What @AdamRichman Learned

Posted on | July 2, 2014 | 64 Comments

Maybe you haven’t heard about this controversy, but it’s a helpful lesson in the unstated rules of 21st-century discourse. Adam Richman is a former actor and self-educated chef who, for four seasons 2008-2011, was the star of the Travel Channel series Man vs. Food and its sequel, Man vs. Food Nation. The show was a favorite of mine. If you’ve never seen it, the gimmick was this: Richman would go to a city and visit several of his favorite restaurants in the city. Each episode would conclude with Richman taking on a challenge, which usually involved him gobbling down some ungodly number of sandwiches — or burgers, pizza, “Atomic Hot Wings,” whatever — in order to have his picture placed on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.”

It was fun to watch and the food was always delicious-looking, but inevitably Richman got kind of pudgy from all that eating. Then he went on a diet and lost 70 pounds, becoming sufficiently fit that he was photographed nude for the British edition of Cosmopolitan.

Understandably, Richman was proud of his dieting success, so he posted a photo of himself wearing a pair of pants from his “fat” size, holding out the waist to show how much he had lost. When he posted this photo on Instagram, he used the hashtag #thinspiration.

That hashtag apparently invited a harsh comment from a “body image” activist (as angry fat chicks now call themselves), and Richman did not react wisely: “DILLIGAF?” (Do I Look Like I Give a F–k) was his first comment, and this attracted another “body image” activist who “made a post about Adam’s ‘DILLIGAF’ comment on my personal Instagram, and asked my followers to ‘tell him that eating disorders are not a joke and nothing to take lightly.’ My followers did just that, but I didn’t for one second predict the vitriol that followed.”

The so-called “vitriol” from Richman wasn’t anything particularly shocking to people who are accustomed to online arguments:

“Give me a f–king break. If anyone acts like a c–t I’ll call them one. It’s not misogyny, it’s calling a spade a spade.”
and
“No — I legitimately don’t give a f–k about haters & close minded internet loudmouths like you. . . . Seriously, grab a razor blade and & draw a bath. I doubt anyone will miss you.”

Like I said: Not shocking to people accustomed to such arguments, yet not quite in keeping with the wholesome image of the host of a popular TV series. As a result, Richman’s new show was delayed:

The Travel Channel has pulled the plug on Adam Richman’s new series, “Man Finds Food,” after the TV host’s rant on Instagram over a picture related to his recent weight loss.
“Man Finds Food” was supposed to debut July 2, but the channel announced that the show has been postponed, reports the Washington Post.
It did not offer a new premiere date. But the “Man vs. Food” host posted this encouraging remark on Facebook: “Still waiting for a airing date for the show. “Stay tune (sic) MFF fans!”
Last month, Richman drew outrage after he wrote a string of expletives on Instagram in response to fans criticizing his use of the hashtag #thinspiration — which is often associated with anorexia and pro-eating disorder messages. . . .
He eventually apologized via Twitter and deleted all of his Instagram messages related to the incident.
In a statement to ABC News, Richman said he is sorry for his “inexcusable remarks.”
“I’ve long struggled with my body image and have worked very hard to achieve a healthy weight,” Richman said.

There is a word for this: Crazy.

Yes, Richman’s use of the f-word and the c-word were probably a breach of the standard clause in TV contracts that obligate on-air talent to refrain from engaging in obnoxious/immoral public behavior. But Charlie Sheen is still on TV, and there are lots of other TV stars who keep working despite DUIs and other personal scandals that lead to unfortunate tabloid headlines. So what happened?

The Feminist Thought Police got him. This controversy wasn’t really about eating disorders and “body image,” except insofar as those issues are a subset of the Feminist Grievance Cluster, along with date rape, the “pay gap,” abortion and Hobby Lobby.

Maybe there are male “body image” activists, but I never heard of one. No, it’s exclusively a fat chick issue, which means it’s also a feminist issue, and one look at Amber Sarah — the fat chick who may have cost Adam Rich his TV show — tells you all you need to know.

Her blog is called “Adipose Activist: One fat girl’s battle against size discrimination,” and I’ve got a terrible fear that fans of Adam Richman may be tempted to say rude things about Amber Sarah. So whatever you do, don’t say anything rude about her.

And here’s what I mean about “the unstated rules of 21st-century discourse”: You might think that feminists who are ostentatiously concerned about fairness and discrimination and equality would recognize that this means they have to play by the same rules as everybody else. On the Internet, it is customary — indeed, it seems obligatory — that when people disagree, they say the meanest things they can think of to denounce their antagonists: They’re ugly, they’re stupid, they are devotees of hideous sexual perversion.

For example, people on the Internet who hate me seem to enjoy making remarks accusing me of being homosexual despite the fact that (a) I’ve been married for 25 years and have six children and a new grandson, and (b) these people are usually “progressives” who make a big show of denouncing conservatives as homophobes.

Having been called a “faggot” innumerable times by these Enlightened Disciples of Progress, I understand that they have no actual principles or moral standards, and the same is generally true of feminists. They demand to be treated as equal to men, but when I respond to their stupid arguments the way I’d respond to any stupid argument made by a man — i.e., with cruel, mocking sarcasm — they act as if this proves that I am a hateful misogynist, and perhaps also either (a) a faggot, or (b) someone with a small penis, or usually (c) both.

That these assertions are false is obvious enough, and they are also logically invalid as argument, ad hominem. Even if I were a small-penised homosexual, this would not prove that (a) feminist ideology is coherent, or that (b) my mocking sarcasm isn’t funny as hell.

By categorizing all disagreement as hate, feminists are attempting to dictate rules of discourse whereby they win every argument simply by virtue of the fact that they possess vaginas. And because they preemptively categorize all critics as misognynistic monsters undeserving of respect, feminists thereby authorize themselves to employ Any Means Necessary to destroy their critics.

@rsmccain @AdamRichman And NEVER apologize to the perpetually offended. pic.twitter.com/uK7WjgHEJO

— Sheila_T (@_FreeMarketeer) July 2, 2014

Thus, Adam Richman is at risk of losing his TV career because he said rude things to a fat chick, as if we should be shocked that a guy from Brooklyn would say rude things in the heat of an argument.

Stipulate that the c-word is a particularly hateful insult that I never use myself. Further stipulate that suggesting someone should commit suicide is at least cruel and uncouth. But, again: Adam Richman is from Brooklyn, where the use of hateful, insulting, cruel and uncouth language has been elevated to an art form. It’s his culture, the same way suicide bombing is part of the Palestinian culture.

Anyway, if Travel Channel dumps Adam Richman, I’ve got an idea for his next reality-show series, an idea that would be perfect for Spike TV: Beautiful women compete to prove that they know their way around the kitchen in . . . Make Me a #$@&ing Sandwich.

Eating well is the best revenge and, whatever you do, don’t say anything rude about Amber Sarah the “body image” activist.

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Category: Celebrities, Feminism

Comments

64 Responses to “What @AdamRichman Learned”

KJG
July 3rd, 2014 @ 8:12 am

I’m not sure why it is that we all just can’t live by the creed “Hey, don’t be an asshole.” Hey, randoms on the Internet, maybe you shouldn’t be offended by things that were not directed at you/not designed to be offensive and hey, Adam Richman, maybe you shouldn’t call people cunts.
Notorious M.E.G.
July 3rd, 2014 @ 8:29 am

I notice that her blog entry on this very subject has a “trigger warning.” ’nuff said!
Wombat_socho
July 3rd, 2014 @ 8:47 am

Or just take up walking after every meal. Every little bit helps.
Matthew W
July 3rd, 2014 @ 9:18 am

I had an older brother that dealt with morbid obesity for over 20 years until it finally killed him.
There’s a lot more to it than just telling yourself to lose weight. Good for you that you were able to manage that, but it doesn’t work that way for everyone.
Pervy Grin
July 3rd, 2014 @ 9:29 am

OMFG, look at her list of “research interests”: Gender Studies, Feminism, Social Activism, Fat Studies, Fat Feminism, Fat Sexuality, and Women’s Studies.
Do people actually get paid for this? Nice work if you can get it.
Art Deco
July 3rd, 2014 @ 9:45 am

I’m curious as to what sort of sandwiches Mrs. McCain prefers to make for her brood. In Georgia you’re expected to use Duke’s mayonnaise, right?
Daniel O'Brien
July 3rd, 2014 @ 10:02 am

And Breitbart would always reply: “So?”
richard mcenroe
July 3rd, 2014 @ 10:12 am

Sounds like a proud graduate of a college with a hate-speech code. “Quick guess what someone, somewhere MIGHT be offended by SOMETHING!
Pervy Grin
July 3rd, 2014 @ 10:27 am

“rod” of authority. Hee hee. I see what you did there.
Linda
July 3rd, 2014 @ 11:39 am

Ah well, Amber the Fat Activist has already turned off comments on her wordpress blog, right after screen capping a rather convenient bit of evidence that anyone who holds an opinion different than hers must be a horrible person.

I’ll just say it here. Those ladies badgered Adam Richman and tried to make him feel bad when he did nothing wrong. Then, they tried to ruin his career b/c he said mean things. This behavior is bullying. Passive aggressive perhaps, but still bullying.

One of the “ooh that horrible man!” commenters said that she contacted the travel channel to report his horrible behavior and asked what they were going to do about it. So I contacted them too. Perhaps some of you would like to do the same: http://www.travelchannel.com/about/viewer-relations
After all, at the end of the day viewership is king.
Cheers!
Sean
July 3rd, 2014 @ 2:12 pm

Holy crap, her site requires trigger warnings for her picture. Richman probably felt like Han Solo encased in carbonite when that twitter avatar came into focus.
Dianna Deeley
July 3rd, 2014 @ 8:09 pm

Man, that was pitch-perfect!
Bob Belvedere
July 5th, 2014 @ 1:40 am

Bravo, Evi!
Bob Belvedere
July 5th, 2014 @ 1:42 am

THIS.