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

[cdstephens]

Simple. People like to moralize according to their lifestyle decisions. Most people don't smoke in America, while there is a large obesity problem in America, and many Americans are fat. Since most people don't smoke and smoking is bad for you, smoking becomes evil. Likewise, since so many Americans are fat, this effect does not happen to that degree.

It's the same reason why being gay used to mean that you were an evil person whereas nowadays it's lessened up a bit in that respect because there are more open gay people. Like, if you had a close, best friend, and then he came out of the closet, chances are you wouldn't automatically think he was a bad person, but would instead rationalize that being gay must be alright because he's a good person in your eyes. Combined with the fact that being gay does no harm whatsoever, it makes sense why the hate for the gay community has decreased in recent years.

 

[KaiusCormere]

OP and others who agree -

You are a shallow busybody I would never willingly associate with.

If you have got a problem with the medical system caring for the obese, with the way tax funds are allocated or whatever, that's between you and the government. Frankly, I think you just mention that to justify your cruel streak.

You write a senator or representative if it really bothers you. Taking your issue to someone random and insulting them over a problem they are having is never called for.

 

[jamart]

Not acceptable to criticise fat people?

Huh, not in my experience

 

[EeveeElectro]

From what I see on TV and in the magazines as such, fat people get picked on all the time. If a woman dares to be bigger than a size 12 it'll be "WHO ATE ALL THE PIES FATTY!" One time I remember seeing a picture of some celebrity in a magazine about 2 weeks after giving birth and she still had the baby weight so they were taking the piss out of her for that.
Smoking and obesity (and anorexia, let's not forget) are just as bad as each other and I think they get the same amount of attention. There's 'stop smoking' adverts, and there isn't 'stop being a fatty!' adverts, but there's a lot of workout DVDs and Zumba fitness and weight watchers adverts floating around.

Slightly off topic here, but I watched Supersize vs superskinny and the overweight people always have an excuse.
It's not my fault I'm fat, my mum used to make me big meals, so I do that now.
It all happened when I got pregnant, I sat on my arse and stuffed myself with fat and sugar.
I sprained my wrist 15 years ago and couldn't workout ever since.

I can actually hold my hands up and say I have a bad sweet tooth. I think if I didn't, I'd be really slim ;_;

 

[cahtush]

Unless there's such thing as "second-hand eating", I'm pretty sure there's a difference.

You obviously havent seen The Human Centipede!
OT: becouse i cant breathe within 5 meters of someone smoking becouse of the smoke.

 

[Slim-Shot]

What sort of fucking imaginary world do you live in you moron!!! (Referring to OP)

You think overweight people aren't criticized you ignorant dick? Your thread is worthy of nothing more than flaming. Pull your apparently skinny head out of your tight asshole and get a life.

Stupid fucking idiot.

 

[CommanderKirov]

Interesting question, I was wondering about it myself and the only theory I could come up with is that smokers are criticized but not insulted for smoking. Fat people are insulted and not criticized.


It still does not change the fact that in this day and age people do have a choice of being fat or not being fat, and CRITICISM is 100% valid.

CRITICISM not pointless insulting.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

I see it this way.

Let's say you have two people with an addiction, one smoking and one overeating. And with your magical powers of charisma you not only convince them to stop their habit, but break any possible addiction. The smoker quits his habit and walks away a non-smoker. The fat person quits his habit and walks away... a fat person.

When you criticize a smoker you're criticizing his habit, but with a fat person you're criticizing his appearance. Even without the addiction he will have to work very hard to become thin again, so you're taking a stab at their entire lifestyle rather than a single dirty activity.

Unfortunately the only way to stop either of these is prevention through outright banning of all fatty foods and tobacco products. Now I enjoy a good burger now and then but ironically this would be a fantastic thing for not only people but also the environment, as meat livestock both puts a strain on the world food supply and causes a massive amount of forest clear-cutting and destruction of otherwise perfectly good farming land. And you would also get the health and economic benefits a tobacco and fat free society would give.

Not that I expect that to ever work, people are opportunistic and both of those would end up becoming stuff you just buy under the radar. Also I don't think the US could handle another "War on X". But all just food for thought I guess.

 

[a ginger491]

In my eyes, criticizing both is completely unacceptable.

I'm 23, skinny as a rail/non-smoker and I know, as people, we're better than that.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Especially since smokers have practically been demonized ever since the anti smoking campaigns started. In this country it's as if smoking makes one an inherently bad person, which is just plain wrong. Plenty of times I've seen someone on the street that looks like a perfectly upstanding citizen who happens to be smoking, and people give them this disgusted look and tell them to put their smoke out, almost as if they're less of a person because of it.

 

[Tourmeta]

It goes on looks, I guess that's part of it.

 

[MercurySteam]

Unlike those categories, being fat is almost always a choice.

You forgot shitty genetics. Bad genes are a popular reason why many become become overweight and stay overweight their entire lives. Diets, exercise and all that other stuff is all well and good, though I'd say that losing weight for most people is as hard as giving up the smokes.

 

[beniki]

Unless there's such thing as "second-hand eating", I'm pretty sure there's a difference.

This made me smile... just the image of someone eating a hot dog messily, and bits of food flying into other peoples mouths... XD

Having just read the Soldier's Son trilogy by Robin Hobb, I'm disinclined to be cruel to overweight people. Never know which ones are secretly hoarding magic, in an effort to bring down society...

 

[Nisselue]

Smokers chose to be smokers.
It's their own fault no matter what the case except in those rare circumstances where someone was tied to a chair and forced to smoke...and I can't imagine that happens very often.

Peer pressure?
Choosing to light up and choosing to go to McDonald's seems like they both chose to do something stupid. And by the sheer amount of Americans who are overwheight don't come here and tell me it's genes and illness etcetera. That's like saying every American got sucky genes and they will all die during the next 100 years by eating themself to death.

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.

How long it takes to stop something is completely individual. It took me one try to stop smoking while my aunt has tried 10 times or more and still havent quit. And considering smoke contains nicotine it would be harder to quit smoking than quiting eating so much.

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

Smokers cost money as a result of health related issues as well as fat people do.

My governement (from Norway) has a tax fetish and like to put taxes on everything, and smoke is one of the ways my governement earns a lot of money. If we go by the average smoker in Norway who smokes 20 cigarettes a day that would be 27.000 NOK (4663 USD) in a year. If that person starts smoking at age 20 (usualy it is around 16 tho) one smoker will have used about 1.080.000 NOK (186.553 USD) after 40 years. And when a smoker closes in on 60 years that smoker is soon to die meaning the pension money that person would have gotten would go to someone else. So don't come here an tell me that smokers is costing anything, cause smokers is actually earning the governement money and saving the government money since they don't have to pay pension money.

Secondhand Fat doesnt cause others cancer.

Unless there's such thing as "second-hand eating, I'm pretty sure there's a difference.

Someone else being fat isn't hazordous to my health.

I would love to listen to what kind of injuries/pain/illnesses and cancer-types you all have gotten from second-hand smoking? I smoked a lot for four years straight while sitting a lot in my room and playing video-games and my only problem was i had bad breath (which was fixed by chewing gum). So i was sitting isolated in my own room for four years while trapping the smoke in my room and my only problem was my breath. WTF kinda problems did you guys have from second-hand smoke?

Your smoke hurts my eyes and lungs. Their weight doesn't do anything to me.

An argument can also be made that second-hand smoke medically harmful, whereas there is no medical issues that results from another person's overweight stature.

Second hand smokers directly ruins people's health around them, but I've never gotten fat from breathing air next to a fat person.

Have you guys tried to stay away from smokers? If that wasn't an option have anyone of you tried to talk to the smoker and ask him/her to stop or remove themself from your ohh-so-majestic presence? We smokers are usualy very polite and won't mind adjusting ourself to please you people screaming about second-hand smoking as if it was a frikkin pandemonium going on.

The difference I suppose is that where second hand smoke can cause problems with people nearby, there is no comparative quality with fat people (second hand eating? Eating the last crispy chicken at KFC maybe?)

The line I draw is when they are smoking in public. Being fat in public doesn't physically hurt someone. Smoking however does, quite a bit.

Because of the two of them, second-hand smoke can kill but being fat can not kill somebody who isn't.

Meh, you all just spew out second-hand smoke as if you all just doesn't know WTF you are talking about. I don't like smoke and smokers so i am going to run around saying second-hand smoke so all the people who do not smoke get scared.

The largest and longest study (Enstrom & Kabat) followed more than 35,000 subjects for almost 40 years and found no significant risk associated with second-hand smoke. Similarly, the World Health Organization spent seven years at a dozen research centers in seven countries and came to the same conclusion.

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

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.

dude, im just going to assume you are overweight and ignorant. there is NOTHING that smells worse than a fat, sweaty manatee calling himself a man.

 

[Bruenin]

... being obese is a choice now? Some people are more sensitive to insulin so when they get hungrier whenever they eat starchy foods, other people have disorders or genes that can affect them, and your family and the way your diet is can affect your weight a lot. If your parents only cooked or brought you hamburgers and pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner you'd be more likely to be overweight.

All that becomes a habit and even then losing weight while your with your family is extremely difficult, even if their supportive. If their older and moved out then they may not have time, but you know what? Screw all that, punish the fatties.

 

[DracoSuave]

The largest and longest study (Enstrom & Kabat) followed more than 35,000 subjects for almost 40 years and found no significant risk associated with second-hand smoke. Similarly, the World Health Organization spent seven years at a dozen research centers in seven countries and came to the same conclusion.

Irrelevant.

It still contains nicotine, and if I do not want to ingest nicotine, then there's no reason why I should have to. A junkie's need to shoot up does not outweigh a non-junkie's desire to avoid the substance in the first place.

It's called consideration.

... being obese is a choice now? Some people are more sensitive to insulin so when they get hungrier whenever they eat starchy foods, other people have disorders or genes that can affect them,

So... exercise to make up for it, or don't eat foods that make you hungry?

and your family and the way your diet is can affect your weight a lot. If your parents only cooked or brought you hamburgers and pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner you'd be more likely to be overweight.

...also seems like choices being made here...

All that becomes a habit and even then losing weight while your with your family is extremely difficult, even if their supportive. If their older and moved out then they may not have time, but you know what? Screw all that, punish the fatties.

Where in this are choices not being made? You're trying to sell us on this 'there is no choice' but all you've described are choices.

 

[minimacker]

Cause smoking is bad for the surroundings and not just yourself.

There's also the smell. Obvious, really.