In Semi-Defense Of Nicole Arbour

I am fat. I came into this world chubby, screaming, and naked, and with any luck, that's how I'll leave it. And I consider the fact that I was the fat kid on the playground a blessing in disguise, because it allowed me to develop thick skin, sharpen my wit, and eventually my avoirdupois (a classy way of saying love handles) became an asset, affording me an unparalleled set of interpersonal skills. And I was enjoying my life of chubby contentment when YouTube "celebrity" Nicole Arbour went on her rant against me and my kind.

For those of you fortunate enough to have avoided the incessant yapping of both the video and the responses, here is the original in all of it's glory:

Her outfit is more harmful to society than obesity.

So now that she's gotten her 15 minutes, I'm going for mine, and just for the record, I would like to emphasize that nothing she said bothered me in the slightest - you gotta do better than that, Nicole.

This is directed towards anybody deemed fat, curvy, or chubby who was upset by this video in the slightest: why are you letting her get to you? Why do we, as a nation, assign so much importance and gravity to what these pseudo-celebrities have to say? I understand that depression is commonly linked to fat-shaming, but if you let the opinions of a failed actress affect you, your self-worth, and your daily life, you are the one at fault. Arbour is only the most recent scapegoat in our fragile-to-the-point-of-fascist society. In two weeks (maybe by the time this article is published), everyone will have forgotten about her and have moved on to crucifying the next individual who dares to speak their mind.

I am sick and tired of society bringing down the iron fist of good feelings on anyone who dissents from the overly-sentimental atmosphere in which we live. Being fat and sensitive is, no pun intended, a recipe for disaster, and in all seriousness, our constant praising of one another and societal inability to cope with criticism is setting the next generation up for a lifetime of depression, angst, and satisfaction with participation ribbons. The fact that there are innumerable, tearful responses against Arbour on YouTube perfectly illustrates how America has denigrated into a country with the emotional maturity of a kindergartener.

Life is tough. Be tougher. You can't live your life and not face a rude statement or a contradicting opinion, and sometimes people will offend you. And you can cry and talk about the importance of never-ending sensitivity, or you can take everything said to you in stride and not let it take up a single minute of your time. Nicole Arbour doesn't pay your bills (in fact, she just got fired from another project because of this video so I doubt she'll be able to pay her own pretty soon). She doesn't keep food in your fridge, water in your toilet, or gas in your tank, so what does her opinion matter to you?

The rest of you can sit around waiting to take offense at whatever she, or anybody else for that matter, has to say. Meanwhile, I'll be burning my ticket to this media circus and moving on with my life.