Why it is acceptable to criticize smokers, but not fat people?

[Soluncreed]

It usually takes longer for someone to stop being fat than to stop smoking. Also, smoke stinks. The most a fat person could inconvenience another is by taking up extra space or food.

The idea that smoke stinks is relative. Personally, I love the smell. I also think that smokers look really cool while smoking, despite the health risks.

OT: Personally, my main issue with fat people is that, based on what I've seen, they make a minimal effort to stop being fat. I only know one person who has done this. My friend dropped over 40 pounds in order to get down to a far healthier range. Having a little fat is fine, the people who have a noticable amount are the ones I have and issue with.

 

[NightHawk21]

I'll admit I didn't read the entire OP I just skimmed, but since when are fat people not being made fun of? Yes, its not done in the same way it is with smokers (ie. the anti-smoking ads, which in retrospect I haven't seen much of recently anyways), but there are countless ads saying how children are overweight and need to get exercise. Shit everyday on the bus I take to my university there are 1-3 ads about childhood obesity.

 

[LiliumSnow]

. . . wait, we don't criticize fat people? When did we stop doing that?

 

[ChaosReaver]

It's not acceptable to criticize anyone. It's there life, keep your nose out of it.

Also, in case you haven't noticed, fat people do get criticized/insulted a lot. In movies, games, tv shows, etc. People develop eating disorders, because we've put so much of a negative emphasis on being overweight or appearing to be overweight. Fat people are people, and how they live their life is non of you thrice accursed business.

 

[legendp]

I find it a little sad how there can be so many fat people in one area and yet starvation in another (although I am a bit of a hippocrit, I am NOT fat but I have not recently done much to help out). In terms of criticism, I do not think it is ever necessary to criticize people like that, perhaps encouraging someone to stop smoking or get fit (simply rewording the sentence and saying it in a kinder tone can pretty much do this and is usually more effective in my opinion)

 

[NightHawk21]

I'm a poor college student with too much homework and a slow metabolism.

Healthy food is more than twice as expensive as trashy food. I can't afford to go to a gym, nor do I have four hours a week to go. I'm gaining weight because all my exercise comes from running between classes.

What do, OP? What do?

I doubt that bro. I'm a little overweight, but I know damn well that if I took some of the time I use to play videogames or screw around on the internet I could get into relatively fit state, and I'm in one of the most work-intensive programs in my university. Also buying your own food and making it by hand is less expensive than eating fast food (especially if your buying stuff at campus restaurants), its just more time consuming. Also any decent sized post secondary school has a gym open to its students for a very low fee.

Basically, what I'm getting at is I'm not going to preach to you to lose weight (shit its not like what I say is actually going to change your mind anyway), but don't make up excuses for your weight gain; you're just lieing to and hurting yourself.

 

[legendp]

I'm a poor college student with too much homework and a slow metabolism.

Healthy food is more than twice as expensive as trashy food. I can't afford to go to a gym, nor do I have four hours a week to go. I'm gaining weight because all my exercise comes from running between classes.

What do, OP? What do?

Admitedly I do not know you, or the reasons you are overweight. I do not want to sound rude in any way but couldn't you just eat less? (tell me If I am out of line here, I do not want to cause offence)

 

[Ariyura]

I'm a poor college student with too much homework and a slow metabolism.

Healthy food is more than twice as expensive as trashy food. I can't afford to go to a gym, nor do I have four hours a week to go. I'm gaining weight because all my exercise comes from running between classes.

What do, OP? What do?

I doubt that bro. I'm a little overweight, but I know damn well that if I took some of the time I use to play videogames or screw around on the internet I could get into relatively fit state, and I'm in one of the most work-intensive programs in my university. Also buying your own food and making it by hand is less expensive than eating fast food (especially if your buying stuff at campus restaurants), its just more time consuming. Also any decent sized post secondary school has a gym open to its students for a very low fee.

Basically, what I'm getting at is I'm not going to preach to you to lose weight (shit its not like what I say is actually going to change your mind anyway), but don't make up excuses for your weight gain; you're just lieing to and hurting yourself.

Buying nutritious food cost more than buying crap, and I'm not talking fast food. I'm talking fruit, veggies and wholesome food versus frozen meals, snacks and instant meals. Not everyone is the same as you. During my university days I went to school then to work. There was no time for most things but to shuffle from one to the other. It's like you're prejudging how people operate without really knowing what they really do with their time. And I'm sorry not all schools have a gym. Mine didn't get one until last year.

 

[Ariyura]

I'm a poor college student with too much homework and a slow metabolism.

Healthy food is more than twice as expensive as trashy food. I can't afford to go to a gym, nor do I have four hours a week to go. I'm gaining weight because all my exercise comes from running between classes.

What do, OP? What do?

Admitedly I do not know you, or the reasons you are overweight. I do not want to sound rude in any way but couldn't you just eat less?

Eating less is not always the answer, actually its good to eat more frequently.

 

[justnotcricket]

I think the problem here is that, really, being dangerously overweight doesn't directly harm people around you. Smoking does. Both put a strain on the public heath system, but smoking has the additional disadvantage of being harmful to others, who did not choose to indulge in the habit.

Besides, there's a difficulty these days in defining exactly what 'fat' is. I mean, everyone knows what really 'obese' is, but 'fat' is much more nebulous, and in today's society obsessed with being super slim, people can be branded as fat or overweight when they really, really, aren't.

I'm not even sure where I was going with this...basically, I don't have a problem with banning smokers from poisoning everyone else in a bar, restaurant, campus etc. However, as for people who are dangerously overweight, I think you can encourage them, for the sake of their health, to lose a little weight, but there is no need to make them any more the social pariahs that they are in today's media driven 'if your ribs aren't showing then you're obese' society.

 

[Infinatex]

lol what do you mean? I criticise fatties all the time!!

 

[])rStrangelove]

I actually don't criticize any of them. When i'm talking to someone who i sense feels a bit uneasy about what he does (smoking, eating too much or unhealthy) i try to pursuade him to stop smoking ("Your clothes are stinking, you know that?") or tell him how i managed to loose weight ("All that gym is for nothing if you don't stop eating or drinking sweet stuff").

 

[Laxman9292]

To me, fat people are actually a health risk and a major added stress in my day to day life. I'm a paramedic and my job is basically to help those who need help. Now, while I will give -anyone- the finest treatment and security while under my care, be they murderers, child molestors, fat people or smokers... there is a certain amount of mental strain whenever I deal with a patient.

Self-inflicted injuries, diseases or illnesses are... vexing. They're very annoying. Every time I have to go out and give medical care to someone who did these things to themselves, I might be too busy with that person to respond to a call where someone needs help -without- having caused the issue themselves.

Smokers are almost -never- an issue in that regard. When a smoker gets cancer or other lung-related troubles, they are almost never in need of an ambulance to transport them anywhere, or emergency medical aid. Fat people, though? I have long since lost track of how many times I've responded to calls where self-inflicted obesity is the primary cause of an illness, injury or whatever I'm responding to.

These are people I have to give aid to, then -very- often strain my back and risk my own health and safety to carry on a gurney or carry-chair into an ambulance (where they barely fit) down stairs and so on. It's painful, it's very hard and every single time it's a gamble with my own health.

Do these people deserve medical aid? Absofuckinglutely, just like everyone else out there. No one should ever be deprived of medical aid when needed. Do these people deserve to be 'protected' from the same treatment smokers and so on get? No. Not even remotely. Yes, there are some glandular and genetic causes for obesity, but those are extremely rare compared to the amount of horribly obese people there are out there. And even those cases -can be rectified through diet, activity and in some cases, medical treatment!-

Being overly obese IS a choice. Even in the cases of the people who have legitimate medical conditions that makes obesity much more likely. Do they deserve hatespeech or harassment? Absolutely not. Do they deserve to be PROTECTED from pressure and social endeavors to reduce obesity internationally? Hell no.

If you're fat... I'm going to come give you the best damn medical treatment I can give you when you inevitably have serious and acute medical issues as a result of it. You should, however, know that YOU are putting my health at risk with your choice, and you are also costing society massive amounts of money because you have -chosen- to be fat.

It's damn near impossible for us not to resent that fact, no matter how good we are at hiding that we do.

A very selfish outlook for someone employed in a supposedly very selfless job.

I wonder if that "we" is just you and your regular ambulance buddy.

Your post reeks of "me, me me, oh poor me, smokers aren't a problem because they're not -my- problem" "fat people make me have to work harder, I hate them!"

Boo freakin' hoo. You get paid well and you "made the choice" to do that job. Deal with it ,whiney.

So if he has to needlessly tote around a gaggle of fatasses that's just shit luck for him? And he wasn't only complaining about the immediate problem of needlessly putting him in a position where he is more likely to sustain injury than with a normal sized patient. The big problem here is that because smoking related illnesses are not typically sudden therefore don't tie up emergency services such as the ambulances. What he was saying is that there are far more instances of him having to cart around fatties than smokers. Which is a drain on their resources that could be picking up the old lady who fell down the stairs or a car crash victim.

It's not justifying either lifestyle but pointing out that smokers typically don't require emergency services where the overweight people tend to need them more.

 

[Laxman9292]

I'm a poor college student with too much homework and a slow metabolism.

Healthy food is more than twice as expensive as trashy food. I can't afford to go to a gym, nor do I have four hours a week to go. I'm gaining weight because all my exercise comes from running between classes.

What do, OP? What do?

Admitedly I do not know you, or the reasons you are overweight. I do not want to sound rude in any way but couldn't you just eat less?

Eating less is not always the answer, actually its good to eat more frequently.

No matter how busy you say you are you have at least four hours a week to exercise, and you don't even need four hours, just as much as you can manage. Hell I know a girl who is taking 28 credit hours and still works out 3 times a week. And I know since you're a college kid you have free access to a gym and most likely located a pretty short distance from said gym.

Not trying to blame you but just pointing out that any amount of exercise you can fitg in is beneficial even if it's just a few push ups before bed or maybe a spin of the exercise bike. You can even bring your notes to look over while you ride if you are that overloaded.

Plus working out gives you a great natural high from releasing endorphins and knowing that you are taking care of your body.

 

[Ocoton]

I have been overweight most of my life. Four years ago I started getting into fitness in a big way, If I wasn't doing my physically orientated job I was at the gym or asleep. I spent more time in the gym, and went harder at the gym than the self absorbed gym grunters who abused the shit out of me on a daily basis for daring to try and better myself. Then my anorexic, diabetic stepfather became incredibly ill. I'm now a full time caregiver. I've put all the weight I lost back on because I physically -cannot- leave him alone. People have to do shopping for me, and we eat a very healthy, lean diet. Circumstances, genetics, finances and a massive amount of other issues contribute to this issue, and quite frankly, since me being in the same room as you doesn't increase your chance of diabetes, it's none of your fucking business. Personally, I grew up with my mother, who was a smoker. Cigarette smoke makes me violently ill, and if I spend even a few minutes with a smoker, I get tonsillitis. Simply standing next to someone who smokes for a few minutes can do this to me. So yes, I do have a problem with smokers. Yes, they should have areas where they can smoke, but they should be limited and critised. Feel free to berate me for my gluttonous ass the moment you can demonstrate that sitting next to me raises your fucking blood sugar levels. Asshole.

 

[Kair]

Yes, but you forgot to factor in how all the money spent on burgers stimulates the economy. Yeah, think about that.

Making bombs also stimulates the economy. Rebuilding the Twin Towers stimulates the economy. Firebombing American cities would stimulate the economy.

 

[neolithic]

I'm somewhat astonished this thread made it past "one of you gives the next person over CANCER, one of you doesn't."

We're done here.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

snip

I'd love to see you argue these points to an actual doctor of bariatric medicine. See how long before he runs you out of the room with your false assumptions and complete lack of will to understand that which you criticize.

 

[Wintermoot]

smokers can easily do something about their bad health.