[Closed] Fatism

I guess it's your chubby fingers slowing down your typing Tucker 😉

Have a look at an image of MidlandTrailquestGraham - he's living proof that you don't have to eat meat or fish to be fit and well.

I have the same image. I keep it burned on my retinas.

[url= http://i.imgur.com/XGHLWuY.pn g" target="_blank">http://i.imgur.com/XGHLWuY.pn g"/> [/img][/url]

Ooof, that's a real man that you could watch all day.

Decent quality food is expensive.

Aye, all that fruit and veg costs fortunes, more expensive than a takeaway pizza or curry? I can cook a decent healthy meal for myself and 2 others for less than a 5er. My mam is well overweight and i try to encourage her to eat more healthy, even suggesting teas she can do that i do, i love my mum dearly but it seems some people will always want a treat, whether they deserve it or not. It's not a treat when you have it every other day.
I'm not impressed by the lack of self control but then i suppose its like a vice, some people have 4 pints a night, some a bottle of wine, some smoke themselves silly, it's not the best thing for us but we carry on doing it.
Being fattest is bad, if your the fattest who's left to judge?

It's just plain nasty to post up pictures of people and make jokes about them. Whether they are fat or thin, just poking "fun" at them isn't actually very nice is it.

And this behaviour is not likely to encourage a change in lifestyle for the "victim".

@Cinnamon_Girl - you really think that the overwhelming majority of obese people have a medical problem that causes it and that it's not just overindulgence?

I realise that in America obesity in now officially a disease and it'll probably follow suit over here. But really? My opinion is that people just need to blame others for their problems these days and this attitude has now spread to their health too.

...is it wrong to encourage a healthy body through mocking/abuse?

That's not the reason people abuse the overweight though is it, it's plain bullying to help puff up their own ego, [I]"Encouraging weigh loss through verbal abuse"[/I] just sounds like a weak justification for being a nasty git...

It's an aspect of modern British culture I really rather dislike, for the most part we've knocked racism on the head, sexism and homophobia is far less acceptable, but overweight people still seem fair game. Flippant comments about it being "their choice" to eat too much tend to betray a serious lack of empathy or understanding IMO...

People who over eat tend to have some personal issues behind that behaviour "Comfort eating" is a very real thing, bullying these people will not generally help.

I do think women in the UK are far more weight aware and emotionally vulnerable to negative comment about their appearance, primarily due to the junk media imagery that's thrown their way, my missus is an avid consumer of these sodding mags full of Pap shots of thin/fat celebs and crappy TV shows where over/under eaters are cajoled and bullied in a controlled environment to illustrate some point or another...

Funnily enough, out of the people I know, I tend to find the worst comments (typically made about women with weight issues) come from men who are a bit over the optimal BMI, easy targets I suppose, especially with those that don't mind a bit of misogyny. but I find it quite telling how some blokes talk about and even to women...

Simply calling it a disease doens't mean it's someone else's fault.

Some diseases require a pill to overcome, some require hard work and commitment.

There's some debate over whether pasta, rice and potatoes are healthy food..

Here here let them eat cake I say

I guess it's your chubby fingers slowing down your typing Tucker

😆

for the most part we've knocked racism on the head, sexism and homophobia is far less acceptable, but overweight people still seem fair game.

You for real?

A persons race, sex, and sexual leanings aren't chosen, they are inbuilt. Being overweight IS a choice.

Hear hear let them eat cake I say

FTFY

Being overweight IS a choice

In theory, yes, but it's not QUITE that simple in many cases.

We make the other great social pariahs stand outside in the cold yet we're supposed to be all sensitive in this instance?

People who over eat tend to have some personal issues behind...

Replace 'over eat' with:

'abuse children'

'murder people'

'rape'

Should we be all PC towards them to?

baby - Member
We make the other great social pariahs stand outside in the cold yet we're supposed to be all sensitive in this instance?

someone being over weight doesnt make my clothes smell or increase the likelihood of others developing cancer

😯

Some real silliness going on here, I have to say...

Amazed that Cougars OH gets abused in the street or any body does, what is wrong with some people.

I'm not that surprised at all. Being Ginger I used to get a lot of abuse in the street. Have had cans, bottles, even a shoe thrown at me. I chucked it in the bin so the chavvy little fu€ks had to go fish it out. Was beaten up (not brutally, but by a few people at a time with punches and kicks) a few times. Haven't had any trouble since moving out of Sheffield for Bristol though.

That was a couple of years that was a real eye opener. I found I could avoid a lot of the trouble provided I didn't go out around town at the weekend. This wasn't a huge inconvenience because there isn#t a lot that interests me in the centre of Sheffield but my mates did put a night on at at venue called The Red house which requires walking for a little along the high street, past all the horrible bars so I could guarantee getting a little bit of abuse at least. It's my mates 30th in a couple of weeks and he is having it at The Red House. Not sure I really want to go back up to Sheffield for it.

I don't know if It's a cultural or educational thing. I doubt It's going to change quickly though. During the day it was abuse, occasional kicks or things being thrown from groups of kids, boys and girls from 10 - 20. During the evenings it was pissed up adults from 18-35.

I have some great friends in Sheffield but the rest of the city can fu€k right off. I've had less trouble in Newcastle!

A persons race, sex, and sexual leanings aren't chosen, they are inbuilt. Being overweight IS a choice.

Or it just depends on the quality of your gut bacteria.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23970219

And mental health issues, as above.

Being judgemental is not good, full stop.

People with a very high body mass index should have to pay for all their own healthcare if you ask me, provided of course there is no medical reason for it.

You won't believe how much extra money they cost the NHS. At least smokers & drinkers get heavily taxed.

They should also have to pay extra to travel too. If I'm not allowed to take extra weight in my suitcase on a plane without having to pay for it, why should they be allowed to on their gut?!

Replace 'over eat' with:
'abuse children'
'murder people'
'rape'
Should we be all PC towards them to?

Congratulations, I think this might be the worst argument ever put forward on STW.

People with a very high body mass index should have to pay for all their own healthcare if you ask me, provided of course there is no medical reason for it.

You won't believe how much extra money they costs the NHS. At least smokers & drinkers get heavily taxed.

Yeah let's charge people who hurt themselves mountain biking too.

We make the other great social pariahs stand outside in the cold yet we're supposed to be all sensitive in this instance?

I'm yet to see pictures of people smoking being posted up for everyone to mock. Also, most smokers I know are on those e-cigarettes now and you can generally smoke them wherever you like.

On what planet does one need to reside to compare being overweight with sexual offences in order to moan about PC

Yeah let's charge people who hurt themselves mountain biking too.

We don't require very expensive custom beds, machines, rooms, lifting equipment etc so I fail to see your point there.

@ Sue - good post and well done that girl. 🙂 Dare I ask how she's treated by other club members?

@Cinnamon_Girl - you really think that the overwhelming majority of obese people have a medical problem that causes it and that it's not just overindulgence?

It's not as straight-forward as that. Into the equation comes the food industry and their continuing onslaught to make us become food addicts by way of increasing amounts of sugar and goodness knows what else. Also farmers have been financially encouraged to use GM to increase yields.

Add into the mix toxicity due to the lack of regulations that used to exist with pesticides.

I don't think it's as simple as eating less, for many people their bodies are not working as they should due to the increase in auto-immune conditions.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, it's my brain fog.

I really shouldn't have opened this thread.

Being weightist isn't cool.

Waddling and sweating towards self-induced Type 2 diabetes isn't cool either.

Changes in the gut microbiome from low-dose antibiotics caused mice to gain weight. Similar alterations in humans taking antibiotics, especially children, might be adding to the obesity epidemic
......
a disproportionate number of 11,000 kids in the United Kingdom who were overweight by the time they were 3 years old had taken antibiotics within their first 6 months of life.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antibiotics-linked-weight-gain-mice

So when you're mocking the overweight you might be mocking someone who is lazy, has no self-control etc, but you might be mocking someone with mental health problems, a thyroid issue, or someone who was ill as a child and had too many antibiotics. Probably best to err on the safe side and not be an arsehole eh?

For the hard of thinking, looking at the reasons why things might happen isn't the same as taking away personal responsibility.

agree with what you say CG but fail to see how this

Also farmers have been financially encouraged to use GM to increase yields.

Wow, just wow 🙄

Some of the comments on this are unreal.

GM is going to be the only way we can supply enough enough food for the world. We are going to need to grow with hydroponics too.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/20/crop-yeilds-world-population

@CG - she's treated the same as everyone else, with respect and banter 🙂 Yes, she is a bit slower on the hills, but so what? She's got fantastic bike handling skills as she comes from a mtb background, so is an excellent descender. To be honest, to me we're all the same, out riding bikes, trying our best to improve / get fitter, but above all just getting out and enjoying ourselves 🙂

They should also have to pay extra to travel too. If I'm not allowed to take extra weight in my suitcase on a plane without having to pay for it, why should they be allowed to on their gut?!

Eat your suitcase?

[b]-has any relevance whatsoever[/b]

kimbers - grains are changing beyond all recognition. How many people do you know that are unable to tolerate wheat? How come when I was a child bread was part of my staple diet and never suffered any ill-effects? Now I've gone gluten-free due to side effects.

Why is that then?

Fattism is really more of a problem for the person who holds fattist views. Such a judgemental attitude is a reflection of their own insecurity directed agains other people that they deem 'unworthy'.

When fattism becomes state policy, that's when you should become concerned. Meanwhile, my local concil wants to know what people think is a healthy weight. Why?

http://m.chichester.co.uk/news/your-community/opinion-poll-on-weighty-west-sussex-issue-1-5461888

Some of the comments on this are unreal.

+1 and then some

Being weightist isn't cool.

Waddling and sweating towards self-induced Type 2 diabetes isn't cool either.

I guess there's a point here, somewhere...? Of course severe obesity is not desirable, but that doesn't mean we should point at overweight people and mock them or use their looks to make us feel better about ourselves.

I think its fair to say a healthy diet and lifestyle is both cheap and available to everyone.

However, it's a complex old issue, eating, inextricably linked with self image and mental condition as well as appetite mechanisms which are more appropriate to a slight famine environment.

As someone put it, what humans are kind of programmed to really like doing is slouching on the sofa eating chips.

CG Grains were not gluten free when you were a child

Fattism is really more of a problem for the person who holds fattist views. Such a judgemental attitude is a reflection of their own insecurity directed agains other people that they deem 'unworthy'.

How come when I was a child bread was part of my staple diet and never suffered any ill-effects? Now I've gone gluten-free due to side effects.

Why is that then?

Presumably something has happened to (1) your gut, gut bacteria, intestines, or over the years a mild immune reaction which was unnoticed has grown into a large immune reaction, as gluten hasn't changed or (2) there is more of it in bread now than there was, as generally speaking wheat for bread is more suitable with more gluten, so that is what is "desirable" from a breeding/GM perspective.

Have you tried bread from older varieties of flour (spelt)?

They should also have to pay extra to travel too. If I'm not allowed to take extra weight in my suitcase on a plane without having to pay for it, why should they be allowed to on their gut?!

Cos it's easy to just leave stuff out of your suitcase. It's hard to leave your gut behind.

The really really corrosive nasty issue in this is that the vast majority of skinny people find it easy to be skinny. So they think that it's easy to do, and therefore anyone who's fat is a lazy feeble minded idiot.

That's a terribly attitude to have. We all know that some people find it easy to be skinny, they never put on weight, and some find it hard. It'd be like me sneering at some of you and calling you weak, feeble and useless because you can't get round Cwmcarn in under an hour.

I know a fair few skinny people who don't watch what they eat. I also know people who are a bit chubby and try really hard to control their weight. Last time this came up I was told it was because the chubby people (whom I know well) MUST be stuffing their faces in secret and living in denial. For ****'s sake people 🙄 If only you could spend a couple of months in someone else's body, you might have a better understanding of the issues.

In summary, if you think you are better because you are thin - YOU'RE NOT.

Nicely put, Molgrips!

CG as pointed out equating GM wheat with your own gluten intolerence makes no sense whatsoever

I could potentially see that if GM wheat with increased glutenin levels were used in food then yes, but they arent (trials have been conducted) but its not entered the food chain

good ol' fashioned cross breeding of strains is more likely to be a cause as this has been done extensively, but its been done for thousands of years and as far as im aware wheat has the same amount of gluten in it now as it did then

the immune system is very complex, I used to get bad excema and hayfever as a child but dont anymore, im pretty certain thats got nothing to do with GM anything

the vast majority of skinny people find it easy to be skinny.

I know a fair few skinny people who don't watch what they eat.

if you think you are better because you are thin - YOU'RE NOT.

yes some folk struggle with weight due to metabolism or medical condition but 90% + of the overweight eat to much and dont exercise.
It is not the ideal human weight and the ideal human weight is now termed thin as so few of us are it.

Simply calling it a disease doens't mean it's someone else's fault.

Some diseases require a pill to overcome, some require hard work and commitment.

who called it a disease?

The "non nonsense approach" isn't always the best one, people are not all wired the same.

Many people with an eating disorder (under or over eating) are well aware of their problem and the physical effects, pointing it out to them isn't all that useful.

A persons race, sex, and sexual leanings aren't chosen, they are inbuilt. Being overweight IS a choice.

Yes, of course if you want [I]all Fatties choose to be fat[/I] 🙄 thus picking on someone because you dislike their appearance, so long as they weren't born that way, it doesn't qualify as bigotry and you can carry on being an oaf... It's all about the caveats for the discerning modern bully...

An eating disorder is most typically a symptom of a deeper psychological issue, a derived bit of compulsive behavior in an attempt to either assert some sort of control or as a personal copping strategy...

Somewhere in that individuals history there's a parent, partner, School bully, etc that helped trigger and/or deepen the cycle...
By chipping in with some stunning new insight about someones waistline, and telling them all they need is [I]"hard work and commitment"[/I] (implying they lack these qualities) you could well be helping to make their underlying condition worse...

There is of course a scale and some people might well benefit from a gentle kick up the arse, but to think you can sum up and solve an obese persons issues with a couple of unkind comments and suggesting that they [I]"eat less and move more"[/I] just shows a simple lack of empathy...

So when you're mocking the overweight you might be mocking someone who is lazy, has no self-control etc, but you might be mocking someone with mental health problems, a thyroid issue, or someone who was ill as a child and had too many antibiotics. Probably best to err on the safe side and not be an arsehole eh?

For the hard of thinking, looking at the reasons why things might happen isn't the same as taking away personal responsibility.

+100 far better put than I could