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| Karen Carpenter (Wikipedia) |
After reading a stream of ugly
comments about Karen Carpenter and her cause of death on You Tube, we decided
it was time to address the topic of anorexia and bulimia, and lodge a strong
protest against the vast right winged conspiracy of ignorance in this nation
which has ridiculed her.
For those too young to have been
around during the heyday of the Carpenters, they were a brother-sister duo of
Richard and Karen (1950-1983) who were one of top acts of the 1970s. Formed in the
late 1960s, they struggled in obscurity until 1970 when they broke out with
their hit single Close To You. Thereafter they produced a string of hits, often
dominating the Adult Contemporary charts and stations.
By all accounts, the two siblings
had a close relationship but numerous people have reported that Richard was
a controller who on his good days could be a total ass - and we state the case delicately. While they maintained a
close working relationship, Karen resented the controls placed on her both by
her brother and others involved with managing her career and image.
As their career matured, Karen
began battling a disease diagnosed as anorexia whose symptoms included weight
loss due to not eating – or as in her case, eating but then throwing up her
food. Eventually her affliction required hospitalization and some close shaves
with death. In the end, after she seemed to be on the mend, death won out as
her weakened body organs could no longer take the stress of normal living.
This disease is commonly thought
to be a body image problem wherein the person suffering from it is so
dissatisfied with being fat or not having the accepted body that she
compensates for it by not eating. While this interpretation is understandable,
it is entirely incorrect if not naive.
Anorexia nervosa is a
psychological reaction to control – an attempt to fight for autonomy and
identity. Although the disease is predominantly a woman’s disease, it is by no
means exclusively so – and we are a firsthand witness to a case where the
sufferer is a male. Psychologists note that eating is the one last area where
the person who has succumbed to the illness still has control – and will go to
great lengths to hide the symptoms. Eventually the lack of nutrition and
calories takes its toll rendering stealth moot.
In the case of Ms Carpenter, we
believe that her brother was the ultimate – although probably not only – cause of
her death. We will refrain from commenting on his intentions but we believe
that he is a very sick, if not demented person who still attempts to control
his sister even in her death. We say this based upon assorted comments from people
who have described him before and after his sister’s death.
People who ridicule or
misdiagnose her are evil people. It is a tragedy to see someone feel so
helpless that she sees only a long suicidal way of escape. We hope that our
dear readers will take some time to investigate anorexia and use compassion in
understanding the struggles which tears these people apart.
Anorexia is not a case of vanity or
envy – it is an escape from controlling personalities who will not let the
person develop who they really are, or express themselves as they really think.
Copyright 2013 Tony Bonn. All rights reserved.
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