# Rant: the War on Fat **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 7, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329 "2006-03-07T01:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/81 "2006-03-07T18:55:26Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Well, keep working at it, I’m sure it’ll come to you sooner or later. That’s what he said. Are you incapable of explaining, or refusing to do so, or just toying with me in a really cryptically sadistic fashion? Did you mean to suggest…it’s not possible to care about two similar things at once? I’m just guessing. Right now I’m ready to decide the blue pixies delivered your opinion, whatever it is, to your doorstep, carved with moonbeams into a magical amethyst. If that’s the case, send them my way, I want to see if it’s smokable. ---
**Author:** ![Giant\_Spongess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@Giant\_Spongess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giant_Spongess)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/82 "2006-03-07T18:57:11Z")
And of course, after reading **Amazon Floozy Goddess’** post, I feel tremendously callous and insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/83 "2006-03-07T19:04:15Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Seeing all the venom, ill-wishing and hatred is just a very scary thing for me, and I’m sure others. I was a fat kid. I had rocks thrown at me (snip) Horrific, to be sure. I was treated much the same way, even though I was skinny (much unlike now). Kids are dicks. But by Godwinizing, you come off as shrill, not reasonable. You sabotage your own cause. I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![moonstarssun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@moonstarssun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonstarssun)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/84 "2006-03-07T19:04:51Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What I don’t get is why the extreme hate for people who are fat? Who gives a shit? If someone’s fat, and they’re okay with it, why is it anyone’s business? How does it affect me? It doesn’t, so I don’t care. As for their health and looks-well, that’s THEIR problem, not mine. Something I’ve always wondered about too. No one gives the fish eye to skinny people who eat nothing but junk food, but if a fat person eats something other than carrot sticks, people are all over it. Rude and uncalled for. Encouraging healthy eating habits is great. You feel better when you eat food instead of junk, and you free yourself of some potentially serious risks. But ecouraging healthy habits is different from waging a war on fat. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/85 "2006-03-07T19:13:01Z")
> [@Ensign Edison](#): > > That’s what he said. > > Are you incapable of explaining, or refusing to do so, or just toying with me in a really cryptically sadistic fashion? Did you mean to suggest…it’s not possible to care about two similar things at once? I’m just guessing. Right now I’m ready to decide the blue pixies delivered your opinion, whatever it is, to your doorstep, carved with moonbeams into a magical amethyst. If that’s the case, send them my way, I want to see if it’s smokable. Okay, honestly? I’m messing with you. The post was meant as a joke, but watching you try to mine it for deep meaning is far more amusing than anything I could have written. I wouldn’t normally be a dick about something like that, but Jesus! Even _ **duffer** _ got it! How much clearer could it have been? ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/86 "2006-03-07T19:17:14Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Correct. And the disease is that we eat crap, eat a lot of it and lead fairly sedentary lives. The cure for this would be to eat better, eat less and get more exercise. Which is what…_drumroll, please_…everyone here is saying that overweight folks should do. Ta-dah! See how neatly it all fits together. True as far as you took it, but I think it takes more to correct Americans’ McLifestyle than diet and exercise. For example, the very propensity to declare war on the symptom and not the disease has become a very American trait. I interpret that as valuing going through the motions more than earning results. Want better abs? Sure, for 12 payments of $19.95 you can have them, and never feel like you worked out! Fuck that. That’s an eagerness to be say you have exercised, even to invest the time, but an aversion to getting your ass on the floor and burning a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/87 "2006-03-07T19:18:20Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Horrific, to be sure. I was treated much the same way, even though I was skinny (much unlike now). Kids are dicks. > > But by Godwinizing, you come off as shrill, not reasonable. You sabotage your own cause. > > I’m just sayin’. Okay, I can see what you mean. It seems that trying to be down-to-earth about it doesn’t help either, though - I’ve seen too many exchanges in similar threads that go like this: \*Poster: "Well, I bike 4 miles every day, am vegetarian and my daily cal intake is only 1800. Yet I can’t lose weight. How is that my fault? \* _Response: “You must not be doing it right or you’re lying about something. It’s your own fault that you are fat.”_ (sometimes “fattie” or “lardo” or some other nasty name is thrown in at the end for good measure). Reason just seems to be ignored in this argument. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/88 "2006-03-07T19:19:45Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Okay, honestly? I’m messing with you. The post was meant as a joke, but watching you try to mine it for deep meaning is far more amusing than anything I could have written. I wouldn’t normally be a dick about something like that, but Jesus! Even _ **duffer** _ got it! How much clearer could it have been? \*Edison stops hyperventilating, slowly releases Miller’s lapels, casually plucks a bit of dust from one, and carefully backs away. \* Er…yes, well. All right then. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/89 "2006-03-07T19:45:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [And this guy is basically Hitler.](http://www.droxy.com/images/2005/08/richard-simmons.jpg) Hitler-that man is the Antichrist! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/90 "2006-03-07T19:53:13Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Even _ **duffer** _ got it! How much clearer could it have been? Well, there went any illusion I was under that you would be able to set aside whatever hatred you have for me in any thread, ever. Learn something new everyday. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/91 "2006-03-07T19:57:29Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Reason just seems to be ignored in this argument. Absolutely. But among the unreasonable, there’s always one or two that can be swayed. Eventually. 'Til you’re blue in the face. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/92 "2006-03-07T20:14:37Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Well, there went any illusion I was under that you would be able to set aside whatever hatred you have for me in any thread, ever. Learn something new everyday. Sorry, **duffer** , I meant that line to play up to the fact that you and I hardly ever agree on anything, not as a slam against your intelligence. Entirely my bad, your read is much more obvious than the one I’d intended. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/93 "2006-03-07T20:54:38Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Okay, I can see what you mean. > It seems that trying to be down-to-earth about it doesn’t help either, though - I’ve seen too many exchanges in similar threads that go like this: > > \*Poster: "Well, I bike 4 miles every day, am vegetarian and my daily cal intake is only 1800. Yet I can’t lose weight. How is that my fault? \* > > _Response: “You must not be doing it right or you’re lying about something. It’s your own fault that you are fat.”_ (sometimes “fattie” or “lardo” or some other nasty name is thrown in at the end for good measure). > > Reason just seems to be ignored in this argument. Really? I can understand a couple of people saying hey, there must be something you’re not telling us. And online dickheads will be online dickheads, no matter what the topic. But are you saying the majority of responses to this type of post would be nasty and mean spirited? Seems to me if the question was posed in a sincere effort to get answers, the most obvious advice would be to get a complete wellness check; thyroid, whatever. Maybe that’s just me. > [@](#): > > No one gives the fish eye to skinny people who eat nothing but junk food, but if a fat person eats something other than carrot sticks, people are all over it. Rude and uncalled for. Pure hyperbole. Thin people who eat a lot routinely get snide comments “Oh, you’re so lucky” or “Sure wish _I_ could eat like that.” It’s annoying, even if it’s sometimes meant as a compliment. Because the assumption is, I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. Not so at all. A fat person eating something other than a carrot stick isn’t derided and screamed at in public. Otherwise there would be rioting and name calling in the streets 24/7. Silly argument, straw man. **Amazon Floozy Goddess** , that’s awful that you were teased that badly. Kids are nasty when they’re in a pack and pick on kids who are different in all sorts of ways. Crossyed, different color, stuttering, thick glasses, whatever. But I’m not seeing any institutionalised “extreme hatred” against overweight folks. Earlier I mentioned this thread to one of my overweight (by quite a bit) friends, an interesting conversation. She says she doesn’t feel at all discriminated against., BTW. Though she didn’t get overweight until after she had kids and it just kept creeping on. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/94 "2006-03-07T21:07:35Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What I don’t get is why the extreme hate for people who are fat? Who gives a shit? If someone’s fat, and they’re okay with it, why is it anyone’s business? How does it affect me? It doesn’t, so I don’t care. As for their health and looks-well, that’s THEIR problem, not mine. Agreed. Extreme hatred for overweight people would be a psychological problem, or warrant a kick in the head. Or both… One of my best friends (I know, I know, but it is true) is morbidly obese. She is diabetic and will probably go blind within the next few years from some sort of retinopathy caused by diabetes. Her kidneys don’t work very well and her job choices are limited because she can’t stand for long without her legs swelling enormously. She’s barely 50. ☹ I care a great deal because she’s a wonderful and strong woman, I do give a shit. We’ve already agreed that is she ever becomes too sick to care for her two dogs, I will take responsibility for them; one less thing for her to worry about. I HATE that she is so fat. Which is quite different from hating her because she’s fat, you understand. I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![moonstarssun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@moonstarssun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonstarssun)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/95 "2006-03-07T21:31:20Z")
> [@](#): > > A fat person eating something other than a carrot stick isn’t derided and screamed at in public. Otherwise there would be rioting and name calling in the streets 24/7. Silly argument, straw man. No, not in public, but it’s not uncommon behind someone’s back. “Did you see the way he was eating? No wonder he weighs so much.” “She certainly doesn’t need that much ice cream.” Etc. And yes, commenting on what anyone is eating is rude, but this kind of sniping is, IMO, extremely so. And **bonobo\_jones** , I don’t mean not caring about friends/family who are overweight. Obviously it matters. But for complete strangers to judge or criticize someone for being overweight (and yes, it does happen) is inappropriate. ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/96 "2006-03-07T21:47:27Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > But I’m not seeing any institutionalised “extreme hatred” against overweight folks. Maybe you’re living in a place full of fatasses. AFG’s anecdotes certainly applied to me. I was thin, then fat, then thin again. I’d rather die than be fat again and be again subjected to the same ridicule **AmazonFloozyGoddess** is talking about. Sorry. Though nowhere near overweight, I’d still like to get from 120 lbs to 105 lbs again, and I’d been having a hard time doing so (I’m 5’4" with an extremely small frame–120 looks -very- pudgy on me). I’d been struggling with it for some time, till recently I got a boyfriend who loves me for who I truly am. Now it’s no problem to stop eating junk food for my own good, because he has been slowly teaching me to love myself and my body. Think of it this way: let’s say you take a car. If you hate it, it’ll rust and break down in short order; if you love it, it’ll be lovingly detailed, cared for, and last many years looking great. I used to be a self-hater but not anymore… I’m now convinced that self-hatred is the root of why fat people stuff their faces. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/97 "2006-03-07T21:48:20Z")
Everytime someone on the SDMB makes a thread about fat people, God eats a kitten. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/98 "2006-03-07T21:49:31Z")
> [@moonstarssun](#): > > No, not in public, but it’s not uncommon behind someone’s back. “Did you see the way he was eating? No wonder he weighs so much.” “She certainly doesn’t need that much ice cream.” Etc. And yes, commenting on what anyone is eating is rude, but this kind of sniping is, IMO, extremely so. Oh, no doubt. Yeah, I suppose that happens. ☹ Mind you most people make snarky comments behind strangers’ backs…OMG, lookit that _hair_. That sort of thing. However, PSAs encouraging people to lose weight/get healthier (the ones I’ve noticed here in Michigan target parents) seem rather tame compared to some of the anti-smoking campaigns. Who remembers the ones with Brooke Shields squinching up her face in disgust and saying “Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.” Talk about rude!! And that was plastered all over billboards and on TV, not said behind people’s backs. I was a smoker for over two decades; I tell you some of the crap smokers - quite rightly so in many cases - have to put up with can get ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/99 "2006-03-07T21:56:34Z")
> [@dre2xl](#): > > Maybe you’re living in a place full of fatasses. Heh. Will I get in trouble again if I say I live in Michigan? I moved here from Colorado, and there are _noticeably_ more overweight people here. I think it’s one of the top 3 “fattest” states. > [@](#): > > Think of it this way: let’s say you take a car. If you hate it, it’ll rust and break down in short order; if you love it, it’ll be lovingly detailed, cared for, and last many years looking great. I used to be a self-hater but not anymore… I’m now convinced that self-hatred is the root of why fat people stuff their faces. Which could be a vicious circle, no? I’m glad you found a good man, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329/100 "2006-03-07T21:58:39Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What I don’t get is why the extreme hate for people who are fat? Who gives a shit? If someone’s fat, and they’re okay with it, why is it anyone’s business? How does it affect me? It doesn’t, so I don’t care. As for their health and looks-well, that’s THEIR problem, not mine. I don’t have extreme hate for fat people(and I certainly wouldn’t throw rocks at them!), but their weight does indeed affect me. Obese people are hospitalized more often and wounds and pulmonary issues take longer to heal. Guess who has to help them turn, position and pull up in bed? I do–me and my aching back. It can take 6-8 people to move a 400+ pound person in a bed–and that’s in a Big Boy Bed (it’s a brand of bed made for MO people), with all it’s bells and whistles (some of them can turn into a chair-cool!). Hospitals are busy places, staffing is often not the greatest. Caring for the morbidly obese strains the system. They are more likely to get decubiti, aka bed sores–and those are LESS likely to heal quickly or completely. They have skin problems due to their excess weight-cellulitis in the lower extremities; they are at higher risk for blood clots; often they are diabetic and have poor peripheral circulation-which delays healing of sores of any kind. Most likely, too, they are unable to keep themselves clean or even eliminate waste effectively. Residual urine or feces on the skin creates wounds very quickly–woiunds that get infected quickly; it is not uncommon to find raging yeast infections or ringowrm between skin folds upon admission. If they require mechanical ventilation (aka life support or respirator), they take longer to come off it. They have less tolerance for exercise (heart rate) and tend to have enlarged hearts- which causes its own set of problems. Weight impacts every body system–there is no getting away from it. MO people present difficult challenges to health care providers-and I haven’t even touched on the psychological issues: depression, passive/aggressiveness, manipulation of staff, denial. (all of these are often present in pts with normal body weight–I am not saying that these pts have these issues because of their weight-except maybe the depression). It is quite a challenge, on all fronts. We used to see these pts about 3 times a year. There was even a term for them: Pickwickian syndrome. Now we see easily 3-4 per month. Some hospitals are moving toward “no lift” policies–and investing in machines to lift these pts. I hate to say this, but there have been times when a MO pt dies and we don’t have a body bag large enough to put them in. Obesity is a major problem–I deal with its consequences daily. It is not pleasant. Do I think that obese people should be verbally abused? Of course not–what is the point of that? Nasty remarks never made anyone change anything. But I will not collude in denial. I won’t agree with the 427 lb woman who said her weight was “all water, since I was put on steroids.”, for example. I give these pts reality checks–firmly, but kindly. Frankly, I think the psychological issues are so great that no health care provider can have a great impact in the length of one hospital stay. We did have a woman who stayed with us for so long that she ended up losing 100 pounds. Anyway, sorry-wandering OT. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-the-war-on-fat/347329.md?page=6)