I came to this podcast after a recommendation from Reddit. They were recommending podcasts showcasing body positive storie and/or fat activism of Fat Black people as many podcasts are lead by white hosts. As a cis white woman, I was excited to also hear other perspectives and ran over to listen to an episode. I listened to the one on Ozempic.
I recognize I am not the target audience for this pod, which is absolutely fine by me as not everything had to be for me, but I am worried about the accuracy of information shared in the episode. While not inherently incorrect, the hosts seemed to intentionally leave out information to underscore their points. For example, when critiquing the FDA’s upcoming fast track approval for weight loss meds which the hosts deem unsafe, they indicated it can take 1-8 month. This is technically correct for the actual application process of approval but completely omits talking about about the months or years of clinical trials that are required before getting to that point. They also were quick to indicate that people lose weight on GLP1 medications because it makes them so sick. This is factually incorrect and not how the meds work. While GI issues can be a side effect for some, not all, it is not the driver of how weight loss occurs on this medication.
The quality of the audio was well done, though the large number of hosts made it hard to follow individuals’ perspectives. It is 1-2 too many people for my likening. I also didn’t care for someone burping into the microphone, just not my vibe. While I only listened to the one ep and will not be listening to any more, it was hard to identify the politics the hosts take and felt too extreme for my own politic. They actively said they hated The NY Times, didn’t like HAES, thought ALL doctors are “murdering” fat people, but yet were really supportive of gender confirming care for trans people and kids. At times it felt a little Right leaning, but perhaps it was SO far Left that it felt wildly exclusionary to me, a Fat, body positive individual. They basically said they don’t think people who come to the Fat politic via HAES aren’t legit enough to be activities, which comes off to me as exclusionary and radical, not my jam. I caution anyone else listening to do their own fact checking and research
