Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just a couple things I heard this a.m. that really do illustrate why a group such as the one mentioned in the OP is needed. Was talking to my mother this a.m. and someone asked Chris Christy why he would not consider running for president. His response was something like "have you looked at me?" .
yet he managed to get elected governor of New Jersey. hmmm.
BTW, why is this thread seemingly about either A. fat should be accepted or B. its all about willpower
Not everyone has the willpower to head to the gym. But in times past most folks didnt head to gyms - activity was part of life - walking places, getting up to turn the TV off, whatever. How much have as a society done things that make it easy to be less active, or in the way we build or neighborhoods and transportation systems, actually HARD to be more active?
What if our neighborhoods were more designed for walking?
Tell you what: The next time you see an overweight man eating fried food in a restaurant, you go up to him and tell him how his weight and his meal are affecting you economically and environmentally.
Something tells me that you don't have the cojones to do so.
Same goes for you, Opsimathia. If you think it's your place, you go up to a woman and tell her what she "needs to be told."
Gender equality here, because you'd both have to risk a response worthy of your comments.
When are you flying to Africa to tell a starving child your comfort is worth more than them even being alive? When are you going to tour the cancer wards and tell the dying it was worth it to pollute so you can not ever feel a slight tinge of wanting food?
BTW, why is this thread seemingly about either A. fat should be accepted or B. its all about willpower
Not everyone has the willpower to head to the gym. But in times past most folks didnt head to gyms - activity was part of life - walking places, getting up to turn the TV off, whatever. How much have as a society done things that make it easy to be less active, or in the way we build or neighborhoods and transportation systems, actually HARD to be more active?
What if our neighborhoods were more designed for walking?
That is a one of the huge problems they talk about in articles. To get anywhere you have to drive!
yet he managed to get elected governor of New Jersey. hmmm.
Hey, I don't begrudge the guy at all. I just think he knows that this country is not ready to look beyond its shallowness and elect an overweight guy or woman to be president.
I just think it's sad that people would poke fun at him (well, actually worse) and they are supposedly on my team and I didn't even realize he was a republican until after the fact. It doesn't matter. I would not expect any human being to be criticized for their weight (I just happen to be very political) and had to call my girl Stepanie Miller on her crap.
Hey, I don't begrudge the guy at all. I just think he knows that this country is not ready to look beyond its shallowness and elect an overweight guy or woman to be president.
My point is that President is a pretty high bar. We've never had a Jewish president or a Mormon president, and we havent even had a Catholic President other than JFK. As for looks, height and general appearance certainly play a role - OTOH Bill Clinton wasn't exactly svelte when he got elected and reelected.
So I guess I'm wondering if the Christie story really confirms that discrimination against fat people is that major an issue.
I certainly dont think anyone should be a jerk. I don't go up to people to tell them how they should live their lives. Thats ineffective, as well as rude.
Im not keen on employment discrimination based on looks (though I understand in some fields thats natural) - though I can sympathize with employers concerned about the health impacts of weight.
I think issues of teasing and bullying kids can be addressed through a broader anti-bullying movement, and that the special concerns of teen girls can be addressed with a feminist approach and realistic body images.
I am concerned a more general fat acceptance movement could detract from the broader public health issues related to obesity. I see that in this discussion, which seems to be a "y'all are immoral slobs" vs "its my thyroid, I swear" both of which are distractions from the public policies issue to be faced.
Oh, and if its rude to go up to someone at McDonald's and lecture them on their choices, its also rude to pay for one ticket on an airplane, and then take half of the next persons seat. In that, as in the health concerns, weight stands out from other issues of discrimination based on appearance. Simply addressing it as if it were only a form of appearance discrimination is surely not going to clarify the discussion.
This is nuts. A caloric deficit is going to result in needing to find energy *somewhere*. That is slows down systems in order to use less energy does not change that fact.
It is not nuts. It is a fact of science, and it is the very reason every single doctor on the planet will tell you NOT to use extreme diets to try to lose weight. Famine slows your metabolism. Then, when you eat normally, you gain weight that much easier, but your metabolism does not rebound without a tremendous amount of work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brooklynborndad
whats wrong with losing three pounds a month. When I was obese, before I got on WW, i just tried to eat more sensibly, and get a bit more active, and I lost just over 20 pounds - it took me almost 18 months. Thats hardly more than one pound a month - but it got me below obese.
Nothing is wrong with that at all. Like I said, different people lose weight at different rates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Opsimathia
When are you flying to Africa to tell a starving child your comfort is worth more than them even being alive? When are you going to tour the cancer wards and tell the dying it was worth it to pollute so you can not ever feel a slight tinge of wanting food?
Sorry, but this has got to be the weakest rebuttal I have seen yet.
First, your points are completely irrelevant, as is your silly notion that someone who is overweight is starving someone in Africa. You need to do some serious, serious research about world politics and events to learn why people starve in Third World countries.
Second, even if your argument was something other than la-la-land theoretical extrapolation--which it isn't--you don't know me from Eve. You don't know what causes I contribute to, how minimally I live my life, and what my values are. I, on the other hand, can tell where your values are: You said it yourself that overweight people "need to be told" they are overweight.
Third, as you are the one vomiting up tripe about how overweight people "need to be told" they are overweight, then you best be getting down to a restaurant right now so you can put your money where your yap is. If you cannot do that, if you cannot tell an overweight woman whom you don't know, to her face, that she is overweight, then you have absolutely no talking room to be spouting about how necessary it is that the overweight "be told" a dang thing.
Last edited by Yzette; 07-29-2011 at 03:44 PM..
Reason: grammar! typos!
I doubt there's any mobile person on the planet who won't lose at least a pound a week on a 1,500 calorie a day diet, I don't care how screwed up their metabolism supposedly is. That's not that difficult to maintain. Even if they're sedentary, they're gonna burn at least 2,000.
Not true. That's my average caloric intake and my weight doesn't change. If I burned 2,000 calories a day, I'd be very much underweight.
My point is that President is a pretty high bar. We've never had a Jewish president or a Mormon president, and we havent even had a Catholic President other than JFK. As for looks, height and general appearance certainly play a role - OTOH Bill Clinton wasn't exactly svelte when he got elected and reelected.
So I guess I'm wondering if the Christie story really confirms that discrimination against fat people is that major an issue.
In his mind it is, and I think he is dead on.
Quote:
I certainly dont think anyone should be a jerk. I don't go up to people to tell them how they should live their lives. Thats ineffective, as well as rude.
Im not keen on employment discrimination based on looks (though I understand in some fields thats natural) - though I can sympathize with employers concerned about the health impacts of weight.
It goes beyond that - to inferences of laziness.
Quote:
I think issues of teasing and bullying kids can be addressed through a broader anti-bullying movement, and that the special concerns of teen girls can be addressed with a feminist approach and realistic body images.
Tell it to Jodi Epstein who used to rub my face in the snow. I am not sure how you could have fixed that.
Quote:
I am concerned a more general fat acceptance movement could detract from the broader public health issues related to obesity. I see that in this discussion, which seems to be a "y'all are immoral slobs" vs "its my thyroid, I swear" both of which are distractions from the public policies issue to be faced.
I am not seeing that in this thread. At least I recounted my experience honestly. Sure, there have been things leading up to my weight gain that are valid, like an out of control depression that never seems to get under control, yet I know I could do more. The problem is when one is so depressed it's hard to do more.
Quote:
Oh, and if its rude to go up to someone at McDonald's and lecture them on their choices, its also rude to pay for one ticket on an airplane, and then take half of the next persons seat. In that, as in the health concerns, weight stands out from other issues of discrimination based on appearance. Simply addressing it as if it were only a form of appearance discrimination is surely not going to clarify the discussion.
Fully agree on the airplane ticket deal. In fact, I'd be willing to pay for two seats even though I don't think I meet that criteria rather than have to deal with someone complain.
In fast food, you have to be physically capable of standing up for several hours per day, AND fit behind the counter with room for co-workers to pass behind/before you. If you can do both, and qualify in every other way as well, there's no reason why they shouldn't hire you for the job.
However, if someone trying to get past you behind the counter, has to squeeze themselves against the back wall, then the boss has every right to consider you not qualified for that job.
Also, because being obese is not considered a disability, obese people are not subject to "reasonable accommodation" at work solely on the merit of their weight. If you require a special chair to sit, because the office chair that comes with the job can't support your weight, then the boss can either a) make you buy your own chair and bring it in every day, or b) not hire you in the first place. He *can* buy you a special chair - he has the right to do that. But he does not have the responsibility to do that.
And if that special chair doesn't fit at the desk that comes with the job, then he can certainly tell you sorry, you're just not a suitable candidate. That isn't discrimination. It's a matter of physical logistics. You literally don't fit in the space available for that particular job.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
