I don’t think that noticing peoples weight is necessarily a defense mechanism or nefarious. It seems to me that a lot of people will tend to be more aware of issues that others face when they’re facing them themselves. If someone has some social anxiety, they’re probably more likely to notice someone not fitting in. If someone is fashion conscious, they’re more likely to notice some kind of faux pas. Or, in this case, I think if someone is overweight and struggling with it, they’re going to be more aware of others that are too.
Speaking for myself, I’m in good shape, and I pretty much never really notice that people are overweight or not, or if they’ve gained or lost weight, unless it’s a significant amount. OTOH, I have at times struggled with depression and anxiety, and I’m generally acutely aware when others are feeling that way and often other people are oblivious to it. Really, other people are mirrors of our our own insecurities.
Very good point. We spend our lives being compared and ranked constantly and it can get overwhelming at times as there is always some better or worse off than one is
Politics is a distant thing that oftentimes has little or no personal impact on people’s lives. What you’re eating is literally right in front of you and has a huge personal impact. Not surprising that many people choose to talk about the latter.