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[hodgy100]

But shame and ridicule is the only way some people learn.

It also put people into a depressive lazy stupor where the situation is only made worse.

 

[Marleyman]

There are always going to be obese people who never get sick and healthy people who drop dead. Obesity isn't going to just suddenly decrease in the near future either; it is here to stay as long as our diets and options are what they are.

The outrage over obesity being this drain on health care while ignoring smoking, drinking makes no sense.

 

[Red]

Wait, what? Why would anyone be offended by a device that could help their condition?

The idea is that they are being labeled 'abnormal,' as if there is a model of normality that everyone should be held to.

It's as if they are being told, 'you are broken, this is how you can be fixed.'

You saying that word condition would likely offend a person with such beliefs.

 

[gwarm01]

What about those who believe physical abnormalities or defects are okay? For example, there are many deaf people who believe cochlear implants are offensive to deaf people. How do they come into play here?

I understand why they feel that way, as it is something they have defined themselves by for their entire lives.

My opinion, however, is that you should view life like an RPG. If there is a new piece of equipment to buy or a new skill you can learn that will increase your stats, you should go for it. I'd even go so far as to switch out my natural parts for enhanced cyborg parts if I could. Of course I have never been one to hold traditionalism in high regard.

 

[jmdajr]

I feel a rant coming. There is large lady at work ALWAYS bringing fucking junk food to share. ALWAYS. Fucking cupcakes, donuts, cookies, bagels with cream cheese, etc. I think it's a plot to make everyone else fat. Can't lose weight? Let me balloon up everyone else! Fuck she's probably trying to be nice, but I wish one of us would have to courage to say ..STOP.

Speaking of nice, some overweight people are far from being nice. Beautiful on the inside? HA! Can't judge a book from it's cover and it goes both ways. Can't assume beautiful people are horrible persons on the inside and vice versa.

So yeah. You know what's hard also? Trying to be healthy when those around you encourage you to eat garbage. Stop the persecution of healthy people!

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Wait, what? Why would anyone be offended by a device that could help their condition?

Check youtube. There are plenty of videos of deaf people against the implant.

 

[ReBurn]

Obesity is a preventable medical condition, not an 'imaginary illness' as this article makes it seem.

It is absolutely nothing like homosexuality.

'Fat rights activists' is a ridiculous term. Raising awareness on the difficulties of being obese is one thing, but equating extreme fatness with unalterable states of being? Come on now.

Prejudice against fat people may be a problem, but the state of being fat is not one that has to be permanent, and is not one that should be entered into in the first place.

I think that people are missing the point. It isn't what causes obesity vs. sexuality that is the problem. It is how we treat one another. Obese people don't deserve anyone's scorn just because they are overweight, just like gay people don't deserve scorn just because they are gay.

The people who don't struggle with weight issues don't understand what it is like to exercise until you drop for weeks and end up disappointed because they don't lose weight, or lose a few pounds and end up gaining it back even though they stick to their diet.

I think that those people just need to STFU.

 

[vas_a_morir]

The only thing they really share, in my view, is that many people seem to be completely incapable of understanding the "other."

That is, just as some people seem to be incapable of understanding a homosexual -- and are threatened by them -- so too many people in good shape seem to be incapable of understanding why something that is relatively easy for them (i.e. staying skinny or staying in shape) is in fact too difficult for someone else.

This is also a common perception on GAF. It seems rather obviously misguided to me, but then, it's always the case that people have trouble understanding why something that is easy for them is hard for someone else. I picture the obese businessman wondering why the fit job doesn't pick himself up by his bootstraps and do better at school so he can get a great job like his, while the jock wonders how the businessman can be so fat.

We all have our weaknesses, so unless we want to insist everyone be highly academically successful, professionally successful, fit and healthy, and contributing generously to charity, we should probably avoid intense criticism for this wide array of personal failings. Homosexuality, however, isn't such a weakness; it's just another thing that people seem incapable of empathizing with.

Great post, as usual.

I don't think it's such an off the wall topic, because ultimately people are forgetting they are talking about human beings. Should obese people lose weight? If it negatively affects their health, an effort should be made, I believe. However, should they be made to feel depressed, miserable, ugly, and less than human? No. In this country, we treat obese people like shit. If they seem happy, we are all too eager to remind them that they shouldn't be happy. Saying 'Lardass" is just terribly cruel.

That doesn't make any sense. I understand a certain portion of the population is predisposed toward being Gay. Almost 7% of the country is most certainly not. Homosexuality raises the risk of many diseases. While I do not think gay people should be hated against, they should be encouraged to pursue healthy alternatives. Homosexuality will cost us all over the next few years in both our average life expectancy and healthcare costs.

I'm just saying...

 

[Bazza]

I'd even go so far as to switch out my natural parts for enhanced cyborg parts if I could. Of course I have never been one to hold traditionalism in high regard.

i would do exactly the same, if i could trade in my puny fleshy arms and legs with cyborg body parts id do it without a second thought.

 

[Dali]

False.
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050029

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

Pretty much my thought exactly.

 

[Uncle]

Look, I get what they're trying to get across.
It is rarely helpful to disparage fat and obese people, and ludicrous to think that insulting someone will make them change themselves for the better.

A lot of people are kinda cruel to fat people, and it's no surprise a lot of the victims just end up eating their negative feelings away.

If people were constructive instead, and refrained from referring to fat people in a purely negative manner, I think a lot more of them would lose weight.

They are saying quite a bit more:

With rare exceptions, people cannot intentionally alter either their sexual orientation or their weight in a long-term way.

 

[Red]

I think that people are missing the point. It isn't what causes obesity vs. sexuality that is the problem. It is how we treat one another. Obese people don't deserve anyone's scorn just because they are overweight, just like gay people don't deserve scorn just because they are gay.

The people who don't struggle with weight issues don't understand what it is like to exercise until you drop for weeks and end up disappointed because they don't lose weight, or lose a few pounds and end up gaining it back even though they stick to their diet.

I think that those people just need to STFU.

Why do you assume such people have themselves not struggled with weight issues?

And remember, overweight =/= obese.

 

[nateeasy]

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

Just like smokers

 

[marrec]

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

That's a valid argument, though it doesn't take into account the lost productivity. Also:

all input parameters of the simulation model were based on data from The Netherlands.

So it might not be comparable to the US health system at all.

Forgetting that it's a simulation model and not a real world study of course.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

Yeah, this is far from ideal. However, it does undermine the notion that it's okay to deride them as they are a fiscal parasite on society.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Telling fat people they ought to be thin is about as helpful as telling gay people they should be straight.

what

the

fuck

I'd be angry if I was gay. Ignoring fatness as a medical condition, which is about 0.0000001% of all cases, fatness is a discipline issue. Shouldn't be compared with a legitimate sexuality EVER.

I know it's hard to stay in shape and being 'skinny' doesn't necessarily mean you aren't actually fat, just luckier that you don't look it. But looking after ourselves is our own priority. If you're a fatass, you've failed yourself. A gay hasn't failed him/herself.

If you know a fat person, observe them for a while. you know what they are doing? Eating a lot of shit and doing shit all exercise. If they are exceptionally fat, this actually takes maintenance to keep that much weight. probably at least an extra thousand calories per day.

 

[NZer]

If it's out of our control, why has obesity risen so much in the last 30 years? Has the gene pool suddenly shifted?

 

[ReBurn]

Lol, so they cost less than healthy people because they die quicker?

Sort of cuts the legs out from under the argument that fat people are a bigger financial drain on society. Since that was the argument.

 

[jaxword]

If it's out of our control, why has obesity risen so much in the last 30 years? Has the gene pool suddenly shifted?

Yeah, they all moved closer to the McDonald's.

 

[jmdajr]

Pretty much my thought exactly.

Heh. Reminds me of some coworker. What's the point of being healthy if you just have to live and work longer?

What a shitty attitude!

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Sort of cuts the legs out from under the argument that fat people are a bigger financial drain on society. Since that was the argument.

Well not really. Dead people can't pay taxes or contribute to society as others are saying.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Just as a thought here: poverty is also something that can be controlled. Is that a green light to look down on the poor for being poor? Is poverty a choice?

Spoiler

Devil's Advocate

if people made a steady income by running on a treadmill for 150 minutes a week and eating healthy then everyone would do it.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

If it's out of our control, why has obesity risen so much in the last 30 years? Has the gene pool suddenly shifted?

fast food, office jobs?

 

[Monocle]

What a breathtaking example of false equivalency. On one hand you have an involuntary and unalterable set of attractions and inclinations that falls well within the normal range of human sexuality. On the other hand you have a clearly defined type of physical abnormality that is demonstrably unhealthy, and often caused by factors that are largely under an individual's conscious control.

So how is it that an unindulgent attitude toward preventable weight gain is comparable to irrational hostility toward gay people?

 

[ReBurn]

Why do you assume such people have themselves not struggled with weight issues?

And remember, overweight =/= obese.

Because they haven't. You don't get to a place of "eat less, fatty" if you've been there. Unless you are just a dick.

 

[DR2K]

I've been on both sides of obseity(literally), it's a choice marred by bad descions and lack of discipline. Being gay is something I could not control, trust me if I could I wouldn't be.

 

[Uncle]

There are people who drink too much alcohol. Should we also not persecute these people with destructive habits?

With some kind of interventions, perhaps?

 

[jmdajr]

Well not really. Dead people can't pay taxes or contribute to society as others are saying.

Hell, I wonder how many resources will have to be used over the years to take care of all these overweight people. It's a burden in more than one way, not just financially.
Dad dies of heart attack at age 50? Good luck with the Kids mom!

 

[marrec]

Sort of cuts the legs out from under the argument that fat people are a bigger financial drain on society. Since that was the argument.

That's ignoring the financial benefits of someone living past the age of 56 though, the study is just a simulation of overall healthcare costs in the Netherlands and it doesn't take into account the financial burden caused by pre-mature deaths.

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

Such an odd article. Just. Odd.

 

[-COOLIO-]

There are people who drink too much alcohol. Should we also not persecute these people with destructive habits?

alcoholic isn't a compliment

 

[User 73706]

I understand it can be difficult to stay "skinny" sometimes due to all sorts of factors, genetics especially (in part because I'm average weight/underweight but considerably unhealthy in my opinion), but there's definitely a line between "they have no control over it" and "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY DEEP-FRIED OREOS"

 

[ReBurn]

Well not really. Dead people can't pay taxes or contribute to society as others are saying.

Healthy people die every day. How much do dead healthy people contribute to society?

 

[Kabouter]

Even though their behavior is destructive to his or her own well being? Who says some who are obese are that way because of social pressure?

No, I wouldn't persecute them for that reason. I would encourage them to seek treatment for their own well being if I am close to them, and not do anything about it myself if I'm not. I have no more right to tell a random person how they should live their lives, than they have the right to tell me how to live mine. And even if you felt that (for some reason) that was your right, you would persecute them? Do you really think that's going to do anything other than to make you feel better about yourself? Making you feel like a big man for giving someone shit about a personal failing of themselves?

If you want to actually do something about obesity, pursue solutions, don't harass people who are obese. It just makes you an asshole.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Because they haven't. You don't get to a place of "eat less, fatty" if you've been there. Unless you are just a dick.

Honestly -- and this is purely anecdotal, mind you -- I think some of the most hostile and unabashed proponents of the idea that obesity is a character flaw deserving of no sympathy are fit people who were previously obese.

 

[harSon]

I don't see anything wrong with suggesting that people shouldn't be complete assholes to another person, treating them like absolute shit, simply because they are overweight/fat/obese. Yes, it is preventable in most cases, but that doesn't give a right to hate someone for purely cosmetic reasons. Even if you dislike their carefree attitude and general disregard for their own health, many skinny people have equally shitty diets and are equally dormant in their physical activities through out a given day, but because they hit the genetic jackpot in that regard, they don't show these vices visually.

 

[Red]

Because they haven't. You don't get to a place of "eat less, fatty" if you've been there. Unless you are just a dick.

If you say so.

I don't think the 'just eat less!' mentality is any good, either, but I think it has deeper roots than people simply being mean.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Healthy people die every day. How much do dead healthy people contribute to society?

Yes but they are not having their lives cut short due to something that may have been wholly preventable. Same goes with a lot of other things, but obesity is making a run to lead the pack.

 

[Broder Salsa]

Surprised it wasn't the onion.

 

[Shadybiz]

I don't think I am "anti-obesity." I am, however, "anti-'I don't give a shit about my health.'"

 

[marrec]

Honestly -- and this is purely anecdotal, mind you -- I think some of the most hostile and unabashed proponents of the idea that obesity is a character flaw deserving of no sympathy are fit people who were previously obese.

I used to be obese and worked to lose a lot of weight. I work hard everyday to keep a healthy lifestyle and I think everyone is capable of doing it if they have the proper motivation.

 

[Talon]

That article should be titled False Equivalency: Strawman Arguments

I really don't see how the two are comparable.

Obesity has a direct effect on your health. Anything that can be done to help overweight people overcome the problem is a positive thing.

This is all that needs to be said.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

I used to be obese and worked to lose a lot of weight. I work hard everyday to keep a healthy lifestyle and I think everyone is capable of doing it if they have the proper motivation.

Just in case there was ambiguity, I wasn't calling you or anyone specifically out with that comment.

 

[Red]

I used to be obese and worked to lose a lot of weight. I work hard everyday to keep a healthy lifestyle and I think everyone is capable of doing it if they have the proper motivation.

The winning cocktail is motivation + education + support. Some people can get all of those things from themselves, many can't.

Personally I think the most important factor is education.

 

[Slayven]

No, I wouldn't persecute them for that reason. I would encourage them to seek treatment for their own well being if I am close to them, and not do anything about it myself if I'm not. I have no more right to tell a random person how they should live their lives, than they have the right to tell me how to live mine. And even if you felt that (for some reason) that was your right, you would persecute them? Do you really think that's going to do anything other than to make you feel better about yourself? Making you feel like a big man for giving someone shit about a personal failing of themselves?

If you want to actually do something about obesity, pursue solutions, don't harass people who are obese. It just makes you an asshole.

Why you got so much commonsense?

 

[JJDinomite]

You guys laugh at this now, but in ten years fatphobia will be a pressing US issue.

 

[jmdajr]

Yes but they are not having their lives cut short due to something that may have been wholly preventable. Same goes with a lot of other things, but obesity is making a run to lead the pack.

I also don't want to be a burden for someone else. I 'll do my best to be as healthy as I can into old age.

 

[Big-E]

People need to be displaying empathy but it is a shame that a lot of people don't have it. You don't know the situation a fat person is in so the whole movement of vilifying fat people is more disgusting than simply looking and interacting with a fat person.

 

[vas_a_morir]

I used to be obese and worked to lose a lot of weight. I work hard everyday to keep a healthy lifestyle and I think everyone is capable of doing it if they have the proper motivation.

You also realize that you probably did what you are programmed to do: Eat what tastes good, and eat until you are full. It's harder work for some people then others. For some, it's the hardest thing you can imagine. So, using terms like "Lardass" is unfair. Not only that, it is indicative of a trashy upbringing and latent sociopathic tendencies. In fact, for some obese people, it's as hard for them to be thin as it is for a gay man to 'be' straight.