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It's one thing if a close family member tries to intervene in a positive way.
But that's not what "shaming" is. No, shaming is the deliberate act of insulting, belittling, denigrating, and shunning a person because of their weight. It's people pointing fingers, giggling and laughing and having a jolly good ol' time at the fat person's expense.
The last thing we need is yet one more excuse for crappy behavior.
I dont know if fat shaming works or not but I do know I have never witnessed a fat SHAMING that wasn't cruel and done to inflict shame for being fat.
Now if you want to say that you are concerned for someone due to their weight in a caring way the perhaps you have an argument.
But heres a newsflash: Fat people know they are fat. And they know the risks and discomforts that come with it. You arent actually doing anything positive shaming them in their own knowledge, duh.
If you don't eat, you don't get fat. It's super easy.
Some people require less food due to a lower metabolism (like my wife who has thyroid issues). It just means you require less food every day.
It's not rocket science.
As far as shaming goes, it all comes down to lack of control. I've lost 40 labs over the past 18 months, it's hard work but it can be done. I'm back at my high school weight, now in my mid 30's. I view overweight people like I viewed myself - lazy and lacking the mental fortitude to stop oneself from eating. That being said I knew I was fat, didn't need anyone to tell me that!
One thing you should keep in mind is you are not universal. Your experiences are your experiences. How you see the world is how you see the world. It's real to you, irrelevant to everyone else because they have their own set of experiences and point of view.
Shaming is never a mature or helpful way to approach a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogead
The problem is that fat shaming is very rarely motivated by a concern for the health status of the person being shamed. It is virtually always done as an act of cruelty which is directed at someone who is perceived to be socially inferior by the person doing the fat shaming.
It's fine to have a sincere talk with someone you do care about and explain to them your concerns about the effects that being overweight may have on their health. However, attempting to make another human being feel inferior because they are fat does not have the ability to psychologically motivate that person to lose weight. In fact, it virtually always has the opposite effect of lowering their self esteem, which in turn, causes them to seek solace in food.
One thing you should keep in mind is you are not universal. Your experiences are your experiences. How you see the world is how you see the world. It's real to you, irrelevant to everyone else because they have their own set of experiences and point of view.
LOTS of people have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and are not fat. LOTS of people who are fat have none of these health risks.
So anyone claiming that fat shaming is okay because the person needs to be educated about their health is complete and total BULL SH--. There is no way to tell a healthy or sick person by looking at them.
If you don't eat, you don't get fat. It's super easy.
Some people require less food due to a lower metabolism (like my wife who has thyroid issues). It just means you require less food every day.
It's not rocket science.
As far as shaming goes, it all comes down to lack of control. I've lost 40 labs over the past 18 months, it's hard work but it can be done. I'm back at my high school weight, now in my mid 30's. I view overweight people like I viewed myself - lazy and lacking the mental fortitude to stop oneself from eating. That being said I knew I was fat, didn't need anyone to tell me that!
Come back in 20 years and we'll see how cocky you are about maintaining your weight.
I lost 65 pounds in my 30s and did it a hell of a lot faster than you did. Trying to lose 10 in my 50's is a whole other story. Enjoy it while it lasts, and remember what you said about weight gain being all about lazy and out of control. Karma is going to be a mother.
That you said "I view" was obvious. What's not obvious is if you recognize your view is limited and not necessarily universal, right, or even informed/intelligent. Some people genuinely are not able to recognize this about their own views. Maybe you are able to do so, but that was not obvious in your post, hence my comment.
Oh please, are you talking about that incredibly small minority of fat people that are fat because of factors outside of their control? People still use this argument? Not counting those .01%, fat people are fat because they eat too much and move too little, stop making bs excuses.
I bet that's what the people who fat shamed me due to my weight gain DURING CANCER TREATMENT told themselves to feel better about themselves as well.
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