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Lots of things hurt the economy, so the point is a non-starter. Besides, any study can say what its sponsor needs it to say. I'm an automatic skeptic of any study that makes such a broad proclamation because data and variables are easy to manipulate. Where there is a study there is an equal and opposite study. But all of that is beside the point. This is about fat shaming, not econometrics and the economy. Perceived economic impact is not justification for fat shaming.
I'm not sure I fully buy into the degree to which people say America is obese. For several reasons. First, the metric they use to measure this is usually BMI. It's pretty worthless. I'm solidly overweight by BMI, but am pretty fit and strong. Nobody who lays eyes on me would describe me as overweight.
I'll never understand the discontent for BMI. Mostly it comes from people who are active and workout. The majority of Americans don't workout, so BMI is perfect for the average normal person. Easiest way to tell if someone should drop a few pounds. Of course BF measurements is better but it's harder to do.
I'm overweight according to BMI but it doesn't bother me because I workout.
The immediate effect may not be seen yet, but give it a few decades if the increase continues and we will see the effect of obesity - morbid obesity especially on the economy. Say that one day 75% of working age Americans are not only obese but morbidly obese - that will definitely affect the productivity...that the US will be forced to import most labor while putting most Americans on disability pay because they have type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and their knees basically cannot carry their weight
Many fat activists, it seems, get too offended when the institutions try to address these alarming health trends. Should smokers be offended when their habits were actively demonized by the government? It even comes to the point thay private businesses and public institutions are banning smoking in their premises...are people complaining about smoker shaming?
The day may come that simple encouragement of doing more physical activity and eating better food would be called fat shaming
Reading the article and his summary... looks like the study done was between people who are muscular and bone-dense that their BMI is quite high (something limited to elite athletes and body builders) and thin people who are thin because of disease/illness. Not people who are normal weight/thin and don't have health issues.
Quite a manipulated study if you ask me. Statistics show that metabolic diseases related to obesity is among the top killers of Americans.
They'll have to make public the methods they used and the sample population with that conclusion... esp that it goes against most epistemological findings
Out of curiosity, how does everyone here define fat acceptance? What about fat shaming? These things likely mean something different from person to person (ie: someone earlier on this thread mentioned pejoratively that mentioning the obesity endemic is fat shaming) and I'd be interested to see where people are actually coming from.
For me, fat acceptance is not a PC effort. If you know me, you know I have zero use for the tyranny of political correctness. But I also don't consider common decency to be politically correct. So let's take an overweight person who is indeed overweight due to a series of lifestyle decisions. Does that mean that person is no longer deserving of the same common decency we'd otherwise extend to anyone else? I recognize that among fat activists, this definition is not satisfactory. I'm not an activist, though. I'm just a guy who, through his attraction to overweight women, has sort of taken on this subject as near and dear to his heart. But at the same time, I don't shirk on personal responsibility or embrace excuses. I don't think anyone should have to feel "attracted" to an overweight person and I don't think it's shallow to not be attracted to one. At the same time, I don't think there's anything wrong with me because I like overweight women, as many have suggested.
Fat shaming to me is anything that uses one's size as a catalyst for derision. "No fat chicks" bumper stickers for example. It is generally stigmatized to make fun of people due to physical characteristics, be it height, skin color, etc. But weight is still fair game. It's also "good intended" suggestion or tactical insulting designed to "motivate" an overweight person to make changes. Fat shaming comes in a lot of shapes and sizes. It can be in the form of former overweight people who approach it from a "I did it, what's your excuse you lazy slob" and I suspect there is some lingering mental retribution with these types. It's also passive aggressive: the "well-intended" friend or relative who lacks the guts to directly speak his or her mind. In essence, it is an outlet for people who are unhappy and I believe a symptom of low mental capacity.
What say you?
Well, for me, "No fat chicks" is one thing and I don't approve of it; but neither do I approve of the person who got their SUV and a rear window decal which read, "THICK GIRL", either, like being overweight is something to boast about as a plus. Not saying they should all hang their heads and wear tents - and I have fought a lifelong battle with the bulge myself - but I guess, "I'm big and a worthwhile person", doesn't have the sassy punch the fat acceptance movement is trying to get out of slogans like "I'm big and beautiful."
(FWIW I also don't approve of the modern mania where we have to Christina-Aguilera every man and woman regardless of weight as beautiful and handsome facially even if they're plug ugly, because heaven forbid you surprise the likes of Steve Buscemi about what he sees when he looks in a mirror, but I digress.)
The number of "flabby" Americans quite numerous especially in areas where public transportation is poor. I actually lived in a city in central CA that produced fruits and vegetables... the irony is, the public trans is so poor, you dont fail to see obese (overfat) people and obese people using scooters at walmart or costco.
So I think the data on obese Americans are spot on. BMI may not work for elite athletes or people "bulking up", but for the general population who are sedentary, its a good part of the measurement. It's not a coincidence that 1/3 of Americans are pre-diabetic and that type 2 diabetes is going up and now starting to be seen among teenagers. Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol used to be only seen among people who are 40 and above but are now being seen among the very young.
Personally, my obese friends never complained about being "fat shamed". Most of them, when they tell depressing stories, is about a coworker/"a supposed friend" that is jealous of them because they are doing good in their jobs.
When I took weight training class, the men in the class were not discriminating/never discriminated on me and other females. In fact, when I was changing the hook of a weight machine, someone offered help - not because I cannot handle the weight, but more of it was a messy to change. My experience in public gyms is, most people are in love with themselves they barely notice the other people working out.
When i took a swimming class and i suck at swimming and quite hydrophobic, no one in the class judged me - everyone was helpful. Theyd tell me what I was not doing right and I actually appreciate it.
Most obese people won't complain to a friend who is at a healthy weight about being fat shamed. It happens, but it's not something we talk about, especially to a thinner person. It's too shameful to talk about, unlike coworker issues which could happen to anyone and are a safe topic for discussion.
It happened to me more when I was around 225 lbs than when I ended up much heavier than that, strangely enough. When I was a lot heavier, the only time I would hear comments from strangers was when I was riding my bike and they'd scream something out of a car window.
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