Nintendo Apologizes to Fat Kids

[richasr]

Stupid people, what did they expect to be called? "Unfairly-Above-Average"?

Considering the game is called WiiFit, how about, um, 'not fit'? Call me a crazy inventive genius of a wordsmith, but, I see a slight connection there between a game called WiiFit and starting out with it calling you 'not fit'.

Heh, it could even go 'WiiFit--ThiiUnFit: Wii will help Thii get Fit!'

Haha forgot about that part of your post, just pointing out that people can't expect something like Wii-Fit to go out of its way to make sure it doesn't insult you, meaning the fact it calls you overweight cannot be implemented for fear of insulting people, how silly.

I like your suggestion there though.

I edited it after the fact--I think we crossed in the postings. Like I said in another response, isn't something like WiiFit *precisely* where we should expect people to go out of their way to avoid offending fat people?

That's a good point, though an application that assesses someone's BMI, gives exercise methods and is called Wii-Fit would have to cross that line at some-point, and it's not even saying "you fat fuck, play some more" it's merely stating the user is over-weight, and if they cannot admit that to themselves there is something wrong there.

Anyway it's a fine line so it can be hazy.

 

[richasr]

Hmm... I have some stuff to say, but I don't really want to get into a debate with Cheeze. Only sorrow and defeat lies down that road...

I may have possibly made a grave mistake then...

 

[A Username Not In Use]

There's nothing contradictory about insulting a person for being bigoted,

yes there is, because then you're being a bigot yourself, just because they are doing it doesn't give you the justification to do it.

How does insulting bigots make one a bigot?

The same way that killing a killer makes one a murderer, who gives you the right to carry out such acts?

 

[Frosk]

What exactly were you saying then? I must have misunderstood your post.

Earlier in the thread someone used an example of racism being like iunsulting some for their weight.

Racism is completely different because it is something that the offended party can't be changed. But, something like weight or hair (per my example) can be changed. I never said that insulting someone because of these was okay. I just offered a better example to relate to the weight issue than racism.

I believe 'User name not in use' asked for a better example than racism.

 

[richasr]

That's a good point, though an application that assesses someone's BMI, gives exercise methods and is called Wii-Fit would have to cross that line at some-point, and it's not even saying "you fat fuck, play some more" it's merely stating the user is over-weight, and if they cannot admit that to themselves there is something wrong there.

Anyway it's a fine line so it can be hazy.

Why do they need to admit anything to themselves? It's not like exercise doesn't get rid of fat unless you have admitted that you're fat, like some religious dogma where good works alone won't get you into heaven unless you've accepted that you're a sinner.

If someone has already gotten themselves up on the exercise equipment, *why* do we need them to "admit" anything? The only reason to get people to "admit" they're fat is to get them to exercise--if they're about to exercise...see my point?

Of course no one has to admit to themselves they are overweight, the point is, they have bought the game, set it up, stepped on the pad and have suddenly been called fat and if we are to believe what some people say, have gotten upset and/or angry, now that's bordering on stupidity if you clearly are a 'portly' gentleman. It's almost like calling a man dressed head to toe in Manchester United's kit and colours while on his way to Old Trafford amongst a large group of similarly dressed people a 'United fan' and him taking offense and denying it to his grave.

 

[richasr]

Damn stupid DNS errors, can someone please delete this post? I apologise.

 

[GenericWit]

Though... I don't know what kind of kids are into playing Wii for exercise when they could be outside... you know... running around. Not that I'm implying anything here (cough cough).

The kind of kids that are conditioned to play video games and not to run around outside. Which...makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? If they were the kind of kid to run around outside, well, they wouldn't need WiiFit in the first place, right?

Conditioned to play video games? Does that entail long hours of weightlifting with a weighted down controller?

I was speaking of 'conditioned' as being 'psychologically conditioned in the sense of being more likely to engage in the activity' not 'physically conditioned to engage in the activity without becoming rapidly fatigued'.

Then your original reply doesn't really fit with mine because I was talking about physical exercise, not being psychologically conditioned. I haven't heard of people losing weight just by being ready to.

 

[Methonias]

I think it was wrong to laugh, but people really do complain and nitpick over every little thing now a days...

Dont worry, I laughed too.
Oh, and someone who is "devastated" from being called fat by a game is clearly insecure.

Insecure. You clearly are one of those little shits that dispences the insults but have never been on the reciving end. For eleven years at school I was insulted primerally for my weight which got worse as I would eat for comfort, which meant I got bigger and th insults became more frequent, not just from students, but some of my teachers and even total strangers in the street. I'm twenty six now and I am only just starting to come to terms which what I went through during that time, and thanks to coucilling sessions and some pill enduced happiness I have stopped comfort eating, and as a result my weight is dropping rapidly, but I am shocked at just how badly damaged I became emotionally, and physically, because of my "insecurity".

The problem is you people don't think about how much damage name calling can do to a person and the fact some of you found this funny fills me with discust.

Too bad your sense of humor isn't as big as your ass!

 

[A Username Not In Use]

I think it was wrong to laugh, but people really do complain and nitpick over every little thing now a days...

Dont worry, I laughed too.
Oh, and someone who is "devastated" from being called fat by a game is clearly insecure.

Insecure. You clearly are one of those little shits that dispences the insults but have never been on the reciving end. For eleven years at school I was insulted primerally for my weight which got worse as I would eat for comfort, which meant I got bigger and th insults became more frequent, not just from students, but some of my teachers and even total strangers in the street. I'm twenty six now and I am only just starting to come to terms which what I went through during that time, and thanks to coucilling sessions and some pill enduced happiness I have stopped comfort eating, and as a result my weight is dropping rapidly, but I am shocked at just how badly damaged I became emotionally, and physically, because of my "insecurity".

The problem is you people don't think about how much damage name calling can do to a person and the fact some of you found this funny fills me with discust.

Too bad your sense of humor isn't as big as your ass!

Hardly original, and I have a very good sence of humour, but it may be a bit too advanced for you as its not centred on taking cheap shots at other peoples expence.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

The moral of this story...

If you want to keep fit, keep your own regiment and goals... don't rely on a computer program to do it for you.

 

[Kikosemmek]

Insecure. You clearly are one of those little shits that dispences the insults but have never been on the reciving end. For eleven years at school I was insulted primerally for my weight which got worse as I would eat for comfort, which meant I got bigger and th insults became more frequent, not just from students, but some of my teachers and even total strangers in the street. I'm twenty six now and I am only just starting to come to terms which what I went through during that time, and thanks to coucilling sessions and some pill enduced happiness I have stopped comfort eating, and as a result my weight is dropping rapidly, but I am shocked at just how badly damaged I became emotionally, and physically, because of my "insecurity".

The problem is you people don't think about how much damage name calling can do to a person and the fact some of you found this funny fills me with discust.

I am overweight. I'm only too quick to admit that. I actually don't call myself 'overweight.' I call myself 'fat' because the latter is a somewhat harsher word to use to describe a person who weighs more than they should or want to. You and I are (or maybe were, in your case) fat, and the first person to take offense to this is not going to get a consolation hug from me.

I was always fat, and you can bet your ass I was teased and bullied about that at school, by relatives, and by friends, at times. Did it sting and hurt? At first, sure. It taught me a more valuable lesson, though, that self-esteem has the word 'self' in it. I stopped allowing myself to be hurt by petty insults or pokes because they don't matter. What matters is that in the end I value myself and love myself.

I never took pills or took a counseling session to get thin. I work out and I eat well in order to get thin, and I do so at a slow, personally comfortable pace because it is of my own accord.

The point I'm dancing around is that if someone has offended you, it is because you _let_ them offend you. No one forces you to value what they say or take them seriously. You choose to, and whether or not you do so consciously is irrelevant to this point. I must say that what you've experienced sounds harsher than what I went through, but I can assure you that for other reasons I received further abuse, and was at one point at the cusp of suicide due to the way other people 'made me' feel. Obviously and victoriously I survived, however, and the lesson I learned is that what I survived wasn't the insults and the abuse, but my hatred of myself. I learned that by hitting back and blaming others I am only weakening myself by not taking responsibility for my self-esteem. If my love of myself depends on others' love of myself, then I will forever be dependent on others to be happy. This hardly seems like a good life to lead.

As long as you keep calling those people 'little shits' and letting yourself be offended, you will never have any power, and I can bet that you will understand this many times in the future as you let yourself be offended over and over again. You will be a reactionary, and your behavior will be dominated by the way others treat you. Your emotional health will be damaged and you will never heal unless you learn how to take the sharpest insult without missing a beat.

---

And about those families, my point applies to them that if they're so offended by a video game, they should merely stop playing it, and the children, given their youth and emotional vulnerability, should be taught how to dismiss such verbal offenses. I'm not criticizing their being hurt- no one is invulnerable. I'm criticizing their choice to complain instead of act on their own. If someone uses the 'but they're just little kids' argument, I will respond that we are all little kids as long as we let others have that kind of power over us. Maturity comes with valuing oneself and one's life independently.

If those kids were crying, it's not Nintendo's fault, because there will always come a time when someone will say something that will anger or hurt you. The sooner you learn to deal with it and take responsibility for your emotional reactions the better off you will be.

Those families and anyone who complains about this type of bullshit is a pathetic maggot. If I have offended you by this then I am genuinely sorry, but I cannot apologize.