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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 7 ♦ Friday, November 21, 2003
Deadly conditions
Perception that eating disorders only affect females leaves males at risk
S
ociety’s perception of
an individual with an
eating disorder, is that
of a thin, frail female. In this
conjecture lies a problem:
today, an increasing number
of males are suffering from
eating disorders once thought
to affect only females.
Twenty years ago, the
rule of thumb was that for
every 15 women with an eating disorder there
was one man to correspond with them. That
number has significantly increased to one male
for every four females with anorexia, and one
male to every eight to 11 females with bulimia,
according to the American Journal of
Psychiatry. Psychiatrists also state that 20 per
cent of anorexia cases are male; this is twice
the number estimated a decade ago.
While so much emphasis is placed on
watching women who lose too much weight
too quickly, there should also be the same
amount of concern shown to any man who
happens to do the same thing.
It is estimated that 2 percent of men in the
United States are afflicted with an eating disor
der, compared to 5 percent of women. Almost
half as many men as women are affected with a
disorder and little to no attention has been given
to them, according to the Anorexia Nervosa and
Related Eating Disorders Inc. Web site.
While men with eating disorders are becom
ing more prevalent, health care professionals
still do not expect to see this disease in a man
and are often misdiagnosing them. Many males
are also reluctant to admit that they
have this problem because it has
historically been seen as a
feminine problem.
“It is still primarily a
female issue, but it is
affecting more boys and
men,” states Dr. Rick
Kilmer, a psycholo
gist and eating disor
der specialist at the
Atlanta Center for
Eating Disorders in
Atlanta, Ga.
There are cer
tain groups of
males that tend to
suffer from eating
disorders more than
others.
Bodybuilders,
wrestlers, dancers,
swimmers, runners,
gymnasts, jockeys and
gay men top the list on
groups of males that have
a higher tendency for the
disorders, according to the
Eating Disorder Referral and
Information Center. More attention
needs to be paid to these
men, particularly by doctors. Josh darwin •
These groups’ conditions should be raising red-
flags, but they are not.
Many women develop eating dis
orders in their early adolescent
years, while many men do not
develop the traits until their
later high school years
and early college years.
Some symptoms of the
disease include having
food rituals and pre
occupations with
food, compulsive
exercising, intense
fear of gaining
weight, depression
and a need for
control.
With women,
the typical method
associated with an
eating disorder is
starvation. Men do
not necessarily fol
low this path, but
rather they overexer
cise and cut down their
caloric intake, which
makes the disease harder
to spot since they still eat
and seem to act normally. This
is why health care professionals
must receive better training to
the battalion help them identify men suffer
ing from eating disorders, potentially deadly
conditions.
A spokesman for the Eating Disorders
Association told the British Broadcasting
Corporation “Instead of simply starving, (men)
tend to overexercise and cut down on the
amount they eat. They may not look drawn and
painfully thin like female sufferers, but instead
appear muscular, but they are still suffering
from the same eating disorder.”
Men do not have the same physical signs
and symptoms that women tend to have when
the full ramifications of the eating disorder set
in. Without specific outward signs, it is diffi
cult for physicians to detect the difference
between a naturally thin man, and one who has
acquired an eating disorder.
The only way for a person to heal from this
disease is to seek help. Without help, the indi
vidual will not be able to see the effects of the
disease on his body, and how starving himself
thin will eventually kill them.
Without proper diagnosis, a man will not be
able to obtain the help that he needs to recover
from the disease. This problem is not as gen
der-specific as it was once thought, and men
need to be recognized as being part of the
problem now so they can seek help.
Lauren Esposito is a senior
English major.
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Moore was upholding
his oath of office
In response to Jenelle Wilson’s
Nov. 18 column:
Ms. Wilson’s article fails to bring
justice to Alabama Supreme Court
Chief Justice Roy Moore. In describ
ing the oath that Justice Moore swore
to when he took office, Ms. Wilson is
vague and leaves the reader lacking
information. In an interview with
Moore by Alan Colmes and Sean
Hannity, Moore is quoted as saying
"the point is it’s not about violation of
order, it’s about violation of my oath
of office. And my oath of office to the
Constitution requires an acknowledg
ment of God. It’s that simple.”
Although her article was fairly effec
tive, including this quote would have
made it seem less of a diatribe against
Moore. Although I agree that justices
must obey orders from higher courts,
the principles that Moore supports are
innate to our nation and our justice
system. Moore’s actions represent just
another perspective on a sensitive
issue. If religion is to be banned from
the courtroom, why in the courtroom
must one swear on the Bible?
Andrew Jones
Class of 2006
Judge not removed
for religious beliefs
In response to a Nov. 19 mail call:
The issue before the Alabama State
Judicial Ethics panel had nothing to
do with freedom of religion or
Christian rights. Your hero, Mr. Kinesy,
lost his position on the Alabama
Supreme Court not because he is a
Christian or because he loves God,
but because he disobeyed a direct
order from the very judicial system he
is sworn to uphold. Your hero, Mr.
Kinesy, is playing with hypocrisy and
stands only to drive people away from
his religion. Does not the New
Testament say to “obey your leaders
and submit to their authority?”
Following Judge Moore’s example
could lead us to believe that all ille
gal actions should be condoned
regardless of their affect on human
life or others’ beliefs as long as the
perpetrators believe that they are fol
lowing the will of their God.
Removing the Ten Commandments
in no way suppressed Christian
rights or forced Moore to violate his
beliefs. But his refusal has forced his
removal while in no way perpetuat
ing his beliefs as a Christian or glori
fying the God he serves.
Lester Jones
Rhett Dotson
Class of 2004
Monument did not
oppress anyone
In response to a Nov. 20 mail call:
You can say all you want that Judge
Roy Moore was trying to establish a
state religion, but that doesn’t make it
true. Does a monument depicting the
laws of a religion oppress anyone? I
think most people will agree that it
doesn’t. Has anyone attacked Moore
because he judged people on adul
tery or not honoring their mother or
father? Not that I know of. When you
assume that I would have a different
point of view if someone constructed a
monument depicting the laws of a dif
ferent religion, you are assuming that
I am as intolerant of other religions as
you are of Christianity. That’s assum
ing quite a lot.
Dan Kiniry
Class of 2006
Diversity about more
than skin color
In response to a Nov. 20 article:
I am a member of the largest minor
ity here at Texas A & M, yet it saddens
me that I lack the representation and
call for diversifying this campus that
everyone calls for. I am an out-of-stater
from New Orleans. According to 1998
stats, only 13.4 percent of A&M’s pop
ulation was from out-of-state.
However, I have yet to hear someone
say that we need more people who
don’t live in Texas. I can promise you
that I bring just as much diversity with
me as a student from another country
or a black person from Texas.
Merriam-Webster defines diversity
as the involvement of different forms. If
A&M wishes to be more diverse, great.
But don’t look at it in terms of just race
and ethnicity but of the whole picture.
One also doesn’t need to discriminate
against the majority, whites, to gain
more race and ethnic minorities,
blacks, Hispanics, etc. Just offer every
one what we’ve got already — a great
university — and diversity will come;
perhaps not in a rush like administra
tion would like to see, but slowly it will
come. And I don’t mean different races
and ethnicities, but a collection of all
different types of people.
Scott Bourgeois
Class of 2007
Approaches to diversity
foster prejudice
Virgil coined the expression “Beware
of Greeks bearing gifts” more than
2000 years ago. In 1936, American
politician Adam Clayton Powell
extended this expression to character
ize the racial issues at that time. His
expression is very much applicable
during the current “diversity” issue.
At the risk of being tagged a “mal-
inchista,” as a Mexican-American I
do not support the reasons behind
this push for diversity. It should be
noted that I did not say that I do not
support diversity; rather, I do not
support the way it is approached.
There are other ways that the
administration can make this uni
versity attractive for those who
choose to enrich their knowledge at
other “diverse” universities.
I would bet that those universities
did not have to shell out a $170,000
salary on a diversity position. The
administration wants to look good,
rest on its laurels and rejoice, “Look
at what we have accomplished! So
what if in the processes we have
fostered prejudice and resentment.”
Let us not allow the hidden agendas
of the administration be a fuel for prej
udice and resentment. Let us not
allow the entitled opinions of student
organizations drive the wedge that
splinters the wood.
Francisco E. Martinez, Jr.
Graduate Student
Students should not
be afraid of change
I am a member of the Texas A&M
Class of 1997, and I love that I am an
Aggie. However, it becomes increas
ingly difficult for me to explain how
special a place it is when people far
removed from A&M, College Station,
Texas or America forward me articles
about an A&M ‘affirmative action’
bake sale.
In my six or so years after graduat
ing from A&M’s Business School, I
haven’t been involved with anything
that included 82 percent white peo
ple. Most of my colleagues are
shocked to learn that such a
renowned and large school had such
a homogeneous student population.
It would do current and future Aggies
a great service to provide a culture
that better reflects our country’s (and
the world’s, for that matter) diverse
culture and population.
Change is hard, but don’t preemp
tively strike out without understanding
the full situation. Do not assume that
a change will always yield the worst
outcomes. Aggieland is great, and we
should want to provide encourage
ment and a home for anyone willing to
work hard and further our causes.
After all, don’t we buy into that mantra
that says ‘Aggies First’ ... any other
striation is second?
Amy Dosen-Black
Class of 1997
Diversity already exists
on campus
For the first time since I can remem
ber, YCT has held a demonstration
where it actually has a logical point by
accurately portraying the fundamen
tals of affirmative action through its
bake sale, though many seem loathe
to admit it. True diversity can be found
throughout the minds of the student
body at Texas A&M, each member of
which brings their own experiences to
the table.
For instance, if A&M is so in need of
“diversity,” where did all the people
protesting the YCT bake sale come
from? I assume they were students
here before Dr. Anderson took office,
so what is the point of his position? I
walked by the anti-bake sale rally (a
noble-sounding cause, if ever there
was one) and saw many people from
many different races participating. This
did not mean they were diverse, as the
president of the Texas Aggie
Democrats ironically put it, because
they were all agreeing on the same
thing, regardless of race.
The point of the bake sale was to
point out just this sort of “race =
diversity” philosophy that has taken
over a disgustingly sensitive political
ly correct thought.
Paul Sims
Class of 2006
Aggies should learn
about other cultures
I take great issue with the recent
affirmative action bake sale held by
the Young Conservatives of Texas.
While the YCT does have the right to
free speech, it must consider the
message its actions send: one of
unacceptance and ignorance. I
applaud the University for attempt
ing to promote diversity through the
appointment of Dr. Anderson, but
unfortunately the University system
cannot make the campus a more
accepting place — that begins with
me, you and the YCT.
Having spent more than five years
in the armed forces, almost all of
which deployed overseas, I learned
very quickly that there was so much
more to the world than College
Station, Texas. By taking time to
learn and experience the languages
and cultures of the various countries
I’ve traveled to, I was able to gain a
better understanding and accept
ance of people from different ethnic
groups and different lifestyles.
We as Aggies are so quick to take
pride in the “other education” that
we engage in during our time on
campus, but I submit that the other
education extends well beyond
Aggie football and Northgate.
Eric Finley
Class of 1999
The Battalion encourages letters to the edi
tor. Letters must be 200 words or less and
include the author’s name, class and phone
number. The opinion editor reserves the right to
edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters
may be submitted in person at 014 Reed
McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also
may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS
1111, Texas A&M University, College Station,
TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email:
mailcall@thebattalion.net