A sociology professor at the University of California, Irvine, recently gave an interview with the student newspaper in which she blames Protestant reformers for society’s obsession with thinness, claiming that “Fat phobia is not based on health concerns” and that “fat phobia” is “rooted in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and Protestantism.”
In this interview, Sabrina Strings discussed her new book Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia. She provides shocking arguments, including claiming that “the goal of race scientists, Protestant reformers and, later, doctors was to convince all Americans that being fat was a woeful state of affairs that all should shun.”
This baseless attack is a clear misrepresentation of the Bible, and ignores basic scientific facts. Furthermore, this serves as yet another example of the Left attempting to demonize and dismantle the Judeo-Christian values our nation was founded upon.
One may ask how Christianity is to blame for body-shaming? Aren’t Christians instructed to place the physical realm in second place in order to focus on the spiritual? This is a correct assumption, however, according to Strings, “Protestantism encouraged temperance in all pleasures, including those of the palate. By the early 19th century, particularly in the U.S., fatness was deemed evidence of immorality.”
Professor Strings is criticizing the Bible because it supports the evil notion of … temperance? Not only is temperance an important virtue to have, but it is a necessary virtue to ensure a dynamic and thriving society. Temperance, which is the ability to recognize when enough is enough and resist our animalistic desires, used to be something that education was founded upon. But, according to the Left, temperance is bad. It keeps people from enjoying what they want to enjoy (even though it may be harmful).
Strings’ assertion about the negative effects of temperance fits into the Left’s broader narrative about self-fulfillment. The Left states that one should do whatever makes them happy, with complete disregard for the negative effects an individual’s choices may have. More broadly, this viewpoint has manifested itself in a new push to legalize magic mushrooms around the country. The leftist mindset pushes the assertion that if those drugs make someone happy, we ought to decriminalize them. Spoiler: legalizing a dangerous drug would have negative effects on citizens across the country, endangering many.
Instead of living in a society where moderation, temperance, and virtue are encouraged, the Left wants to promote dependence, excess, and indulgence. It is no wonder why people seem to be less happy, less motivated, and less fulfilled in daily life. Leftist educators are subtly and incrementally teaching young people to disregard the traditional practices of Western thought. Instead, they say that one should do what makes them happy. After all, objective truth is not real according to the Left, but “your truth” is always correct.
The New Guard reached out to Professor Strings for comment. A response was not received in time for publication.
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