Ugh, The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

HonkyTonks

Do you believe that fat people deserve to be discriminated against? What about people of color? What about the disabled?

Let's be clear. People don't have a choice in their color. People don't typically control their disability and I personally consider obesity due to organ failure / not working properly. However, people that are lazy and don't eat right I have no sympathy for. And their laziness does impact the general public, primarily through our health insurance. Obesity does feed into the increasing cost of healthcare along with smokers (no sympathy for them either). Even on a more selfish level, last week I flew to NJ and had to watch my colleague be completely uncomfortable on a flight because a very overweight man sat next to her and was literally spilling over onto her and she was mooshed up against the cabin wall for 6 hours. Is that fair?

Do you have sympathy for people who are anorexic or bulemic? What about depressed? Bipolar? I am just wondering because I often think people who overeat have emotional issues, sometimes they are just full of self loathing and don't even have the will to live (I was one of them, I ate because I was depressed and I didn't care if I lived or died). Do you think it's okay to make these kinds of people feel like they are weak willed, undisciplined etc? I am just wondering.

MountainMia

Really? It's not ok that your obesity exhibit suggests fat kids have poor eating habits? give it up already

Really. It's not the correlation of fat kids and poor eating habits but the suggestion that they can do something about it that is rediculous and hurtful. It's NOT okay to make fun of people who can do nothing about their condition. That's called bullying. Adults can take responsiblity for educating and disciplining themselves, but when it comes to kids, they are victims of their parents ignorance, indifference and irresponsibility. ADULTS have no excuses, but KIDS are truly victims.

Where Disney failed is in their goal to covey a positive message about healthy lifestyles and empower kids. There are and have always been enough negative reinforcement opportunities out there for kids to learn that being fat isn't socially acceptable. That approach is CLEARLY NOT WORKING! This exhibit and the overwhelming responses to it are just a distraction from the real problem doing NOTHING for the solution.

What I want to see is education and opportunities for EVERYONE of ALL AGES to gain better health and fitness. Affordable options for quick and healthy meals, safe and fun physical activities, and opporunities to learn what's good for our bodies would top my list.

DieVixen

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

HonkyTonks

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

TheBraveryLover

At my highest weight, I was obese at 218 lbs and 5'8". I couldn't stand up from the toilet without holding onto something, couldn't walk up to my office using the stairwell without getting winded and sweaty, and I struggled to even walk a mile at 2.0 mph.

Wow, really? I'm the same height as you and currently weigh 208 and I definitely don't have a problem walking up several flights of stairs or walking a mile. Even when I weighed 274 I wasn't winded and sweaty after 1 flight of stairs. My activity level is average. I think you being so tired after doing minimal movement has moreso to do with you having a very low activity level when you weighed 218, therefore doing just a tiny bit, took a lot of effort from you.

DieVixen

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

I didnt justify it,also my very best friend in junior high was very tall and very thin,she also had food thrown at her called skeletor,teased relentlessly she commited suicide its not exclusive to fat people. I was teased relentlessy about my speech problem (think elmer fudd meets the priest from the princess bride) i was also teased relentlessly about my very old messed up clothes the fact that my parents had no money,the diffrence between me and my friend i didnt give a ****.she was my ONLY friend BTW

once again i never justified fat bashing i think you might be reading more into what i said than what was there and seriously if you have NEVER judged someone for how they look you are lying EVERYONE does its basic human nature

FitLink

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

Where did I say it's okay to shame anyone? I didn't specifically mention thin people. I have mentioned other groups. I have consistently said that ALL PEOPLE DESERVE DIGNITY AND EQUALITY. So not everyone here is suggesting it's only wrong to shame fat people. The NAAFA is concerned with DISCRIMINATION, which isn't at all like "teasing." If someone who can "perform the essential functions of the job" is not hired because they are fat, that's discrimination. And it happens every day. It's discrimination if the person is thin, too, but I'd argue it's pretty rare. This isn't about "political correctness," it's about discrimination.

As to the Disney thing, also not about teasing. It's about all the heros being thin and all the villains being fat. Because not all fat people are unhealthy and not all thin people are healthy. Kids who are fat don't benefit from being shamed.

And no, I've NEVER, EVER looked at a thin person and said "Oh, she needs to eat a sandwich." I've never said "eew, look at all the skeletons." The only one on your list I've ever criticized is spelling/grammar, because it's hard to take you seriously if you don't bother to make yourself clear, plus you look like you are uneducated, whether you are or aren't.. Even then, I usually don't. For instance, I haven't corrected the many spelling and grammar errors in your post. It's really pretty easy to learn good spelling and grammar, and it really does matter.

FitLink

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

I didnt justify it,also my very best friend in junior high was very tall and very thin,she also had food thrown at her called skeletor,teased relentlessly she commited suicide its not exclusive to fat people. I was teased relentlessy about my speech problem (think elmer fudd meets the priest from the princess bride) i was also teased relentlessly about my very old messed up clothes the fact that my parents had no money,the diffrence between me and my friend i didnt give a ****.she was my ONLY friend BTW

once again i never justified fat bashing i think you might be reading more into what i said than what was there and seriously if you have NEVER judged someone for how they look you are lying EVERYONE does its basic human nature

It's not human nature, and not everyone does it. You can't excuse bigotry by saying "everyone does it" and "it's human nature." Psychology has proved conclusively that they don't and it isn't.

MaraDiaz

The exhibit should take shots at the parents but they're the ones spending the money so that's not going to happen.

Good point. But anything that might motivate kids to exercise or cut back on the cookies without having to be driven to it by threats of apocalyptic grounding isn't a bad thing.

janeite1990

They made a big deal out of this movie too

Yeah, well this one I get. It does treat fat people badly. Also, I know plenty of people who are pretty darn healthy but are obese on BMI. I think there is a place in the world for NAAFA, but sounds like Disney is somewhat doing something good. Posters are right about the contradiction in the food they sell, though. Also, they let their image appear on lots of unhealthy foods: gummy treats, cookies, suckers, ice cream, etc.

MaraDiaz

Whenever I think about fat acceptance, I think of a Dr. G Medical Examiner episode. She had just finished an autopsy on someone who died young largely due to their weight. And she said something like, it's not that we can't accept that you're fat because of the way you look, it's that it's unhealthy and it will kill you. It's one thing when those comments come from your family, it's another thing when a coroner says them!

On the other hand, just being thin, as many have said, isn't going to mean a long healthy life. I had McDonald's for dinner (again). I'm under my calorie goal and would have been even if I hadn't worked out after midnight last night because that nasty double quarter pounder and fries is all I'm eating, besides a ton of coffee. Technically, I could get skinny off fast food. But the crap will still kill me.

DieVixen

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

I didnt justify it,also my very best friend in junior high was very tall and very thin,she also had food thrown at her called skeletor,teased relentlessly she commited suicide its not exclusive to fat people. I was teased relentlessy about my speech problem (think elmer fudd meets the priest from the princess bride) i was also teased relentlessly about my very old messed up clothes the fact that my parents had no money,the diffrence between me and my friend i didnt give a ****.she was my ONLY friend BTW

once again i never justified fat bashing i think you might be reading more into what i said than what was there and seriously if you have NEVER judged someone for how they look you are lying EVERYONE does its basic human nature

It's not human nature, and not everyone does it. You can't excuse bigotry by saying "everyone does it" and "it's human nature." Psychology has proved conclusively that they don't and it isn't.

I didnt excuse it so stop putting words in my mouth I SAID everyone has judged someone else based on apperance and if they said they havent they are lying. The point I was making is that everyone gets picked on everyone gets judged its not exclusive to overweight people. I personally got way more crap from people when I weighed 110 versus 230. everyone has it tough,it has always been this way show me a time in history when it hasnt. earliest recorded history shows bigotry and people being judged for religion,race,body,sexual orientation,rich or poor,and on and on funny for something that psycholgoy has proven isnt normal. me saying it is not excusing it just pointing it out. we can not change the world reacacts to us only the way we react to the worlds reaction

MaraDiaz

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

I didnt justify it,also my very best friend in junior high was very tall and very thin,she also had food thrown at her called skeletor,teased relentlessly she commited suicide its not exclusive to fat people. I was teased relentlessy about my speech problem (think elmer fudd meets the priest from the princess bride) i was also teased relentlessly about my very old messed up clothes the fact that my parents had no money,the diffrence between me and my friend i didnt give a ****.she was my ONLY friend BTW

once again i never justified fat bashing i think you might be reading more into what i said than what was there and seriously if you have NEVER judged someone for how they look you are lying EVERYONE does its basic human nature

It's not human nature, and not everyone does it. You can't excuse bigotry by saying "everyone does it" and "it's human nature." Psychology has proved conclusively that they don't and it isn't.

I didnt excuse it so stop putting words in my mouth I SAID everyone has judged someone else based on apperance and if they said they havent they are lying. The point I was making is that everyone gets picked on everyone gets judged its not exclusive to overweight people. I personally got way more crap from people when I weighed 110 versus 230. everyone has it tough,it has always been this way show me a time in history when it hasnt. earliest recorded history shows bigotry and people being judged for religion,race,body,sexual orientation,rich or poor,and on and on funny for something that psycholgoy has proven isnt normal. me saying it is not excusing it just pointing it out. we can not change the world reacacts to us only the way we react to the worlds reaction

Sadly this is all true. I was thinking earlier that we'd be doing the universe a favor if we killed our species off. Then I had the horrible thought, what if there are even worse sentient species out there?

FitLink

Whenever I think about fat acceptance, I think of a Dr. G Medical Examiner episode. She had just finished an autopsy on someone who died young largely due to their weight. And she said something like, it's not that we can't accept that you're fat because of the way you look, it's that it's unhealthy and it will kill you. It's one thing when those comments come from your family, it's another thing when a coroner says them!

On the other hand, just being thin, as many have said, isn't going to mean a long healthy life. I had McDonald's for dinner (again). I'm under my calorie goal and would have been even if I hadn't worked out after midnight last night because that nasty double quarter pounder and fries is all I'm eating, besides a ton of coffee. Technically, I could get skinny off fast food. But the crap will still kill me.

But it's a choice that, as an adult, you have a right to make. And even if you make the choice to eat McDonalds, you still deserve dignity and equality. This Dr. G of yours is way out of line. Adults have the right to make stupid choices! I also find that if you continue a discussion with someone who is arguing it's okay to discriminate against fat people "because they're unhealthy," you eventually hear the word "gross, " or "disgusting." Why? Because often when we make a prejudiced decision, we then work really hard to come up with "legitimate" reasons why we're right to do so.

FitLink

Funny how people are up in arms about body shaming fat people,but its totally ok when someone posts one of those hotter than pics totally shaming thin people and people fill pages an pages with comments like "LOVE" and ewwwww look at the skeletons

Yes overweight kids get teased but you know what ALL kids get teased weather it be for weight,glasses ,clothes ect ect.
Maybe we need to stop shoving this polticly correct acceptance *kitten* down everyones throats because you know what EVERYONE judges and everyone gets judged. We need to teach our kids not to base their self worth on what others think of them.

seriously how many of you have looked at someone and said"oh she needs to eat a sandwhich"
how many of you have judged peoples clothes,spelling,grocery carts,food diaries,what they logg as exercise ect ect .world acceptance for weight or anything is something that will NEVER happen,just like world peace

I was an overweight teenager who was teased relentlessly about my weight. I was obese by the time I was 16, and I used to have people throw food at me. There were periods in my life where I had literally 0 friends, and I tried to take my own life because I was so depressed. When I was at my biggest I honestly didn't think I'd make it past the age of 30, and I didn't care.

I've never made fun of an underweight or slim person. I don't think it's appropriate to tease people at all. Don't justify fat bashing by saying 'well sometimes they make fun of thin people' - it's bad either way and shouldn't happen.

I didnt justify it,also my very best friend in junior high was very tall and very thin,she also had food thrown at her called skeletor,teased relentlessly she commited suicide its not exclusive to fat people. I was teased relentlessy about my speech problem (think elmer fudd meets the priest from the princess bride) i was also teased relentlessly about my very old messed up clothes the fact that my parents had no money,the diffrence between me and my friend i didnt give a ****.she was my ONLY friend BTW

once again i never justified fat bashing i think you might be reading more into what i said than what was there and seriously if you have NEVER judged someone for how they look you are lying EVERYONE does its basic human nature

It's not human nature, and not everyone does it. You can't excuse bigotry by saying "everyone does it" and "it's human nature." Psychology has proved conclusively that they don't and it isn't.

I didnt excuse it so stop putting words in my mouth I SAID everyone has judged someone else based on apperance and if they said they havent they are lying. The point I was making is that everyone gets picked on everyone gets judged its not exclusive to overweight people. I personally got way more crap from people when I weighed 110 versus 230. everyone has it tough,it has always been this way show me a time in history when it hasnt. earliest recorded history shows bigotry and people being judged for religion,race,body,sexual orientation,rich or poor,and on and on funny for something that psycholgoy has proven isnt normal. me saying it is not excusing it just pointing it out. we can not change the world reacacts to us only the way we react to the worlds reaction

And I still call bullsh!t. The world HAS demonstrably changed, and it can and will keep changing as long as we refuse to accept intolerance.

MaraDiaz

Whenever I think about fat acceptance, I think of a Dr. G Medical Examiner episode. She had just finished an autopsy on someone who died young largely due to their weight. And she said something like, it's not that we can't accept that you're fat because of the way you look, it's that it's unhealthy and it will kill you. It's one thing when those comments come from your family, it's another thing when a coroner says them!

On the other hand, just being thin, as many have said, isn't going to mean a long healthy life. I had McDonald's for dinner (again). I'm under my calorie goal and would have been even if I hadn't worked out after midnight last night because that nasty double quarter pounder and fries is all I'm eating, besides a ton of coffee. Technically, I could get skinny off fast food. But the crap will still kill me.

But it's a choice that, as an adult, you have a right to make. And even if you make the choice to eat McDonalds, you still deserve dignity and equality. This Dr. G of yours is way out of line. Adults have the right to make stupid choices! I also find that if you continue a discussion with someone who is arguing it's okay to discriminate against fat people "because they're unhealthy," you eventually hear the word "gross, " or "disgusting." Why? Because often when we make a prejudiced decision, we then work really hard to come up with "legitimate" reasons why we're right to do so.

She's not out of line. She just tends to get upset when people make choices that cause them to end up dead at a young age. Skinny or fat isn't the point, it's what it does to your life expectancy that gets her preachifying.

But yes, regardless of the fact that I ate McDonald's yet again for dinner and that I'm overweight and may be shaving decades off my life, I do deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and if anyone treats me otherwise, they might find out that fat ladies are dangerous creatures to cross.

kndlkai1

When we took our kids to Disney a few years ago, we were pleased at all the healthier suggestions at the vendors. There was milk, fruit, veges, and non-fried choices. If the exhibit is only what's in the article, then I believe there needs to be some work done on it to not only promote healthy living but to educate people that it may not only be habits causing obesity. At least Disney is willing to listen and possibly make changes that will help more.

mwcraig34

I don't really care! I just want to point out that the guy that started this thread probably shaves his *kitten*!

Saruman_w

Whenever I think about fat acceptance, I think of a Dr. G Medical Examiner episode. She had just finished an autopsy on someone who died young largely due to their weight. And she said something like, it's not that we can't accept that you're fat because of the way you look, it's that it's unhealthy and it will kill you. It's one thing when those comments come from your family, it's another thing when a coroner says them!

On the other hand, just being thin, as many have said, isn't going to mean a long healthy life. I had McDonald's for dinner (again). I'm under my calorie goal and would have been even if I hadn't worked out after midnight last night because that nasty double quarter pounder and fries is all I'm eating, besides a ton of coffee. Technically, I could get skinny off fast food. But the crap will still kill me.

But it's a choice that, as an adult, you have a right to make. And even if you make the choice to eat McDonalds, you still deserve dignity and equality. This Dr. G of yours is way out of line. Adults have the right to make stupid choices! I also find that if you continue a discussion with someone who is arguing it's okay to discriminate against fat people "because they're unhealthy," you eventually hear the word "gross, " or "disgusting." Why? Because often when we make a prejudiced decision, we then work really hard to come up with "legitimate" reasons why we're right to do so.

Oh sure, you have the right to make choices and as such you had better well deal with the consequences of those actions... such as if you're too fat to fit in one seat in an airplane, don't you get dare all fussy if they want to charge you twice for taking up two seats. You're fat because you chose to be. So deal with it, and don't force me to accept you for it because I know it is an extremely unhealthy lifestyle that is not worth looking up to.

Articeluvsmemphis

complete shot in the dark, but I think the organization exist as to not promote obesity, but to help people accept themselves and love themselves as they are, but want to change themselves because they do have self love and see they are worth it. as for the exhibit, I don't see a problem with it. being OBESE is not normal, it's not good, no matter how you spin it. but the people who are obese can be good people, there's a difference.