"Anti-obesity: The new homophobia?"
- Thread starter SeanR1221
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Dude Im past even thinking it takes effort.
I work from 12:30-8:30 today. I'm seeing 3 clients. Oh no, I have to eat fast food for dinner, right! Wrong.
I have microwaveable chicken tenders and brown rice. Everything is ready in four minutes. In the freakin microwave. I'll take that in a cooler and be ready to eat healthy for dinner.
You keep saying "hivemind" while ignoring how many of us are agreeing with and expanding on what you've said.
Look, here's the deal:
1.) For an obese person to become healthy is difficult but not impossible
2.) For a gay person to become straight is impossible
vas_a_morir
Banned
All the responses were pretty overwhelming negative regarding my post. I think most misinterpreted what I said. It may have not been the hivemind, but I got stung pretty bad. lol
I'm not suggesting that's not true. I'm simply suggesting it's "As hard." Meaning the effort it would take for some people to be thin is as seemingly difficult and torturous as it would be for a gay man to 'be' straight, which is generally accepted as impossible. I'm not disrespecting homosexuality by comparing it to obesity, I'm comparing obesity to homosexuality out of respect for the psychological torment gay people have been forced to struggle with due to people forcing them to be what they're not for generations.
Broder Salsa
Banned
What? There's lots of chubby to fat users posting their pics without being mocked in any way.
I'd honestly say that being significantly overweight is more detrimental to quality of life than most casual drug use.
Offering help is a nicer way than simply standing on high and commanding fatties to lose weight. Asking if an obese friend wants to play basketball or go swimming can help without the condescension (even if you don't mean it as such, it does come across as somewhat arrogant). As others have already said, fat people already know they're fat and, for the vast majority, do not want to be fat. The space between, though, is difficult to journey through.
I don't think anyone is advocating the degradation that some posters (sometimes even myself) commit when fat people are posted, but this has little to do with the ridiculous idea that overweight people are somehow discriminated against in the same way that homosexual people are.
I've not heard of fat people getting dragged to death behind trucks, for example.
Steve Youngblood
Member
I think saying "a bit" doesn't really tell the whole story. Maybe it just seems that way once you embrace that kind of lifestyle, but really the crux of the matter is that it takes commitment. That can either mean little effort, or a lot of effort and change.
If you plan out simple meals, cooking your own healthy food does not require that much effort. If you're the type of person that plans poorly, it makes sense why one answers the drive-through window's sweet siren song. Further, the time crunch becomes a significant factor.
I've gone through phases of my life where I practically lived out of my car, and others where I practically never ate out. And while it's not some gargantuan transition, I do think that there is a not-insignificant amount of internal adjustment and/or outside motivation to getting used to that change.
That's because the forum sort of disallows direct insults. But these people are indirectly hated on consider a large chunk of the forum hates on overweight/fat/obese people in other mediums (news article, celebrities, etc).
The Gabe Newell fat hate for example.
narcosis219
Member
That's one solution. Just let people get fat and die so we don't have to take care of them. Sounds legit?
This so much!
I hate how I'm automatically assumed to be lazy because I'm overweight :/
When I think of someone that's lazy i think of someone that goes out their way to not move or do something, while I feel that I am far removed from that.
I'm not saying I don't have lazy moments, I've missed the gym the last couple of weekends as I have been to see a friend in another city and I'm packing to move town soon.
But i don't wallow in my room doing nothing and getting others to do things for me.
I'm sorry if wanting to spend the last 3 hours of my day relaxing after being out 12 hours for work is classed as lazy :/
Alligatorjandro
Banned
I dont think we should judge people.We dont know why they are overweight.
Dude Abides
Banned
Chicken nuggets are healthy?
spiderman123
Member
False equivalency
That's specifically disallowed and in fact, most comments that add zero matter to the conversation other than to say 'LOL FAT PEOPLE' are frowned upon.
brianjones
Member
In terms of violent crimes, probably not. But emotionally? I'd argue it's true. Personally, I didn't get fat until after I graduated High School, but from what I witnessed first hand, it absolutely sucked to be overweight growing up. They're easily the most bullied of all students.
I understand the point you trying to make and it was a good idea to make it. I agree that it can be extremely difficult for someone who is obese to "correct" themselves. I get that, there are so many factors involved that telling them to fix just one is an exercise in futility.
What I disagree with is the notion that a fat person can not change. I think that's an extremely dangerous idea to play around with. I've posted on GAF before about how much I am against a "culture of helplessness." There are ways to fix the problem, and that fact should never be overshadowed. I don't think I will ever agree with someone who says "this is so difficult you should not even try."
I know you did not explicitly say so, but linking obesity to homosexuality implies that you are telling an obese person that a change is impossible. "You can't do this." I can't agree with that.
That said, the difficulties should be recognized, and empathized with. People shouldn't be treated like dirt. They should be assisted and educated.
The best way to stop obesity is to prevent it.
Don't care! A lack of education is a huge portion of the obesity problem.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Did you get those times wrong? Because all I'm seeing is an 8-hour day, there, which is a standard work day. I'm not sure if I understand why that called for the exaggerated infomercial pitch.
I can't believe I passed over this; not the assertion concerning sexual orientation but the one proposing that obesity is inevitable. Such a view is fatalistic and counterproductive to change. It's the smoker who says they can't quit, the student who believes there's no way he'll graduate - not to say neither will happen, but if you believe God's dice have been cast and there's nothing you can do about it, change is impossible.
If you believe it's true it most certainly will be. Again, there's other agents at play that has made obesity a real issue and ingrained precursors to uninhibited weight gain into our cultural fabric but this attitude is fatalistic and counterproductive.
Extreme societal norms have weighed down the scales and it takes extreme measures to correct this. That's the one thing Atkin's got right: we didn't get fat through moderation, and moderation isn't going to dig us out of it, either. The preceding two statements will almost certainly be misinterpreted, especially given the level of physiological understanding by the masses.
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In summary, while brute shaming doesn't work, letting the pendulum swing towards outright acceptance most certainly isn't going to help people overcome obesity either. And that's what it is, an obstacle to overcome.
I've already said that superficially there is a comparison to be made, just as there is a comparison to be made between any groups that have to deal with a larger than normal amount of bullying, but that's where the comparison ends and if one were to take it any further then they are simplifying the struggle that the gay and lesbian and transgender community have gone through.
and it's an actual respectable hypothesis among a great deal of scientists that free will doesn't exist, which would destroy the whole notion of choice. but even without that we can recognize that every decision a person makes is subject to a massive amount of outside influence on a person's consciousness. you can imagine them existing on a spectrum with homosexuality being on one end and obesity somewhere in the middle. neither condition (i don't mean this in the medical sense) deserves ridicule, and obesity has arguably just as many or more downsides - you can't hide it, and it leads to serious health problems.
It may be condescending to you, but a large number of people need education about how easy a healthy lifestyle is.
spiderman123
Member
This. A 1000 times this.
I'm pretty sure 99% of the time it's their poor diet...
Exactly.
Drug use have far higher costs to society though. Thousands of people are killed every year thanks to illegal drug trade into the USA.
Christina Hendricks.jpg
Alligatorjandro
Banned
Maybe they cant afford to eat healthier.
It is one of the core perceptions that really needs to change. That, and how there is an assumption of greed.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
Wat. How the hell are you comparing unhealthy people to gays? I know that has got to be offensive to some homosexuals
Eating healthy is easily as cheap as not, considering the health care costs associated with obesity and a generally poor lifestyle.
My family is saving money hand over fist since we've switched to a more regimented and healthy lifestyle.
Edit:
Unless one lives in a food desert, in which case they need a bit of extra support in order to provide the same healthy foods that my family can easily get at the supermarket/farmers market.
spiderman123
Member
Man those golden apples are a bitch to get. Guarded by dragons and shit
Personally, I'm not down for comparing struggles. I'm black and while I agree with the sentiment that black people have traditionally had it worse than Gay people, I'm not against the comparison of the two to make a point for the latter's struggle.
I feel the same way about this.
One is a health risk/choice and one is a human condition.
How the fuck are they similar? I certainly find being super overweight quite a bit more offensive than being homosexual(which I don't find offensive at all). I feel bad for heavy people but I know first hand from doing it myself that it's possible to lose a lot of weight if you really want to, so I lack sympathy for those who continue to fuck up their body with disgusting habits.
How the fuck are they similar? I certainly find being super overweight quite a bit more offensive than being homosexual(which I don't find offensive at all). I feel bad for heavy people but I know first hand from doing it myself that it's possible to lose a lot of weight if you really want to, so I lack sympathy for those who continue to fuck up their body with disgusting habits.
Apples are too high on sugar, my dietician said.
Broder Salsa
Banned
Sounded like you were implying it was about other GAF users. It's not like celeb drug addicts don't aren't mocked either, check any Doherty, Winehouse and so on thread.
megamerican
Member
I don't give a shit how fat someone is as long as they dress appropriately and don't stink.
But comparing anti-obesity to homophobia is pretty outlandish.
But comparing anti-obesity to homophobia is pretty outlandish.
Apples are a great way to eat a high calorie and filling snack that will satisfy a sweet tooth. Avoiding apples is a recipe for buying candy bars.
What kind of comparison is there beyond the surface though? What kind of struggles do overweight people go through that is not associated with their poor lifestyle choices? A black or gay person does not walk out the door after choosing to be black or gay, while in that vast majority of cases an overweight person chooses to have a double cheeseburger and large soda instead of the alternative.
When Drugs destroyed their life? Sure, but moderate use? Hendricks isn't even obese, the equivalent of Whinehouse would be someone who's immobilized do their weight.
When I was on a diet (as to lose wight, instead of maintaining my current one) high calorie and filling snacks were totally forbidden, let alone candy bars.
I won't get into a large argument, but that's BS.
brianjones
Member
why do you think they want your sympathy?
this whole attitude is so bizarre
theyll get no sympathy from me!
No, what is condescending is assuming that fat people are too dumb to know that those decisions are not the best food decisions, while all skinny people are health gurus. As I already said, fat people know they are fat, and many of them know why they are fat.
I know why I'm fat. I love carbs, I don't sleep enough, and unfortunately, stand up comedy open mics are typically in bars, so it's not conducive to losing weight. I also know that my dad died at age 51 due to obesity-related illnesses . I know the changes I have to make, the most difficult aspect is the motivation and time, which I am working on, but I am lucky because I am a young person with few responsibilities to anyone other than myself, so I can take time to cook healthier meals and exercise daily.
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