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Most common reason kids get bullied? Weight (NYT)

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entremet

entremet

Member
Being “fat” is the most common reason children are bullied, and something needs to be done about it.

That is the predominant view of thousands of adults from four different countries who, when asked why children are bullied, said the most common reason was not race, religion, physical disability or sexual orientation, but weight. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that schools and anti-bullying policies need to address the issue, with many calling it a “serious” or “very serious” problem.

Yet most state anti-bullying laws don’t protect overweight children, said Rebecca Puhl, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut in Hartford and the lead author of the report, the first cross-national study investigating weight-based bullying, published in Pediatric Obesity.

There are no federal laws that guarantee equal treatment of people who are overweight or obese.

“It is actually legal to discriminate on the basis of weight, and that sends a message that bias, unfair treatment or bullying of overweight children is tolerable,” Dr. Puhl, a professor of human development and families studies at UConn, said.

As obesity rates have risen, she said, so much emphasis has been placed on taking personal responsibility for body weight and changing behaviors “that there is a perception that these youth are somehow to blame for their weight and in some way deserve this treatment.
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There’s also a widespread misperception that stigma may not be such a bad thing, and that maybe criticism will get people motivated to lose weight,” Dr. Puhl said. In fact, she said, the opposite is true: People who are picked on because of their weight often engage in unhealthy behaviors. Students who are teased for being fat in gym class, for example, often start skipping P.E. to avoid being bullied.
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“The politically correct movement doesn’t seem to have touched body weight,” said Deborah Carr, chair of the sociology department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. “Weight stigma is the most acute among upper middle class educated people, which is the population that cherishes the lean physique the most.”

Indeed, as obesity rates have increased in recent years, perceived weight and height discrimination have also risen, research shows.
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Full article:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2015/07/07/fat-stigma-fuels-weight-bullying/?referrer=
 
A

anarckitty

Member
I thought school cafeteria food was bad when I was growing up. Have you seen what they feed the kids these days???

Not saying it's the school's responsibility, but when you have parents who don't give a crap at home coupled with what they are providing at school it's not surprising kids keep getting bigger.
 
D

deadlast

Member
anarckitty said:
I thought school cafeteria food was bad when I was growing up. Have you seen what they feed the kids these days???

Not saying it's the school's responsibility, but when you have parents who don't give a crap at home coupled with what they are providing at school it's not surprising kids keep getting bigger.
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Some kids are very poor and the only meals they get are at school. So their bodies go into a starvation mode and the pack on fat to survive.

Also, school needs more physical activity. This encouraging 60 minutes of play at home isn't good enough.
 
A

anarckitty

Member
deadlast said:
Some kids are very poor and the only meals they get are at school. So their bodies go into a starvation mode and the pack on fat to survive.

Also, school needs more physical activity. This encouraging 60 minutes of play at home isn't good enough.
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Both points are definitely valid as well.
 
R

R2D4

Banned
The_Poet said:
It is also one of the easiest things to change about yourself.
Click to expand...



p0xmJjw.gif
 
entremet

entremet

Member
The_Poet said:
It is also one of the easiest things to change about yourself.
Click to expand...

It's pretty difficult as a kid, though.

Most have no idea about nutrition. They're reliant on their parents eating and cooking habits, which if poor affects them.

And lack of disposable income means lack of access to gyms or sport leagues. The latter cost money. The former may not be accessible to them.
 
G

G.ZZZ

Member
Ratrat said:
Weird, no mention of being bullied over being skinny? At least for guys, it seemed pretty common.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I got remarks about my skinnylord ass for years during schools, and there were far more skinnylords than fatties.

I also don't see how this is a kid problem. This is a parent's one for having absolutely no care over their kids and ruining their life. Kids will always be kids and be asses.
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
Weird. I was just saying to the missus last night that this was one reason I was really glad our daughter appears to have my lightning metabolism.

Yeah, kids are savage to other kids for any slight flaw whatsoever. Fat kids, ginger kids, and lanky kids all get it rough.
 
G

G.ZZZ

Member
entrement said:
It's pretty difficult as a kid, though.

Most have no idea about nutrition. They're reliant on their parents eating and cooking habits, which if poor affects them.

And lack of disposable income means lack of access to gyms or sport leagues. The latter cost money. The former may not be accessible to them.
Click to expand...

Gyms and sports leagues weren't accessible by far and large 50 years ago and people where nowhere as fat as nowadays. Kids played out of their houses more, that's for sure though.
 
U

Ultima_5

Member
i believe it. look at every thread on gaf regarding people having to feel bad about being fat. a ton of people chime in and say they should feel bad.

hell. look at this thread.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
G.ZZZ said:
Gyms and sports leagues weren't accessible by far and large 50 years ago and people where nowhere as fat as nowadays. Kids played out of their houses more, that's for sure though.
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Yep.

But the issue is more complex. Kids in general are more sedentary these days. School is sedentary by design--you're sitting all day.

Plus look at the lunch options today compared to decades ago?

And then the rise of helicopter parenting and screens have also limited kids activities.

If you're in the ghetto and have decent parents, you're basically stuck home after school.

And let's not forget about food deserts.

It's no wonder why obesity has a poverty connection.
 
D

Deleted member 231381

Unconfirmed Member
AbsolutBro said:
Just so I'm clear, this is a poll and not a scientific research study, right?
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Yes. It's also a poll about what adults think about why children get bullied, rather than a poll of children on why they actually got bullied/bully others.
 
B

blakep267

Member
Yeah it makes sense. I don't remember kids being bullied much for being gay or poor. For some reason that seemed over the line when we were kids. But if you were chunky, some kids were savages against them
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Chariot said:
Do the USA don't have mandatory physical education in school?
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It's difficult to answer since school systems are run by the states and municipalities (cities).

Schools are funded terribly in the US and if you're in a poor neighborhood making sure schools have enough academic subjects is the priority (Math, English, Science, History)

Music, Art, and Gym have been cut drastically over the years.
 
B

blakep267

Member
Chariot said:
Do the USA don't have mandatory physical education in school?
Click to expand...
Yeah but it's not like the gym teachers force you to go hard as you can like insanity or T25. Some people loaf around during gym. In HS the boys and girls even had different classes where we would go crazy and try and kill each other on the football field and they just chilled
 
A

AbsolutBro

Member
Crab said:
Yes. It's also a poll about what adults think about why children get bullied, rather than a poll of children on why they actually got bullied/bully others.
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Yeah... I mean, I get that we have a rise in obesity rates and that weight makes an easy target for people to discriminate against others on. But it really sounds like some of the people in the article really want obesity to have the same protections as race, gender, sexual identity or sexual orientation. That seems... strange to me.
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
I guess the professor who says there's no defense force for overweight and obese people hasn't ever been to Tumblr.

That said, the entire premise of this article is based on parents' perceptions of how their kids are being bullied, so it might not entirely be accurate (it may be that weight is the kind of taunts that a child will tell their parents, but maybe not race or orientation, for instance.)

As obesity rates have risen, she said, so much emphasis has been placed on taking personal responsibility for body weight and changing behaviors “that there is a perception that these youth are somehow to blame for their weight and in some way deserve this treatment.”
Click to expand...

Well, with the vast majority of cases, it is their fault, although depending on the age much of the blame goes to the parents. If you're setting them up at an early age to be fat, stats show you're essentially disadvantaging them for life. Although "gland problems!" are usually a bullshit response, there *are* some people who have medical reasons for their weight, and school can really suck for them (one of my classmates in elementary school was pretty heavy in part due to steroids he took for his really bad asthma.)

“There’s also a widespread misperception that stigma may not be such a bad thing, and that maybe criticism will get people motivated to lose weight,” Dr. Puhl said. In fact, she said, the opposite is true: People who are picked on because of their weight often engage in unhealthy behaviors. Students who are teased for being fat in gym class, for example, often start skipping P.E. to avoid being bullied.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting point, and it's true that while social stigmas can occasionally effect change, they often have a pretty severe cobra effect (witness: people on the fence or against gay marriage who solidify their views because they get shamed about it, how ineffectual those anti-smoking ads tend to be.)

I don't think "fat acceptance" is a good thing, because the last thing you want is people to justify their unhealthy habits. But if fat shaming isn't effective (and it's certainly not the nicest option out there) we definitely need to figure out better ways of combating obesity.

One thing the article did a really bad job of explaining was that there are no bullying laws at a federal level, period—why weight is not included is because other types of harassment or discrimination based on sex, orientation, race are covered by law.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/federal/ :
Although no federal law directly addresses bullying, in some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color, sex, age, disability, or religion. When bullying and harassment overlap, federally-funded schools (including colleges and universities) have an obligation to resolve the harassment. When the situation is not adequately resolved, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may be able to help.
Click to expand...
 
R

rjinaz

Member
The_Poet said:
It is also one of the easiest things to change about yourself.
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If you say so, but I disagree. I mean sure, maybe if you have to lose 20 pounds. But I was 100 pounds overweight as a kid in High school so I had a lot of weight to lose as an adult. I'm still working on losing some of that weight. I wonder how many people make claims like this have actually had to lose a significant amount of weight in their lives? It seems to always come from people that have always been thin or exercise regularly not realizing it's a lot easier to exercise and stay fit when you are starting from being fit in the first place. The article is right. People don't care about being PC about weight problems because of viewpoints like this one here.

I was bullied heavily as a kid from the age of 9 all through high school because of my weight. I am 32 but to this day I can remember every single incident clear as day even though I try to forget it. People laughing, me crying and not wanting to go back to school thinking of ways to fake being sick. Fuck bullies.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Fuchsdh said:
I guess the professor who says there's no defense force for overweight and obese people hasn't ever been to Tumblr.

That said, the entire premise of this article is based on parents' perceptions of how their kids are being bullied, so it might not entirely be accurate (it may be that weight is the kind of taunts that a child will tell their parents, but maybe not race or orientation, for instance.)



Well, with the vast majority of cases, it is their fault, although depending on the age much of the blame goes to the parents. If you're setting them up at an early age to be fat, stats show you're essentially disadvantaging them for life.



That's an interesting point, and it's true that while social stigmas can occasionally effect change, they often have a pretty severe cobra effect (witness: people on the fence or against gay marriage who solidify their views because they get shamed about it, how ineffectual those anti-smoking ads tend to be.)

I don't think "fat acceptance" is a good thing, because the last thing you want is people to justify their unhealthy habits. But if fat shaming isn't effective (and it's certainly not the nicest option out there) we definitely need to figure out better ways of combating obesity.

One thing the article did a really bad job of explaining was that there are no bullying laws at a federal level, period—why weight is not included is because other types of harassment or discrimination based on sex, orientation, race are covered by law.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/federal/ :
Click to expand...

Tumblr is mega niche.

It gets play here and other online communities, but in terms of influencing social mores, Tumblr is insignificant. That's a good thing lol!
 
E

EnVy_CaLiBeR

Member
The_Poet said:
It is also one of the easiest things to change about yourself.
Click to expand...

It's difficult as an adult. It's borderline impossible as a child where you're relying on your parents income and eating habits.

Not surprised about this. Almost all of the overweight kids got picked on in school. I was a big kid, but I didn't take shit from anyone so it didn't really happen to me but it would have if I wasn't able to throw insults with the best of them and if I didn't continuously fight people. Even then, it shouldn't take that to get these kids to learn to respect one another.

Fuck bullying.
 
N

n00bsauce87

Member
"Weight stigma is the most acute among upper middle class educated people, which is the population that cherishes the lean physique the most.”
Click to expand...
Coming from a high school that was about working class to middle class, this statement is so true. Weight was never an issue in my high school. The only time you might hear someone about it is from JROTC if there are some unfit people who couldn't handle PT (physical training). Other than that, no one cared. There was no one with anorexia issues or bulimia(?) that I was aware of.

You know I would see stuff like this on tv, but I could never relate. I wonder if this is how it feels when racist white people can't understand why people of color distrusts the police when in some to most cases, they get their imagery on a tv screen.

Wow, media is something powerful.

That being said, there no tolerance for this. But how to you approach the situation without fear of retaliation from the agitators? The adults can't watch the kids 24/7. All it takes is one encounter in the stairwell to get beat up for speaking up. Or worse, commit suicide because they fell all alone.
 
A

anarckitty

Member
Has anyone else watched the documentary on Netflix called Fed Up?

It's pretty fascinating and talks about how much school lunches have changed over the years, how sugar is so prevalent and addictive to your brain, etc.
 
C

Condom

Member
entrement said:
It's difficult to answer since school systems are run by the states and municipalities (cities).

Schools are funded terribly in the US and if you're in a poor neighborhood making sure schools have enough academic subjects is the priority (Math, English, Science, History)

Music, Art, and Gym have been cut drastically over the years.
Click to expand...
Funny thing is that politicians don't want to fund the stuff. You ain't telling me the US doesn't have money growing on trees because with the leading economy and leading currency, that's almost reality.

So weird but let's hope for a better future.
 
Northeastmonk

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I was bullied because I was a little bit chubby. If it didn't change in two decades I don't think it ever will.

I still can remember a few people who did it in high school. The thing is, I can remember just about everything. I've since lost that weight, but I'd like for them to know that they didn't benefit me. I made the changes on my own.

I think anyone can be a bully. Weight is a problem. It is something kids shouldn't have to deal with. I wouldn't blame video games or TV, I'd blame whoever gives it to them. I enjoy weight loss and video games. I can't stand hearing their complaints about video games. It got annoying hearing people bring up video games like it was a health concern. A lot o people are definitely clueless. I also feel that some parents feed their kids like crazy and deem it "satisfactory" because their kid plays a sport. Their kid isn't losing weight because they run a track for an hour. He gorges on thousands of calories and calls it his "sports diet".

Fat shaming as a kid will probably never go away. Kids try and pull out the obvious about someone because they have nothing better to say.
 
M

marrec

Banned
nailbombxx said:
As a kid, you eat what your parents feed you as wl as what's available at the school cafeteria. Lets not pretend that its entirely their fault.
Click to expand...

This is an important point and also backs up The_Poet's statement, at least in part.

As a child, you have no real control over your nutrition, so if your parents are feeding you crap and letting you drink soda and eat junk food then you will likely get fat. However if your parents are taking an active role in making sure that you get proper nutrition then you will likely not be fat.

It can be hard, though, for a lot of families living in urban food deserts who don't have access to fresh vegetables and and a variaty of foods. However, one thing we could all do as a society for these children is cut out the sugary drinks. You switch to water and a that's a significant way toward keeping kids from getting fat.

As an addendum, that won't stop bullies. Bullies are going to be bullies regardless of physical appearance. They will find a way.
 
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