Those were just some of the names I had been called and teased back in high school. Actually, I really don't mind, but I admit, I got hurt with those words. I was a baptized Christian with a registered name but you really can't help people calling you names and associating you with things that probably relate to you."Budoodles, Budufries, Bughetti, etc."
As you may notice, the words above pertain to different kinds of food (ie. noodles, french fries, spaghetti) which apparently were added to the first syllable of my surname. Obviously, those name-calling had been part of the "teased-back-in-high-school" scenario where some people tend to bully you by words that might break your self-esteem and let you feel inferior with others.
Yes, with those names, I may agree with the fact that I had been bullied back then. Well, for the fact that I am fat back in high school, I am an easy target for teasing. And what more could be attached to a fat person than food, right? To be honest, I liked the food mentioned above but when those words are attached to your name and they call you the same thing repeatedly, matched with hysterical laughter, the simple concept of loving food is just elevated to a much more complex situation of bullying.
These thoughts just crossed my mind when I watched this television show called "The Biggest Loser: Pinoy Edition", which is apparently a franchise from the original series of the US with the same title.
The show is about "big" people trying to lose weight and getting the reward at the end of the season. Of course, people from all walks of life tried to audition for the show, and from the thousands of aspiring contestants (much like any other TV competitions), only a few were selected to be part of the show.
The people who were picked obviously belong to the obese category and that really changed the whole idea of just merely losing weight. A short documentary of the lives of these people fighting and surviving the judging eyes of society truly proves that this show is more than just getting famous and getting rich. It's actually an advocacy. And the show advocates not just one issue, but two.
Health and wellness is probably one of the more obvious reasons why this show was established. With the advent of fast food and the birth of junk food, nutrition had always been an issue, along with proper diet and exercise. This show was able to tackle the painful truth behind the idea of "naiwanan sa kusina" (left in the kitchen) concept where people try to neglect the idea of taking care of oneself and staying fit and healthy.
Another main advocacy is the discrimination and bullying. Actually, the two are different issues but I decided to mold them together since they obviously have the same causes. Bullying normally happens among the youngsters and as we grow older, it apparently changes to discrimination.
If I can trace back the bullying that I had experienced, I'm probably better off than others who were not able to fight back and defend themselves. Back then, I was able to survive the bullying because I knew in myself that it won't last for long and that it made me more eager to prove them that I am not the person they once bullied back then. Actually, I don't blame them for their deeds because I became who I am today because of them. They were the ones who made me stronger and they were the ones who taught me that life is a cycle and you will not always be at the bottom.
Much like the experiences of the people from Biggest Loser, the fight against discrimination and bullying should not be taken lightly. Millions of people all over the world have had been bullied and/or discriminated once in their lives and I know that almost all of us could relate to this.
As far as I'm concerned a lot of organizations had been advocating the same things for the betterment of society, and I am one of those people who would like to shout to the world that not because I'm fat, I won't be able to do the things that slim people do. We are all unique in our own way and no one, and I mean no one is given the right to step on someone else.
Support the fight against bullying and discrimination!
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