Obesity Discrimination

[spartan231490]

they do, but I don't think it's undeserved. *raises flame shield*

 

[x-machina]

Isn't majority of the population overweight here in North America?

Is it even possible to discriminate against the majority of the population?

 

[Dags90]

Fuck exercise (though that is good). If you really want to lose weight then cut your food intake, I lost 3 and a half stone in about 3/4 of a year just by cutting down on snacks and reducing portions and cutting out fizzy drinks.

I laugh inside whenever I hear a Brit call sodas "fizzy drinks", it's even better than "pop". Thank you for that.

I think they probably do, but I haven't seen any studies showing the real economic impacts of it. I do wonder how much factors secondary to obesity, like self esteem or health, might be a part of it.

 

[mrhappy1489]

I honestly do not care what anyone says, fat people while causing multiple problems for our society (especially Australia and the US), they shouldn't be discriminated against. As much as I hate the amount of money spent upgrading facilities to accommodate fat people, I think discrimination is a step backwards in terms of where the world is going. While this is a self imposed problem and I do not feel sympathy for these people, I don't think going out and abusing them is really the right idea. OT, I do think that a large percentage of people are discriminant against fatty's, but in saying that I can understand where they come from, but would rather they didn't.

 

[mrhappy1489]

Isn't majority of the population overweight here in North America?

Is it even possible to discriminate against the majority of the population?

Study a bit of IR (International Relations), you'll understand that it is more than possible to discriminate against a majority population.

 

[nitetrain8]

As a fat person in the process of losing weight (start 225, down to 190 in 6 months atm @ 5'11), I no longer have sympathy for fat people. Losing weight is incredibly easy. My weight loss isn't even significant compared to what some people are able to accomplish, but its been easy as hell. A bit of research to understand how food works, a few hours of designing a diet, and poof! Magic? No, common sense.

I've talked to some people and they mention they could never diet because they couldn't give up the sweets. In my opinion, if you don't have the willpower to give up a bit of sugar to lose weight, then you don't really care about losing weight, and you don't deserve to lose it.

 

[JEBWrench]

It's perfectly okay to discriminate against fat people such as myself. It's my fault.

I accept being judged for my own actions.

 

[him over there]

I honestly do not care what anyone says, fat people while causing multiple problems for our society (especially Australia and the US), they shouldn't be discriminated against. As much as I hate the amount of money spent upgrading facilities to accommodate fat people, I think discrimination is a step backwards in terms of where the world is going. While this is a self imposed problem and I do not feel sympathy for these people, I don't think going out and abusing them is really the right idea. OT, I do think that a large percentage of people are discriminant against fatty's, but in saying that I can understand where they come from, but would rather they didn't.

So you agree that you can still discriminate against something that isn't absolutely innate or concrete about you (which I agree with by the way)? I totally understand where you're coming from and I don't understand how people simply say that the problem being self inflicted makes it okay to abuse people. It's like saying that I accidentally cut my hand off because I got distracted and it's okay to mock and verbally harass me for it because I wasn't paying attention. Or like how people say it isn't discrimination regarding religion because you can pick it. Yeah it isn't like it's a heavily culture based belief system that influences many aspects of your life, if people hassle you for it just change it! I know I'm kind of stretching and obesity can be countered with simple willpower and education but many people simply don't have that. This is met with "you're not motivated, that's your problem get motivated" but it isn't like you can just get willpower or motivation out of thin air, that's a whole new problem all together. For many people "excuses" is actually is actually a vicious cycle that they need support, not stigma to break.

Whatever I'm rambling.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Yeah, people love to hate fat people, but I swear it's not as much as fat people love to hate fat people. It's like if a skinny person makes a fat joke, a fat person will get offended because they didn't make it fast enough themselves. And this is coming from a thin guy with very low self esteem. I used to think the anti-fat thing was overblown, but fat people happen to get (privately) made fun of the most at my workplace and I think it's because I work with a couple fitness-obsessed individuals. They actually get mad because fat people aren't trying to work out. I don't understand it. I really don't like to hear fat people constantly make excuses for their weight, especially when no one asked. That does get annoying.

Personally, I don't think I've ever specifically disliked someone because they were fat. I've avoided smelly people (which can be related), but having worked with more fat people, I've learned that they don't necessarily have to be stinky if they don't want to be. Also with the exception of one other person, by entire extended family is fairly rotund, so I'd say obesity is likely in my future.

 

[Byzantinium]

If being a land whale was solely or even mostly caused by genetics, land whales would be evenly spread across the entire population of the Earth.

They aren't.

Discriminate away. And I say this as a fatty who's dropped two jean sizes because I stopped shoveling food into my piehole.

 

[Byzantinium]

Edit: Double.

 

[Farseer Lolotea]

I know of at least two families that can eat like pigs, smoke and don't exercise, but everyone is slim as hell.

If Bell's Curve is real (and usually is), the opposite is true for people with stunted or extremely slow metabolism that require few times more exercise to even stay at same weight, much less lose it.

Fun fact: You know the typical weight-loss regimen? If someone within the socially-acceptable weight limits adopts such habits, that's usually considered symptomatic of body dysphoria, an eating disorder, or both.

Know what I'm saying?

 

[tobi the good boy]

Honestly, people should discriminate against fat people. I used to be really fat, and I did something about it,and I should keep going, so I don't die when I'm 40. If there wasn't any stigma, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

I would rather be picked on than dead, or immobile.

See that doesn't really work, I used to frequent my local gym (Exams stopping me right now I'll be back in once they're over) and often I would see large people come in and try to get their act together but they would have to deal with so many snide remarks from meat heads and (for the lack of a better term) Bitches that they end up leaving because the environment was so hostile. Heck I used to think they just left because they gave up putting in the work but I've seen fully grown men in tears because of the shit they have to put up with.

 

[TheSuperiorXemnas]

Save the whales, harpoon a fat chick

[sub]Can't remember where I heard that line but it's freakin' terrible [/sub]

Being fat is associated with greed and/or a lack of self control/discipline.

Besides, there's a difference between being a bit chubby, and being obese.

Hey! It can also mean just a Love for extremely tasty Foods (Oh, Sea-Salt Ice Cream, How I love thee)

 

[Farseer Lolotea]

See that doesn't really work, I used to frequent my local gym (Exams stopping me right now I'll be back in once they're over) and often I would see large people come in and try to get their act together but they would have to deal with so many snide remarks from meat heads and (for the lack of a better term) Bitches that they end up leaving because the environment was so hostile. Heck I used to think they just left because they gave up putting in the work but I've seen fully grown men in tears because of the shit they have to put up with.

Ten to one someone's going to use this as "proof" of weak will on their part. Because, clearly, if you don't want to keep walking into a hostile environment, you're a wimp.

I despair of humanity at times.

 

[WolfThomas]

Now, and this is partially my fault, but you, and almost everyone on the planet thinks "obese" = 'morbidly obese." This is not the case however. Obese is just the technical term for someone who is overweight. It is based on the BMI (Body Mass Index) which is based on height and age range. Interestingly enough, based on BMI (which is the standard, at least in the US) most professional athletes are obese.

These days the move in medicine is use "waist circumference" rather than BMI, because of how it can vary quite easily. Though extreme BMI results are still useful with people severely over/underweight. There was a patient at my hospital with a BMI of 75. Most people don't weigh 75 in kilos.

 

[shedra]

Being fat is not a lifestyle.
It's not a creed or a belief or a race or ethnicity.
It's just unhealthy.
Stop saying that it's okay.
It's not.
It's a serious problem.

That is not to say however, that fat people are amoral. THAT ISN'T THE PROBLEM.
The problem is that poverty systemically makes people fat.
I'm not saying we should kick the shit outta fat kids, but we sure as hell shouldn't pretend that there isn't anything wrong.

It's not discriminatory to say that I don't want people to be obese.

 

[Belaam]

Overweight = 25 - 29 BMI
Obese = 30+ BMI

Obesity is definitely a problem. Health, safetly, and concern for others.

If I am on an airplane next to an obese person, I want to have them pay for a second seat rather than make my flight miserable by spilling into my side.

If I live in a country with national health care, I want obese people to exercise more. I'd also support putting higher taxes on unhealthy foods (just as many countries put higher taxes on cigarettes).

I am currently overweight, but have often slipped over into obese. At which point I take up exercising again and try to slim down. It makes me more efficient at both work and play, and increases the odds that I will see what kinds of people my daughters become when they grow up by lowering my odds of death by all sorts of things whose odds of killing me greatly go up if I am obese.

All that said, if someone really enjoys being obese, and it doesn't affect me directly (i.e. squeezed into 1/3 of the seat I paid for) or indirectly (i.e. my taxes paying for all the additional treatments you need due to your poor health), than sure, go for it. You are likewise just as free to be a smoker, furry, or twihard. My disgust for your habit doesn't mean you can't do it. Just that I shouldn't have to pay for it.

 

[Blazing Steel]

Fat/Chuby is fine, but obese people deserve what they're getting. If the obese person can act like a human being then I don't have much of a problem with them, but if they've eaten themselfs into a mobility scooter, then I see no problem with having a go at them. No it's not descrimination because it's justified.

(*If it is caused by a medical problem etc. then it's a different story.)

 

[zefiris]

Discrimination against those who choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle is totally fine.

No, it's not.

Obesity is usually not the result of a conscious choice. It's a result of
-being poor and only having access to shit food. LIVING in a poor area means your food selection is already restricted because shops stock shittier food. This is actually true: Shops in poor districts carry less healthy food, less vegetables, more instant shit
-being poor and thus in a situation that leads to long working hours and very little time to prepare healthy food
-being sick mentally, for example due to depression (which, if you know anything, is indeed a real affliction of the mind)
-being sick physically, as there are multiple afflictions and diseases that will make you fat
-being a woman, because "obese" as a woman is defined as "any body shape that isn't anorexic"
-being born fat, because your metabolism works that way

Yes, someone that consciously eats shit food has little excuse, but...that's not why most people are obese. Statistically, the "lazy person that just eats lot" is rare among fat people. Most have health or money reasons for it.


Sorry that I brought reality and facts into it.


Yes, if you are a decent person, you don't mock overweigth people - you likely are bashing someone that *is not at fault*. IN the case of a depressed person, you and scum like you are likely the reason the person is fat in the first place. So good work making things more expensive for all of us.

Hey, I'm skinny, but I wouldn't randomly bash overweigth people. Why? Because I'm not scum. Being scum is a choice. Make sure not to make it.

Being fat is not a lifestyle.
It's not a creed or a belief or a race or ethnicity.
It's just unhealthy.
Stop saying that it's okay.
It's not.
It's a serious problem.

Nah. You and your lack of education are a serious problem. THAT is a choice: You can choose to stop being ignorant.

Of course, people like you, as you show here, love wallowing in their ignorance like a pig wallows in mud.