Wednesday, March 22, 2006

What's weight got to do with it?

I'm no fan of "Prime Minister" Stephen Harper. But I would never stoop so low as to make fun of his expanding waistline. It's not right that he's being skewered (here, here and here) for putting on a few pounds.

Give the guy a break! Who cares if he has a blubbery belly? Let him eat cake and drink pop. Stop giving him a hard time for not exercising. When is he supposed to find time to work out anyway? The man is running the county, not the Boston Marathon.

What if we had a female prime minister and the media kept writing about her big jiggly ass? People would be up in arms, yelling about sexism and size-ism. How is making fun of Harper's paunch any different?

I got into an argument with a friend yesterday who said Harper's weight shows he lacks self-discipline and will-power and is, therefore, unfit to lead the country. I call bullshit.

George W. Bush is super fit. He runs and bikes a lot. But he's not exactly doing a bang-up job as president. Being physically fit does not make you mentally fit to run a country.

We should judge our political leaders on their character, not their weight. So don't pick on Harper for being pudgy. Pick on him for being a homophobic, right wing, evangelical Christian with creepy laser eyes instead.

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