Posted by a friend on FB! ☹️
Ok, so let’s be real. I am really clear that I am not in the best shape of my life. I know that I need to lose more than a few pounds, and that I am not as young...

Seems like an opportunity to go all Pretty Woman on her ass. Big mistake. Huge.

Ok, so let’s be real. I am really clear that I am not in the best shape of my life. I know that I need to lose more than a few pounds, and that I am not as young as a lot of the people are who are doing the myriad of events this weekend at the Air Force 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon. But I am working on it. Every day. Why am I saying this? Because I am stinking mad at the lady at the KPMG table at the Expo today.

I went to pick up my race packet. You have to run through the gauntlet of all these vendors hawking their stuff to get to packet pick up. A lot of them have giveaways to get you to come talk to them.

So, I am walking past the KPMG table and can’t tell what exactly it is they are giving away. Some kind of a cloth of sorts. So, I say to the woman behind the table “hey, what is this?” She looks right at me and just says “Those are for the runners only”. I was gobsmacked. All I could think to say was, “well, I’m doing the 5k, does that count?” So, she let me take one. (I still don’t know what the hell it is, but it’s in my trash now. )

I was (and still am), really embarrassed by the fact that under no circumstances could she imagine that I was a participant. Not sure why else I would be there. These things aren’t a big pull for the general community. But, whatever her reasoning, being so dismissive of me was really hurtful. I’m already more than a little self conscious, so thanks, lady, for ramping that up for me. Now all I can think of is what people will think when I show up to actually do it. I know I’ll be slow. That’s more to do with a lack of preparation than anything, but I’ll be there. I will finish and I won’t die. I will also lap all the people sitting on the couch.

So all, think about your words. They really do matter. Even when they are just guarding a stupid square of material from someone who isn’t a REAL athlete. They matter.
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This is unacceptable behavior since this “professional” is representing KPMG. There’s got to be more coaching on people who volunteer at these events to conduct themselves accordingly. It’s a shame the firm’s name get tainted because of one rotten apple!

Your too sensitive

let’s be real: a good chunk of “fat-shaming” called out by fat people are insecurities projecting insults where they do not exist.

Someone looks at the t shirt on my table and asks about it. I say this is a t shirt for the runners. They say they’re in the 5k so I give them one. Is it my fault this person suddenly thinks I’m commenting on their weight (unless maybe, if I say it with a sneer and look them up and down).

INFO: did your friend have on a bib or otherwise tag showing they were a runner? Was everyone else already holding their race packet? Were there a lot of random non-runners walking around the event? So much context needed before randomly feeling “fat shamed”

Ummm...that firm’s reputation was tainted long before your friend was insulted. Also...he needs to grow thicker skin

Wow wtf EY4. You can say this about anything then. Someone calls out racism? No, it’s just people being insecure about not being white; racism doesn’t exist. Someone calls out sexism? No, just women being insecure about not having an advantage over men, because clearly men and women are treated equally.m and sexism is not real. Heard this argument a couple times and I don’t understand how you don’t hear the privilege and honestly cruelty from your position.

I may not know or understand why someone has a certain insecurity, but part of being an adult and a human being is respecting other people and respecting other people’s feelings.

These issues are being brought up because it was pretty acceptable to fat-shame even when I was growing up, and now people are letting us know when we say or do things that are hurtful to them, especially when it’s unintentional, so we will stop doing it. It’s not them being too sensitive and petty - it’s the people who won’t stop who are insensitive and petty.

This is literally manners learned from kindergarten lol. Which we all should have graduated from.

The “only” is not something I would have tacked on if I assumed the person was a runner. Even in your scenario you didn’t say that. Again, part of being an adult is knowing how your words affect people - which is the whole point of this post.

If your friend is really that offended by this, they can contact the race organizers or even someone at KPMG to complain. The fact that they wrote this entire essay on social media says to me that they have too much time on their hands to look for reasons to be offended. And with all due respect, I think your friend is insecure about their body type/fitness ability and projecting.

Lol one bad apple