You wouldn’t want God to take a bite out of that, would you? Think of the burden our health care would be put under from God being afflicted by the inevitable diabetes! Then lamenting how he can’t eat kittens anymore.
Hmmm…we don’t need to openly ridicule or abuse self-righteous sanctimonious dickheads…but we do need to let them know that they are full of shit.
–James
Call me names all you want. I’m still right. Or feel free to show me the error of my ways, I’m all ears.
We don’t need to openly ridicule or abuse ear people, because even if we say it in secret, they’ll still hear us!
Why isn’t it socially acceptable? I’m not sure anyone’s opinion can be “right” or “wrong” on that. I could say it’s great that there are contracts for new building in planes and theaters, and a market for a variety of foodstuffs. Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a land of plenty where people can afford to get fat? And if people like you didn’t bray about the unacceptableness of being overweight, maybe people would stop talking incessantly about wanting to lose weight.
You are joking, right? Is this a whoosh?
Fat isn’t and shouldn’t be socially unacceptable, and isn’t considered attractive (by the vast majority) because it’s friggen’ unhealthy. It’s a way of telling people they should be listening to their bodies. Heart disease. Diabetes. Sleep disorders. Strokes. Guess what those all have in common?
Great that we live in a society where we have enough to eat? Yep. Other societies do as well, and they’ve so far managed to avoid making gluttonous pigs of themselves. In fact, it simply isn’t the fault of ‘our society’. To wit: I have a large contingent of friends from overseas - mostly Japan, and Hong Kong. Most of them have been in the US for anywhere between 5 and 15 years. They have the same food/drink choices we do (actually, the people from Japan easily drink way more alcohol). And no one would consider any of them even remotely close to obese. *Maybe * 1 in 20 could be considered to be ‘overweight’, but we’re still talking 10lbs, max. When they say they’ve gained weight being here in the US, they are talking 3-5lbs. Heck, that probably is the US society at work - more driving/less walking vs back home, plus the obscene portions of food everywhere you go.
The point is, it’s personal choices that people are making. You have to work at it to get that fat. I mean, you would have to be a lazy mofo to get 50lbs overweight. The body just isn’t made to get that fat that easily.
People complain about people ‘picking on’ fat people, but - as this thread shows - fat people also have a large support group telling them that they should be happy as they are, ignore the meanies, have another cupcake because you’re great just the way you are, etc etc. These enablers are just slowly killing their fat friends instead of helping them get healthy.
People will no doubt stop braying about people needing to lose weight when our schools are no longer rolling masses of obesity.
It’s such a nice post, I think I’ll use it again here…
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7194998&postcount=107
They happen to people who are all different shapes and sizes?
I’m a fat person, and the War on Fat doesn’t bother me. Nor do judgmental people. I notice others’ disdain, and yes, it has been exacerbated in the last few years greatly. It’s decidedly inconvenient to have one’s faults exposed and plain to see for everyone. I think I’d have a much easier time picking up women if I looked like Ted Bundy. So that’s difficult, yes, and the cultural obsession with being as skinny as possible doesn’t help my attitude about it.
But in the end, my condition is largely the result of the choices I’ve made, and continue to make, throughout my life. And the more time goes by, the harder it is to reverse that effect. For that reason, I’m very tolerant of the current media campaign. I grew up at a time when smoking was being reviled in the media, and largely because of the pounding into my brain about how destructive it is, I never smoked. If the current climate has a similar affect on young people, it’s to the benefit of society.
If for no other reason, it’s nice that we finally have some cultural awareness about what we eat, how we approach eating, and what it’s doing to us. Particularly the idea that what makes financial sense doesn’t always make health sense. I bet within ten years, McDonald’s will be, in the minds of many, the equivalent of a giant cigarette dispenser on every corner.
When I grew up, fat was the problem. Five years ago, fat became the saviour and carbs became the villain. Now we have formulas to tell us what percentage of “evil” foods we’re allowed to eat. But I’ve seen the enemy, and it is us: the ideas of balance and moderation have been swallowed up completely in our modern-day world. To say nothing of the value of exercise. Exercise used to be a part of life; now it’s something you have to do for its own sake.
I do have some problems, though, with the current climate. First off, BMI is totally fucked. I am morbidly obese if you look at my BMI, but I just went hiking nine miles the other day. I’m not saying I’m in great shape, mind you, but it’s not like my fat folds into the next airplane seat or I can’t lift myself out of bed, which is our picture of morbidly obese.
But generally, I think it’s good that we’re making a stink about it. Trust me: you don’t want to be 30 and be trying to find the inner resolve to turn your entire lifestyle around. It’s not easy, but then perhaps nothing worthwhile ever is, except maybe falling in love.
If there is such a group promoting such a message, you are correct about them. But I think largely it’s a complete misinterpretation. The idea isn’t to be happy with one’s obese condition; the idea is to accept the fact of it and not confuse it with the idea of valuing oneself. You can’t change something when you haven’t accepted the truth of it in the first place. Furthermore, if you connect that condition with your own sense of self-worth, you’re swimming against an impossible tide.
The trap obese people fall into is thinking that once they’re skinny, then they will be a “whole” or “real” person worthy of their own acceptance. As if enough weren’t riding on the effort to lose weight. Being fat doesn’t make you inhuman; you’re still a human, you just need to lose the fat.
Except some people don’t allow themselves to be influenced by the media. A ton of people still smoke, despite overwhelming opposition and a ton of people are still going to weight that much, despite what the media says and does.
You can tell fat people whatever you want, you can’t make them do anything. They already know the pitfalls of being obese. They don’t need to be reminded.
[quote]
These enablers are just slowly killing their fat friends instead of helping them get healthy.
[/quote}
I have no use for the “help” of most people. Quite honestly, I see most “help” as nothing more than an opportunity to be a dick to someone who has qualities that you don’t like. If I need “help”, I’ll ask for it.
The “meanies” mean nothing to me. Their feelings are irrelevant. So, of course I’m going to ignore them(or at least get over it). I’m not going to lose weight because people might be “mean” to me(and oddly enough, I seldom have a problem with that). That’s just pathetic and a sign of being easily molded.
If someone actually IS happy being obese, then why even bother trying to take that from them? What to do with their weight is their own choice and no one should have a say in it.
Am I proud of being a fattie? Not really. I certainly don’t recommend it. Food/soda is my biggest weakness. I can’t argue with that and it obviously has consequences. Am I happy DESPITE being overweight? Yes. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m happier than most people. That’s probably why most people’s lectures tend to go ingored or faught against. I just don’t like people who think they can tell me what to do and I don’t need to be reminded of what obesity does to both those who are that way and those around them.
I just generally agree with Carlos Mencea, “If you’re fat, then you have two choices. Either be happy or lose the fucking weight.” I’m the former. The latter is pretty mucn inevitable since I admit that I do get concerned about what might happen, but for now, I’m going to go stuff my face. I know people will be disgusted by that, but not even family has been enough of an influence for me to really lose the weight, so no one else stands a chance in convincing me.
Yea, that’s pretty much the gist of it. When you insult a fat person, lecture them, critisize them, etc, they might be hurt/irritated/defensive in the short term, but they get over it, and possibly the people who do critisize, in the long term.
Yes, I do happen to agree that being obese is a real problem(I said it in the first page), but I highly doubt it’ll be solved by treating them as though they were less than human or things to be lectured to. If they’re going to lose weight, they’ll make the decision on their own. The thing is, it certainly needs to be an informed one and I think lack of knowledge is a problem too, oddly enough. Like, how everything needs to be considered, rather than just fat or carbs. Or what to trust in a Supermarket or which ones have the “better foods”.
For some people, weight loss is like going through a maze. Still, it’s only a matter of time before most fatties decide to go through it, myself included.
You don’t get it, do you? First, the “I’m fat and who cares, I’ll stay fat, eat whatever I want, and I’ll delude myself into thinking that’s healthy” support group is a tiny minority, and I haven’t seen it in this board.
There’s a huge, huge difference between saying, “I love my car’s rust, so I’ll make sure it rusts even more” and “I love my car, so I’ll take care of it.” Fat people do not have a problem with loving themselves too much–every single fat person I have met hates him/herself, not just his/her body–all of him/herself as a whole.
Fat people NEED love, encouragement, and support in order to be able to take care of themselves. As-is, they tuck away the extra cupcake because they’ve given up on themselves and hate themselves–they don’t care that the cupcake’s killing themselves. And here you are… telling them they’re worthless sacks of shit. If they’re not deserving of basic decency, then why should they bother?
Almost anyone can become more active and more fit.
I think a much better approach to improving the quality of your life is to seek to be more fit, irregardless of what your weight happens to be at the time.
Adding fitness is positive; it assumes you are already of some value and it adds to your worth.
Seeking to lose weight is a negative; it starts with the assumption that in your current state you have no value and you have to lose to have any value as a person at all.
Adding fitness is an attainable goal; no matter what your condition, you can always work towards being a bit more fit. If you’re ready for big steps, you can take them; if you’re more at the stage of small steps, you can still take them.
On the other hand, millions of people a year find that for them, for whatever reason, losing weight isn’t an attainable goal.
If the real issue is health and quality of life, adding fitness makes a lot of sense.
However, if the real issue is simply the desire that everyone fall within a certain range of appearances, and anyone outside that range isn’t “socially acceptable,” then you find it fits the current focus on losing weight, irregardless of what additional damage it may do to a person’s health or quality of life.
I have psoriasis and have had it for years. I’ve had the experience of essentially being shunned because no one wants to stand next to the guy who has red lesions all over him. I’ve even had mothers tell their children not to tell me hello in the grocery store. So I’ve experienced being “socially unacceptable” a couple of different ways.
Maybe we should just take all the “socially unacceptable” people, and cart them off to their own communities, so that decent, pretty people don’t have to look at them?
Let me tell you something, hotshot. Many people have made many assumptions about me in this thread.
They are all wrong.
I’m 40. I’m happily married to a wonderful woman. I’m an engineer, working for one of the best I.T. shops in the country. And I’m a musician. I routinely play in front of the crowds, and you know what? After the first note fades away into the air, they don’t see me as fat, and they don’t care if I have a red splotch or two on my face. I once stopped an entire ritzy restaurant in its tracks–even the people in the kitchens didn’t move or even breathe loudly while I played.
So you think because I’m fat I’m not “socially acceptable?”
Do have any idea how MUCH of my fat white ass you can kiss???
I don’t need your permission to exist, fella. Bites, don’t it?
–James
That isn’t completely correct. Most other wealthy western nations have the same problems with obesity that the US has. It just started about 5 to 10 years later in other countries.
That’s not quite correct. These illnesses occur more in frequently in people who are overweight.
I actually became a member just so I could reply to this. You should feel honored 
Oh come one, that’s simply not true at all. Regardless of my weight or level of fitness I’m always trying to improve. As a famous tennis player once said, it’s not the destination it’s the journey. As I’ve gotten older the goals change a little, but it’s not like the entire process is based ona negative assumption of being worthless.
And that’s true regardless of where you’re starting out. I would think trying to lose weight is an incredibly positive thing regardless of your weight - as you say. It’s much more of a necessity when you’re obese, but since when is starting on a path of self improvement negative?
Your back ever hurt from carrying around that big 'ol chip on your shoulder?
Did I or anyone on this board say that? Nope. It’s not ‘you’re not acceptable because you’re fat’, it’s 'the fact you’re fat is not acceptable if it is in your power to change it. You say you’re happy. Stellar. So am I, in fact. You no doubt have great qualities. If you’re fat, self-control around food and/or the will to exercise obviously aren’t among them. Your being a great musician (I am too, btw, although not professionally) has squat to do with the way you’re treating your body.
This is the same trap that so many others fall into. ‘Yeah, I’m fat, but I’m also XXX and YYY and people love me, so kiss my fat ass’. DON’T USE YOUR OTHER GREAT QUALITIES AS A FUCKING CRUTCH.
In the interests of full disclosure, the ‘I am too’ part only applies to the ‘musician’ part, not the preceeding adjective…
Heart problems happen to people with all kinds of different hobbies, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go snort cocaine every day.
FWIW, there’s a club on my college campus called the Size Acceptance Club, which is jam packed with morbidly obese people–on the take-up-two-seats scale–and its plentiful advertisements around campus are all about accepting your size and eating more cupcakes. These support groups do exist as DragonAsh mentioned, they’re plentiful enough AFAICT, and I agree with him in that they’re inherently destructive.
Regardless. Sorry, but this is important for that whole respect thing.
I don’t know much about other wealthy Western nations, as I haven’t been to any of them. But I spent a week and a half in Israel, went all over the country and between the non-Arabic Jews–who are all drafted into the military at the age of 18–and the Arabs–who have no required military service–I can’t recall finding a single overweight person, not a one.
I was referring more of the UK, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. These countries have similar cultures to the US and similar social problems to the US.
Here are some interesting links on obesity in other western countries:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1170787.stm
http://www.asso.org.au/profiles/general/faq/prevalence