# The last remaining acceptable stereotype. . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 21, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363 "2001-02-21T17:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/41 "2001-02-25T04:19:49Z")
What constitutes being fat is a whole 'nother GD. What I’m talking about here is the concept that you can make value judgements on someones character based on whether or not this person is fat and the **acceptance** by the public that it is reasonable to make these character assessments. Let me see if I can make clear what I mean. Who is the glutton? The person who eats an 8 oz piece of cheesecake in one sitting or the person who eats 20 oranges in one sitting? Who is lazy? The accountant who puts in 10 hour days during tax season plus 4 on Saturday or the person who quits that job because it is too much work and it cuts in on his beachtowel lazing time in between his beach volleyball games? What if the cheescake eating accountant weighs 300lbs and the beachbum is a trim 190. Without knowing either of them, if you see the ex-accountant playing volleyball-- What do you think of him? Probably nothing because you don’t know him. But walk in on the 300lb accountant eating a slice of cheesecake. “Geez, what a fat slob.” You think. And maybe even say it to your friend. Your friend may tell you not to be rude, but will think nothing of the judgement you’ve just made about the 300lb accountant. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/42 "2001-02-25T06:33:25Z")
Stoid wrote: > [@](#): > > Think of it this way, how many times do you see the (NEGATIVE, positive and neutral ones exist) stereotypes for other categories of people displayed without apology on television or in the movies? > > Seen any black folks eating watermelon lately? No, but I **do** see a wide array of black folks on TV and in the movies saying, “Yo whussup check it out in da hood!” etc. in the standard rapper accent. It’s a _newer, hipper_ stereotype, but it’s still a stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/43 "2001-02-25T06:58:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Stoid wrote: > > > [@](#): > > > > Think of it this way, how many times do you see the (NEGATIVE, positive and neutral ones exist) stereotypes for other categories of people displayed without apology on television or in the movies? > > > > Seen any black folks eating watermelon lately? > > No, but I **do** see a wide array of black folks on TV and in the movies saying, “Yo whussup check it out in da hood!” etc. in the standard rapper accent. It’s a _newer, hipper_ stereotype, but it’s still a stereotype. \*\* And still, this stereotype is questioned. It is known to be a stereotype. You would never be able to get away with seeing a black person and proclaiming “Look at that black guy over there, I bet he talks that rapper talk.” You would get your head handed back to you for making this assumption. ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/44 "2001-02-25T07:06:23Z")
\*Originally posted by MGibson \* > [@](#): > > Let’s face it. Most fat people would be fat if they ate a bit less and exercised a bit more. > [@](#): > > Well, since most people are fat as a result of their own actions what would you expect? > [@](#): > > I think that’s gluttony not greed. Anyway I suppose fat people do have a weakness. After all being fat is unhealthy and most people consider it to be unattractive. **But I don’t think it is fair to classify them as all being weak willed or lazy** Uhh… maybe my sarcasm meter is busted, but isn’t this line just a wee bit off, considering the previous two quotes? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/45 "2001-02-25T07:32:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Corvus \* > \*\*\*Originally posted by MGibson \* > > > [@](#): > > > > Let’s face it. Most fat people would be fat if they ate a bit less and exercised a bit more. > > > [@](#): > > > > Well, since most people are fat as a result of their own actions what would you expect? > > > [@](#): > > > > I think that’s gluttony not greed. Anyway I suppose fat people do have a weakness. After all being fat is unhealthy and most people consider it to be unattractive. **But I don’t think it is fair to classify them as all being weak willed or lazy** > > Uhh… maybe my sarcasm meter is busted, but isn’t this line just a wee bit off, considering the previous two quotes? > \*\* Most of us aren’t perfect and have some sort of weakness. A fat person might be lazy when it comes to physical activities but quite a hard worker when it comes to something else. I wouldn’t call a fat guy who spends 50 hours at work a week as lazy. Of course I’ve met plenty of skinny computer weenies who are just like that. So if I see a fat person I can’t automatically say that they’re lazy or weak willed. But for the most part I still think they’re fat because they eat to much and don’t exercise enough. Marc ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/46 "2001-02-25T19:07:37Z")
MGibson, you must remember that there is a level of eating below which human psychology puts up **tremendous** resistance. It’s called the Starvation Response. The level of food-deprivation at which the starvation response kicks in varies widely from individual to individual – for some, you can be starving yourself on 500 calories a day and not feel a twinge; for others, dropping any one of their three large meals a day will be enough to kick in an overwhelming desire to raid the 'fridge. And when it does kick in, the starvation response is **enormously** powerful. It is unfair to castigate a person for having insufficient “willpower” to fight off the starvation response. His body thinks it is starving and is literally panicking for its life. His body does not know that he is living in an industrialized nation where food shortages are a thing of the past – he evolved from ancestors living in the wild for millions of years, who could never be sure of their next meal. Being overweight, for these ancestors, was a survival _advantage_, not a liability. The hard part for a fat person trying to lose weight is cutting down their intake by a SMALL enough amount that it doesn’t trigger the starvation response. It is VERY easy to err when attempting this – usually with the dire consequence that the body piles on a few _extra_ pounds when (not if, when) the dieter cannot sustain the restricted diet any longer. On that note, here is [The Cecil Adams Diet](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_313.html). ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/47 "2001-02-25T19:45:40Z")
What I notice is that my local library carries the magazine BBW for Big Beautiful Woman. Fine, but it would be nice if it wasn’t necessary for the magazine to even exist. What about just Beautiful Woman? A magazine where there are ALL sizes of women. Someday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/48 "2001-02-26T04:34:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baloo \* > > [list]Fat people are superior lovers. > _We’re more sensual than you poor, deprived “skinnies”._ > > ~~Baloo \*\* I don’t know how many of you dopers have experienced sensuality with skinny,buff and/or fat people, but I’m going to have to agree with Baloo(and I just love his name). At 5’8 and 202, I am overweight. I am not lazy but I am hedonistic to an extent and as sensual as can be. My best moments have occured with a lover who is as appreciative of tastes and textures as I am, and one who is overweight. A SUPERIOR LOVER TO BE SURE! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/49 "2001-02-26T05:48:31Z")
I wasn’t going to post to this thread but what the hell. Since I stopped playing football in college about 4 years ago I have gained 65 pounds. Since my senior year of high school I have gained about 85 pounds. One thing is undeniable: my self-esteem has rarely been lower than it is right now, and I attribute that to how I feel about how I look. But when I think about it, who ever told me that having “a few extra pounds” was a _bad_ thing? No one. This message was subtly conveyed to me every day of my life, as well as every other American citizen. One the one hand you have (for example) McDonald’s commercials, tempting you with juicy closeups of a fresh Big Mac. Then you have commercials for beer, clothes, cars, what have you, that tell you to “buy this, the women/men will love you if you do!” Things like this are one of the reasons I now read Adbusters magazine religiously. [http://adbusters.org](http://adbusters.org). And I agree. Bigger women _are_ more passionate in the sack, as well as more considerate overall. Not sure why, but it sure doesn’t bother me! Hey **Cyn** , how _you_ doin’? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/50 "2001-02-26T09:16:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aynrandlover \* > \*\*But I have a few extra pounds on me. On the heavy side of pudgy, if you want to be nice about it. Anyway, I am this way because…you guessed it…I am pretty inactive AND I like to eat tasty food, usually lotsa meat. Love meat. Wowza. > > ::shrug:: These sort of posts never help things, but its the truth for me at least. I’m overweight because I’m lazy, and I eat too much. The pop thing doesn’t do much for me, I’m a coffee drinker. But beer, another love of mine, is obviously loaded with calories. > > Mmmm, beeeer… \*\* Take a look at atkins…if you like your meat…worked great for me, once you get into it you can indulge yourself in “a day off” from the program once a week and have your beer, frosted flakes, etc, just be good the rest of the time. people I worked with were blown away by the stuff I ate but they saw the weight loss too. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/51 "2001-02-26T09:26:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cyn \* > My best moments have occured with a lover who is as appreciative of tastes and textures as I am, and one who is overweight. > A SUPERIOR LOVER TO BE SURE! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/52 "2001-02-26T20:19:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\*And I agree. Bigger women _are_ more passionate in the sack, as well as more considerate overall. Not sure why, but it sure doesn’t bother me! > \*\* We are without question better lovers overall than slim women. Particularly very beautiful slim women. As a rule. Why? Because we don’t suffer from the belief that all we have to do is show up. Some may argue that I cannot know this to be true, and perhaps they would be right…I certainly don’t have the lab results to prove it. But I’ve had enough men tell me this that I have come to believe it is so. (Then again, maybe it’s simply me!) stoid ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/53 "2001-02-26T21:22:54Z")
Fat people are slow. :: Ducks and walks away briskly:: ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/54 "2001-02-26T21:37:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anachronism \* > \*\*Fat people are slow. > > :: Ducks and walks away briskly:: \*\* O.K., sometimes the stereotypes are true. ::ambles away, slow and steady:: ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/55 "2001-02-26T22:37:22Z")
OK, this tread is getting to be too much of a love-fest. 🙂 I said: > [@](#): > > So, overweight people who post to this thread, before you fob off explanation for all obesity, or even just yours, on a medical condition, would you care to post your average daily caloric intake, calories in the form of fat, and amount and type of daily exercise you get? to which **Green Bean** , replied: > [@](#): > > I find this statement obnoxious. First of all, I don’t think that most people in this thread are making excuses for being fat. Second, who are you to judge people’s eating and exercise habits? Well, let me give you an example, then. **MGibson** said: > [@](#): > > Let’s face it. Most fat people would be fat if they ate a bit less and exercised a bit more. to which **Biggirl** replied, directly: > [@](#): > > MGibson, here is a statistic for you. 6 to 10 percent of premenopausal women have PCOS. Guess what one of the major symptoms of this syndrom that up 10% of all young women have! Most fat people would still be fat if they just ate a bit less and exercized a little more. Perhaps not as fat, but still fat. This sure sounds like an attempt at an excuse, or at least a justification. Not to mention that not anywhere near most of the women in the six to ten percent **Biggirl** cites actually _do_ gain weight from PCOS. So it’s a bit of a disingenuous defense. I’m sorry you find my statement obnoxious; it remains a fact, though, that lots of overweight people complain about not being able to lose weight. And not all of them have PCOS or another medical condition. Many of them _eat too much and exercise too little_. I was trying to getg a little sampling of people from this thread. That’s all. I know that these “Fat” threads tend to degenerate into name-calling and wildly-flung accusations. I was trying to head that off. Based on the responses I got, obviously it’s not going to work. Being overweight doesn’t seem to be a subject that can be debated from a factual perspective, and emotions get too high. Oh well. **Biggirl** said: > [@](#): > > Do you see the difference between saying someone eats more than they burn and saying that they are lazy and greedy. Do you see that you are making a judgement on a fat person’s character on no evidence at all. Do you know the meaning of the word “stereotype”? Thanks for being pedantic. I know I appreciate it. Did you read what I wrote? Did I say fat people were lazy and greedy? Did I make any judgements about overweight people? I asked for some facts. See the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/56 "2001-02-27T00:17:34Z")
Hello, **Necros**. Why, oh why, do fat people need an excuse to be fat? As if being fat were some sort of crime. As if the fat people posting on this thread need to _explain_ to you why they are fat. Fat people are fat because the consume more calories than they burn. I’ve never said anything different. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > \*\* > This sure sounds like an attempt at an excuse, or at least a justification. Not to mention that not anywhere near most of the women in the six to ten percent **Biggirl** cites actually _do_ gain weight from PCOS. So it’s a bit of a disingenuous defense. \*\* No one who is fat needs an excuse or a justification. PCOS is one _reason_ why some people do not burn all that they consume. Overeating is another. Inactive lifestyle is another. Bad food choices a third. And yes, actual medical conditions are yet other reasons why someone might be fat. And this means what about stereotyping fat people? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > \*\* > Being overweight doesn’t seem to be a subject that can be debated from a factual perspective, and emotions get too high. Oh well. \*\* Being overweight was not the debate on this thread. I’m not quite sure how you would go about debating “being overweight”. The debate I started was how fat people are stereotyped and this stereotyping goes unchallenged. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/57 "2001-02-27T02:13:28Z")
Biggirl wrote: > [@](#): > > Fat people are fat because the consume more calories than they burn. Well, technically, people _gain weight_ when they consume more calories than they burn. As they gain weight, the amount of calories consumed in keeping up the basal metabolism increases. Eventually, they will reach an equilibrium where they are burning just as many calories as they consume. If this equilibrium weight is higher than a certain amount, we say these people are overweight or “fat”. Er, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![BigStar303](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@BigStar303](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigStar303)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/58 "2001-02-27T06:08:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zsofia \* > \*\*What about stereotypes of rural white Southerners? I don’t even own a banjo. And, I’ve got all my teeth. It’s perfectly acceptable and humerous to portray anybody with a Southern accent as an incestuous racist moron. It dosen’t particularly offend me, because few things do, but it hardly seems fair. I suppose we deserve it because our great grandfathers owned slaves, right? Uh-huh. \*\* I was wondering when someone would get around to this! I have no insight on the primary focus of this thread, but Zsofia is 100% right. I know otherwise educated, reasonably sensitive people who would never even THINK of telling a “nigger” joke – but who have no qualms about telling the vilest West Virginia jokes, filled with incest, bestiality and all else. They seem to do this with a particular sense of glee that I find difficult to fathom. I say this, by the way, as a Northern city boy whose only connection to the folks being lampooned is a shared love of classic country music – a subcategory that comes in for plenty of stereotyping as well. ---
**Author:** ![justinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@justinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justinh)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/59 "2001-02-27T15:45:48Z")
this is a long thread so maybe this has been addressed but here goes: why am I not fat? I am towards the skinny side but could lose 15 pounds. But I eat salads, drink water, no hamburgers, use candy/desserts rarely, exercise daily. I honestly believe I would be a fat tub of lard if I didnt fight it everyday. I believe everyone (except the medical condition previously mentioned) is about what they really want. sure I could be 15lbs lighter but I am not willing on going the extra mile to do it. Fat people seem to think they are trapped in that body so just live with it and blame skinny people for laughing at them. fat ugly chicks are more likely to get their head shaved so nobody notices they are fat and ugly. So my conclusion is that most people are about the size they desire. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363/60 "2001-02-27T15:49:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > **…Being overweight doesn’t seem to be a subject that can be debated from a factual perspective, and emotions get too high. Oh well.** Being overweight **is** a very emotional thing for most people, and part of what causes that is the stereotypes that **Biggirl** is talking about. And not only the overweight stereotypes, but the thin ones, too, such as all normal weight people are happy, healthy, romantically involved, successful, etc. (At least, the television and movie people would like us to believe that.) It’s not a big leap to go from that to “Overweight people are unhappy, unhealthy, lonely, and unsuccessful”. As for the other stereotypes that have been discussed, I agree that these stereotypes are also unfair and hurtful. I would submit that the most damaging stereotypes are the overweight ones, because they target a group that are likely to have severe self-esteem issues to start with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-remaining-acceptable-stereotype/55363.md?page=4)