Stop the fat letters

The old putdown “you’re fat and your mother dresses you funny” has sadly become a new nanny state mandate. It’s not enough to endlessly test students academically, we’re now also measuring their waist lines in an endless attempt to turn education into an assembly line process, where all the products conform to someone’s “standard.”

A local teen, whom I’ve known since she was in her momma’s belly, has decided to do something about this absolutely pointless intrusion of schools into personal health matters, by making a documentary exposing this bogus and demeaning practice.

In her own words:

In an effort to address the obesity problem among American youth, lawmakers in over a dozen states passed a controversial mandate forcing schools to perform body mass index, or BMI, tests on their students. What soon followed sparked a heated national debate.

Coined the “Fat Letters” by students, letters were given to overweight kids whose BMI did not fall within a narrowly accepted range; essentially telling children, even as young as kindergarteners, that they are fat.

via THE STUDENT BODY.

It’s one thing for schools to say little Johnny is failing at math, or even in gym, but the idea that BMI is some kind of magic number that is somehow relevant to the process of educational outcomes is a gross overstepping by government. No one sent Chris Christy’s mother a letter saying he’s fat- and that it somehow makes a difference on his performance as governor. Nor, do we have any indication that being overweight makes people stupid. In terms of stupid things our government feels a need to do- shaming children shouldn’t be something we spend a dime on.

I’m pretty sure a better case could be made for teachers having to submit to BMI testing. There is a direct correlation to costs of health care being passed on to taxpayers for fat governmental employees. However, that’s not what was written into law.

Bailey Webber is the daughter of my friend Mike Webber, who makes movies for a living. He’s a local guy with a lot of talent, raising a kid to ask questions and challenge the status quo, and he’s doing a damn fine job of it. Esrati.com readers have read about him and his award-winning documentary “The Elephant in the Living Room”

The movie, “The Student Body” is in production now, and just began a kickstarter to bring it to life as a full length film. If you’ve ever been called fat, maybe you might want to help her finish this film. Pledge to donate $1  (or more) and spread the word- I’m sure there are more than 28,000 of us who have suffered the indignity of being called fat at some point in our life- and would prefer that it’s from a medical professional instead of the state.

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