim so vehemently to love God, act out in such terrible ways in his name? How would God feel about that? 

Like I said, I'm not religious but I think that if there is a God, whatever or whoever he/she/it is, God would not want that. 

Seems like a pretty simplistic statement as I read back over it, but that's all I get out of groups like the WBC. 

And my friend said she believes God loves all his creatures. Even those idiots. And all I could think about that, actually, is that God SHOULD love those people. Because they clearly have not had enough love in their lives to know better. I think they probably need God's love more than I do. 

I'll step down off my soapbox now. :)

 

End Piracy, Not Literacy

Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

Too much is at stake – please vote NO on PIPA and SOPA.

Please sign the petition!

Still confused? Here is a video that will help:

 

 

And here are some of the major sites participating in today's blackout:

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Leave George Lopez Alone

Goerge Lopez is a funny guy. Admittedly, he's not my favorite stand-up comedian and I don't even consider his talk-show "appointment television." But I attach a certain "Ski Patrol" nostalgia to him and I appreciate his self-deprecating humor.

And when I have watched his show, I do enjoy it. He has a solid writing team, a fun set and a pretty laid-back, non-traditional late-night vibe there. He's got a solid lead-in with Conan so I'm sure he'll last a while despite being on TBS (who, actually, has devleloped a pretty strong presence in cable's original series world).

But enough jargony bull-shit. Let's get to what everyone has their panties all in a bunch over:

So George has, essentially, compared Kirstie Alley to a pig.

In response, via Twitter, here's what Kirstie has to offer: Don't worry about George's comments...just remember what happens to the big bad, drunk woolf...falls in a boiling pot of vodka. Piggy laughs.

George, in kind, responded: I misjudged the joke. No malice was intended and I apologize to Kirstie.

And then, from Kirstie: I don't need or want ur apology...I want your kidney dude..on behalf of ur X and all the women uv insulted...give it back

And finally, again from Kirstie: take life as lightly as u can and then move on ...even u George ....u are forgiven.....:)....

Well, look, of COURSE no malic was intended. When George makes fun of ANYONE, no malice is intended. He's a comedian, people. This is what they do. Lisa Lampanelli, one of the most successful stand-ups in history has basically made a CAREER out of mocking her own weight. Not to mention blacks, hispanics, gays, etc. This is what they do.

If Kirstie did not want so much attention called to her weight, she might have thought twice about going on Oprah in a bikini, or starring in a show called "Fat Actress." OR, creating a reality show called "BIG LIFE."

I want to be clear. I am not condoning making fun of someone for being fat. But let's be real. She's a celebrity and she's put herself out there. She's opened herself up to ridicule. And she had to know, going on Dancing With the Stars, that she would be judged for not only her moves, but her size.

You wanna REALLY stick it to George Lopez, Kirstie? Shutup. Shutup, work your ass off, let Tony Dovolani whip you into shape and be the best fucking dancer on the show. Take home that mirror ball trophy and knock 'em out in some svelt, sparkly dress and I promise you, the only joke George will be making then will be about Ralph Macchio crane-kicking the door on his way home.

I want to go on record as saying to you, George: I am fat. And I laughed. When that "Weeeee!" piggy came on the screen (I love that commercial), I laughed and laughed. Just like I laugh at Lisa Lampanelli's Jew jokes and Stephen Colbert's political satire... Because I am only human. Funny is funny. Own it. This is what you do.

Calm down, people. Seriously, go talk about Japan. Lord knows that's not getting enough media attention. (Please text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the relief efforts.)

Please Vote For This Worthy Cause

I'm never quick to ask you for favors, readers (other than your undying love and worship of this very blog, of course), but please take a look at this and THANK YOU in advance...

You see, eight years ago, a friend's four daughters founded a 501 (c) (3) charity called Kid Flicks (kidflicks.org).  They solicit and collect new and used DVDs to donate to Children's Hospitals and Pediatric Departments across the country.  To date, they have donated 55,300 movies to 553 different hospitals in all 50 United States and 5 hospitals in South Africa (Isn't that AMAZING?!).  Each hospital gets a "movie library" of 100 assorted films that appeal to toddlers through teenagers, so children will have a means of distraction when they are going through an experience that can be scary, lonely, painful, and boring.

We've all been a patient at one time or another, right? Can you imagine being a child in the hospital (maybe some of you can) and how meaningful this is?  

My friend's youngest daughter, Berni (she was just 10 starting out on this venture!), has been chosen by L'Oreal Cosmetics as a 2010 Woman of Worth for her work on Kid Flicks.  What an amazing honor! L'Oreal has already donated $5,000 to Kid Flicks and another $5,000 to research for ovarian cancer in Berni's name, but if she wins the national on-line vote they will donate another $25,000 to Kid Flicks.

Readers, I would greatly appreciate it if you could just go to: http://www.womenofworth.com/Honorees/Honoree2010Detail.aspx?nomid=0ce6f3be-9bf2-42af-b0b6-5db60bb71364, and vote for Berni Barta. 

And for more information, I encourage you to check out http://www.kidflicks.org/, which is awesome!

Stepping off my soapbox now and going in search of a diet soda ASAP...

You Should Watch These

Confessions of a Political Girl

Had to take a break from the usual -- I am going to put these wherever I can. I am invoking the "it's my blog and I'll post what I want to" law.

A Lonely Little Robot

I want to say up front that I am aware of how ridiculous this entry may come off...

I hope you have all seen Wall-E but if not, don't worry, non-believers, I will not spoil any crucial plot points for you.

So on Saturday, my mom and I went to see Disney's Wall-E, a movie I was not prepared for. I was not prepared for how adorable it was or how much I would laugh, nor was I prepared for how utterly profound and socially relevant it turned out to be or how much I would cry. Even my mom, whom I love of course but is not always the quickest runner in the race, was astoundingly impressed by this little movie and we could not stop gushing about it after it ended.

Wall-E is alone on the planet Earth. 800 years from now, Earth has been abandoned by its people. It has filled up with too much commerce and garbage and STUFF and has become unihabitable for human beings, whom are now off living on a luxury spaceship. Left behind to clean up the mess are these sort of trash organizing bots. But years and years later, only one little guy is still functioning; our curious little friend Wall-E. And poor Wall-E -- his only friend is a cockroach (because when the apocolypse comes, you know those guys will still be here). His home is a converted dumpster where he keeps all his earthly fascinations (think Ariel's cave in The Little Mermaid) and he watches clips from the only movie he found lying around, Hello Dolly.

This poor little guy -- all he wants is a hand to hold.

And along comes Eve. This futuristic little thing sent to explore the planet. She's shiny and fancy and the most wonderful thing Wall-E has seen. All he needs is a little human contact; someone to love, someone to have an adventure with.

And on board the spaceship, human beings are, well, lazy morons. Bred in a world of convenience, their bones have softened and they travel in hover-chairs. They don't interact - they just talk on screens in front of their faces, which is also where they get their news and entertainment. Hell, they don't even know there's a pool on the ship or sights to see because they are glued to their computers... If someone falls over, a machine rushes to pick them up. If they need something to eat or drink, it is delivered... And then two people happen to touch by accident... it's magical...

If you don't see how THAT is socially relevant, then... well.... um...

The movie is genius. It's something cute and clever for kids but if you're adult, the film is just LOADED with subtext and ingenuity and if it doesn't move you in some way or another, I might fear you're sans a soul. By the time the credits were pouring down the screen, I was glazed over, transfixed on the screen, filled with emotion, and wishing the movie had been longer. I'm no even kidding.

Oh, maybe it's just that I'm an emotional wreck these days, that I'm starved for attention and affection and wouldn't mind having a hand to hold. Maybe I am afraid that I'm on my way to becoming a lazy, fat slob and those sharp reminders in the movie hit a nerve...

I'm quite impressed with Wall-E. You should really go see it.