# Dirty old skanks at the gym **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 10, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509 "2011-07-10T15:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/41 "2011-07-10T19:52:30Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Okay, MRSA is the cootie you are particularly concerned about. I know something about MRSA. Sorry but sweat is not its medium. \ Well, _I’m_ not particularly concerned about it because I get my exercise the old-fashioned way (I go out my front door and take a walk), but while sweat isn’t the medium for MRSA, skin is. MRSA is spread from skin-to-skin contact, and that includes touching the handles that other people have been touching and obviously haven’t cleaned, because they’re still sweaty. I know there’s a mentality on the Dope that if you ever wash your hands you’re a germophobe, but there’s a happy medium between being aware and being phobic. I think giving handlebars that many people touch all day long a wipe isn’t phobic; I think it’s reasonably cautious. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/42 "2011-07-10T19:59:27Z")
> [@Mr. K.](#): > > … Comparing complaining about disgusting people who, in my experience in my gym, tend to rather rotund, to full blown racism is just weak. > > To be honest I was just fishing for insulting lines for these slobs. … Okay. So you _are_ trying to claim that is specifically “rather rotund” people who tend to be “disgusting people”. And you just thought that calling someone fat is akin to calling them a cretin or a slob whether or not they are actually fat. Glad you’ve made that clear. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/43 "2011-07-10T20:05:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Okay. So you _are_ trying to claim that is specifically “rather rotund” people who tend to be “disgusting people”. > > And you just thought that calling someone fat is akin to calling them a cretin or a slob whether or not they are actually fat. > > Glad you’ve made that clear. Yes, because I clearly said that _all_ overweight people _everywhere_ are incarnations of Satan. Please. Calling someone black or Jewish or whatever isn’t an insult, calling them a disgusting fat slob is. If you can’t see the difference, well - read a bit above. I don’t actually care if you’re fat if you wipe the goddamn machines down. In my experience, those who are of the portly variety tend not to, hence why I insulted the specific demographic at my gym. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/44 "2011-07-10T20:57:19Z")
**Cat Whisperer** , Again, I completely understand the people who carry hand sanitizer and sanitize after every doorknob and every weight machine. And the irrational thouht that wiping off sweat with a towel will somehow protect from some cooties does not bother me. The amount this doofus is bothered by the fact that someone else didn’t give a shit that he was using a non-wiped machine just kind of tickled me. The person with the problem here is the one who is bothered that the other person is not bothered. If this individual is so concerned about others’ sweat then just make the effort to wipe it down before use as well as after. It is really very little effort. In my office I use sanitizer before patient contact, after patient contact, before computer keyboard contact, and after computer keyboard contact. If you are in an environment in which you care about the risks then that’s what _you_ do on the basis of _your_ concern. **Mr. K.** , using “Black” or “Jewish” \*as an insult \*is something you understand to be off-limits. You, I think, are not so stupid as to think that a racist must claim that all Blacks are lazy, or that all Jews are cheap or sneaky or clannish in order to be a racist or an anti-Semite. Fat however is different? Okay. Nuf said. Fat people do sweat more so the comment was arguably justified as pertinent. I had started off with that and perhaps we should leave it there. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/45 "2011-07-10T21:13:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > **Mr. K.** , using “Black” or “Jewish” \*as an insult \*is something you understand to be off-limits. You, I think, are not so stupid as to think that a racist must claim that all Blacks are lazy, or that all Jews are cheap or sneaky or clannish in order to be a racist or an anti-Semite. Fat however is different? Okay. Nuf said. Fat people do sweat more so the comment was arguably justified as pertinent. I had started off with that and perhaps we should leave it there. Of course not, but those obviously racist claims are in a completely different ballpark. Hell, they’re not even the same sport. With the word fat, I guess you could say I was using the word both descriptively and as an insult, since, being the Pit, I wanted to throw some insults around. Like I said, I don’t have any problem with overweight people - none of my business what you eat or how you live your life. When you sweat buckets and expect me to either clean it up or bask in the wonderful scent, then I have a problem. Got to sat I was baffled by your response and the equivalences of knocking the overweight with bigotry and racism. Must be an American thing. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/46 "2011-07-10T21:18:22Z")
The ugly, mutton-faced rice-butted cretin Won’t mop up her sweat from the seat ‘n bars with spray that’s provided Despite being chided And she’s fat! - so I’ll give her a beatin’ ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/47 "2011-07-10T21:34:00Z")
How can you be so mean and cruel to your legions of fans? They all envy your ability to consume vast quantities of hot dogs and not gain weight. They are trying to emulate you. Cut them some sweaty slack. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/48 "2011-07-10T21:49:22Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Of course not, but those obviously racist claims are in a completely different ballpark. Hell, they’re not even the same sport. With the word fat, I guess you could say I was using the word both descriptively and as an insult, since, being the Pit, I wanted to throw some insults around. Like I said, I don’t have any problem with overweight people - none of my business what you eat or how you live your life. When you sweat buckets and expect me to either clean it up or bask in the wonderful scent, then I have a problem. > > Got to sat I was baffled by your response and the equivalences of knocking the overweight with bigotry and racism. Must be an American thing. Dear, you cannot win. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/49 "2011-07-10T21:56:46Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Must be an American thing. Nope, a Dope thing. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/50 "2011-07-10T21:58:05Z")
Not a bad “gym rant” But you said “fat!”. O M G! Bigoted fucktard! :eek: /vapors ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/51 "2011-07-10T22:08:04Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > **Mr. K.** , using “Black” or “Jewish” \*as an insult \*is something you understand to be off-limits. You, I think, are not so stupid as to think that a racist must claim that all Blacks are lazy, or that all Jews are cheap or sneaky or clannish in order to be a racist or an anti-Semite. Fat however is different? Okay. Nuf said. Fat people do sweat more so the comment was arguably justified as pertinent. I had started off with that and perhaps we should leave it there. _Seriously?_ Okay, I think the Fat Offenderati have gotten a little out of control. You all need to go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done for about an hour. Or maybe walk around the block a few times and think about what you’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/52 "2011-07-10T22:23:02Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Hijacking this pit thread to comment on the new fad of every gym getting in the new Vibroplate" machines ([http://www.vibrostation.co.uk/vibrostation\_training\_plate.asp?gclid=CKCak8C696kCFQJO4Qod1hwGYQ](http://www.vibrostation.co.uk/vibrostation_training_plate.asp?gclid=CKCak8C696kCFQJO4Qod1hwGYQ)) > > Just what a gym needs, another machine for useless fat women to stand on for half an hour so that they can pretend that they actually did some exercise. Seriously you lazy bitches, you think that standing on those plates is going to do you any good? Go pick up a skipping rope for half an hour, you might actually lose some flab. It’s funny how the kind of guys who are disgusted that they must inhabit the same planet as all these grotesque fat women always make comments about how they need to get their fat asses into the gym, but when they do they still get called names and are told they need to lose weight. It’s a gym. People of all shapes and sizes go there. Hell, some of them do enjoy taking their time and chat with friends. These are all legit things to do at a public gym. And because it is a place where various activities happen simultaneously, just about everyone will occasionally see/hear things that bug the shit out of them. That means there are probably times when YOU do things that could annoy others. Live and let live. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/53 "2011-07-10T22:30:12Z")
P.S. I’m not a fat offenderati and wasn’t at all put off by the OP, lol. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/54 "2011-07-10T22:31:15Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > P.S. I’m not a fat offenderati and wasn’t at all put off by the OP, lol. You probably wipe your equipment when you’re done with it. Okay, you don’t have to sit in the corner or walk around the block, in that case. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/55 "2011-07-10T23:23:33Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > The two are not incongruous. As I said I’d find it just as repulsive if someone younger didn’t wipe the machines. If gym-goers did wipe the machines, I wouldn’t have any problem at all with them. So, you know, the _opposite_ of bigoted - I’m complaining about something the party can easily fix. So you can take lil’ rollyeyes and kindly jog on. I’d believe that if your OP bitched about PEOPLE instead of “fat, ugly, mutton-faced wobbly rice-arsed old cretins”. This isn’t a Dope thing, it’s a politeness thing. So me and my rolly-eyes will jog around the block again and still think you’re rude. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/56 "2011-07-10T23:26:47Z")
He didn’t say it to them, he bitched about them on the internet. We’re not even allowed to be anonymously pissed off with people we interact with on the internet now? My, how sensitivities have changed. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/57 "2011-07-10T23:28:47Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > I’d believe that if your OP bitched about PEOPLE instead of “fat, ugly, mutton-faced wobbly rice-arsed old cretins”. This isn’t a Dope thing, it’s a politeness thing. So me and my rolly-eyes will jog around the block again and still think you’re rude. I should be polite to (or even about?!) inconsiderate sweatmonsters? Fuck that noise. If you get in such a frightful tiff over such terrible verbal lashings perhaps you should go back to MPSIMS or something. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/58 "2011-07-10T23:46:49Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > _Seriously?_ Okay, I think the Fat Offenderati have gotten a little out of control. You all need to go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done for about an hour. Or maybe walk around the block a few times and think about what you’ve done. Yes seriously. I know it is considered politically correct to bash people for being fat and to use “fat” as an insult but that does not mean that it is not a form of hateful speech. Yes seriously. If substituting a more generally understood to be discriminated against group for the word “fat” in a statement would be out of line, then using “fat” there (or “skinny”) is probably also out of line. This particular poster can’t decide if he thinks fat people are the ones who are lazy disgusting people who leave their sweat on equipment, or if he just want to use fat as an equal to calling someone a moron. He should make up his little mind. And no it is not okay to say insults about a class of people as long as you are not directing it to their faces. In any case, his sweat phobia is very odd. But then I was a wrestler back in the day, so others sweat is not something that I have much of a fear about. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/59 "2011-07-10T23:51:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Yes seriously. I know it is considered politically correct to bash people for being fat and to use “fat” as an insult but that does not mean that it is not a form of hateful speech. > > Yes seriously. If substituting a more generally understood to be discriminated against group for the word “fat” in a statement would be out of line, then using “fat” there (or “skinny”) is probably also out of line. > > This particular poster can’t decide if he thinks fat people are the ones who are lazy disgusting people who leave their sweat on equipment, or if he just want to use fat as an equal to calling someone a moron. He should make up his little mind. > > And no it is not okay to say insults about a class of people as long as you are not directing it to their faces. > > In any case, his sweat phobia is very odd. But then I was a wrestler back in the day, so others sweat is not something that I have much of a fear about. Look, **DSeid** , I’ll level with you. I call it as I see it - fat sweaty people using the equipment. They don’t wipe it. This irritates me. I didn’t think this was a hard concept to grasp. Learn to read - I’ve said that I used ‘fat’ as an insult. If I was trying to be nice, I’d have said ‘overweight’, or ‘poor unfortunate souls who perhaps have glandular problems and deserve my sympathy’. But guess what; I wasn’t trying to be nice. But still, calling someone “fat” is hate speech? Give me a fucking break. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/60 "2011-07-10T23:55:11Z")
> [@Ms. Meta](#): > > Aesthetics of the sweat producer aside - there is a grossness factor of the sweat itself. Though ugly skank sweat is way worse than beautiful sweat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509.md?page=4)