Ugh, The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

chanstriste13

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.

We have become entirely too tolerant as a society. Everybody has a bullsh*t excuse for everything and it's politically incorrect to call anyone out because we have to be "tolerant" of everything. Where do we draw the line? Do we start tolerating criminal activity because most people who commit crimes have mental health issues? I know that *seems* like a huge jump, but there ARE people out there who feel that way. It seems like there's no right and wrong anymore, only a huge gray area.

That can't be good.

obese people are not criminals. it's weird to me that you are tying this discussion into moral issues. perhaps the line could be drawn at keeping to your own personal endeavors and butting out of everyone else's.

He/She wasn't saying obese people are criminals. You know exactly what that post meant. And obesity is everyone's business because it's a major factor in health care/insurance costs, which affects EVERYONE!! So unless they start making different prices for obese and the non-obese I'll continue to make it my business.

i think the insurance thing for obesity is a slippery slope - unless you are strictly speaking morbidly obese. i am obese, and according to my bmi, i would fall under higher rates. *however* - my blood pressure is better than my mom's and sister's, who are both thin, i have never done drugs in my life, unlike my sister, i don't salt the hell out of my food, i'm *way* more active than either of them, and i eat better and less. but if you put us in a photo lineup, people would most likely pick me as the unhealthy one because of my size. and that's really just not true. if insurance ups their rates by weight, then they also need to screen for drug use, cholesterol, blood pressure and all that jazz.

GoldspursX3

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.

We have become entirely too tolerant as a society. Everybody has a bullsh*t excuse for everything and it's politically incorrect to call anyone out because we have to be "tolerant" of everything. Where do we draw the line? Do we start tolerating criminal activity because most people who commit crimes have mental health issues? I know that *seems* like a huge jump, but there ARE people out there who feel that way. It seems like there's no right and wrong anymore, only a huge gray area.

That can't be good.

obese people are not criminals. it's weird to me that you are tying this discussion into moral issues. perhaps the line could be drawn at keeping to your own personal endeavors and butting out of everyone else's.

He/She wasn't saying obese people are criminals. You know exactly what that post meant. And obesity is everyone's business because it's a major factor in health care/insurance costs, which affects EVERYONE!! So unless they start making different prices for obese and the non-obese I'll continue to make it my business.

i think the insurance thing for obesity is a slippery slope - unless you are strictly speaking morbidly obese. i am obese, and according to my bmi, i would fall under higher rates. *however* - my blood pressure is better than my mom's and sister's, who are both thin, i have never done drugs in my life, unlike my sister, i don't salt the hell out of my food, i'm *way* more active than either of them, and i eat better and less. but if you put us in a photo lineup, people would most likely pick me as the unhealthy one because of my size. and that's really just not true. if insurance ups their rates by weight, then they also need to screen for drug use, cholesterol, blood pressure and all that jazz.

Agreed. Unhealthy lifestyle = Higher rates

chanstriste13

Obesity is largely, although not entirely, a moral issue. Gluttony isn't looked upon favorably in most cultures. ETA: My point in my previous post was that once we start accepting the behaviors that cause people to be obese, it's a slippery slope. There's a HUGE difference between being tolerant of people for something they cannot control (i.e. race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of people obesity is caused by poor behavioral choices. People who make poor choices should NOT be considered a protected group in the same category as race, gender, etc. It blows my mind.

i got to thinking about this some more and had to come back and comment. i can go with the gluttony/moral thing, and i definitely agree that this is a societal thing - i feel that our whole culture in the u.s. is savage gluttony when it comes to most things - food, money, technology, you name it. but sticking with the food thing, how would you factor in the 'skinny' gluttons into this? not all gluttonous people wear it on their bellies.

your post got me thinking about my cooperating teacher during my student teacher practicum. she was model thin - size zero. but do you know what she ate for lunch everyday? two footlong chili hotdogs with all the fixings and a double order of cheese fries. no joke. everyday from january until may. and she wasn't on a high calorie diet for anything - that's just what she eats. she feeds her daughters in the same way, but apparently, but they weren't so lucky with the size zero thing and seemed to get larger everytime i saw them (only about three or four times).

i asked her for dinner and she told me to make sure i didnt' serve any veggies, because she didn't eat any. and she came in every morning with a fast food combo for breakfast. and she had snacks for the students (right) in her room, which she noshed on all day. and she was not athletic by any means, and didn't drink any water that i ever saw - only mountain dew or sweet tea.

she was by far the most disgusting eater i have ever seen in my entire life, but she looked like a beauty queen. i can't help but feel that there would be discrimination against her and her eating habits vs. an obese person who had the same eating habits. i'm not sure the best way to get what i'm thinking across, but i think the majority of people who participate on this site would have some kind of similar experience and think to themselves, 'what the hell?!' which is pretty much how i felt eating my salad and yogurt for lunch watching her gorge on fast food everyday.

in a nutshell: i mostly agree with you on most counts, but i do think those gray areas you mentioned and are not too fond of are legitamately there in many cases - not all, but too many to be completely discounted.

kateroot

I totally agree that there are a ton of people out there who have horrible diets and are still thin. If I ate like one of those people, I would be obese. That's the thing - some people can "get away" with a horrible diet, and some people can't. I don't condone anyone having a horrible diet, but aside from the few exceptions like the woman you mentioned, most people who eat a horrible diet for a sustained amount of time are going to end up obese. There are exceptions to every rule, and I realize that not every thin person has a healthy diet, and not every obese person has a horrible diet.

I accept people for who they are and the choices that they make, my only feeling is that obese people should not be a protected class like race, gender, etc. Smokers are not a protected class - they make a choice to smoke, which is a detriment to their health. They can be denied jobs, apartments, life insurance, etc., simply for being smokers. I don't see obesity as being much different than smoking in that regard. For the overwhelming majority, obesity is a result of negative choices. People are free to make those choices, and I don't judge them for it, but I don't think they should be protected by law against "discrimination" because of it. That seems to be the aim of these NAAFA people.

FitLink

Like alcoholism, drug use and other "self destructive diseases" our society took a down turn when suddenly these problems were recognized as "diseases" and that those people should be treated as handicapped or accepted for their condition.

You didn't get exposed to some chemical that caused you to eat more, or to take that drink of alcohol or to inject that drug into your arm. You did it by making a choice. Now, for the small population with thyroid problems, that is a recognizable disease but to say its genetics that is such a fallacy it is not even funny. I come from a big family, yeah... I do... and they eat a lot of food. They aren't big because of some sort of genetic thing that makes them gain weight by eating apples.

Our society is changing, it is no longer survival of the fittest competition it is a nation of acceptance and the general pussification of America.

Yeah I am fat, but I didn't realize this until recently and expect no acceptance of what I have done to myself. My choices have lead to my health and the fact that I am a contributing factor as to why insurance rates are higher, as to why furniture is broken etc. I am doing something about it and it makes me sick that such organizations exist, but hey it is America and every body wants to be loved. The concept of discrimination is so skewed now it is not even funny. Discrimination is based on sex, race, religion and the truly disabled, being fat unless you have a thyroid or other medical problem is not a disability it is a choice that you continue to make.

But, again, you can't pick out that person who is fat because of a medical problem by looking at them. It is certainly true that a small number of disabled people are disabled because they made bad choices. You can even debate as to blame vs blamelessness in degrees. I have a HS classmate who (not in HS, as an adult) dove headfirst into four-foot water and was paralyzed from the neck down. There were signs everywhere warning not to dive head first and of the danger, but this guy was not one to follow rules. He was known in elementary school for beating other kids up pretty randomly, and he eventually was kicked out of our HS for bullying. The residential HS he subsequently attended threw him out for pouring a pot of hot coffee on his roommate as a prank. Now he is obviously disabled and uses a power wheelchair with special controls to get around. He's disabled, but he made the choice just as certainly--MORE certainly--than any fat person. He's not alone. So shall we not accept disabled people because you can't tell the ones who got that way blamelessly from the ones who got there by making bad choices? Are you saying that the "percentage" of people who made bad choices matters? It's okay to discriminate against a smaller number of people?

I walk with crutches. Should I simply be denied the things I can't get to because you can't tell by looking at me WHY I need crutches? Should I be denied a job as a computer programmer because a company just considers disabled people "gross?" Why should a fat person be denied the same job because you don't accept his/her "fatness?" I also have cancer. This could have a direct affect on a company that hires me's health plan. Should they be allowed to deny me a job because I have cancer?

If you REALLY believe that you should ONLY protect from discrimination things that are NOT a choice EVER, gender, race and national origin should be protected. Religion is a CHOICE. You CAN change your religion, even if you don't choose to. Disability is sometimes a choice as well. Perhaps a better measure is the "essential functions of the job" rule. If I can perform the "essential functions of the job" then my personal traits AND choices are not an employer's business. You don't have to "accept" me as a person, but you can't decide that you don't like my personal choices and so not hire, rent, or sell to me.

FitLink

I totally agree that there are a ton of people out there who have horrible diets and are still thin. If I ate like one of those people, I would be obese. That's the thing - some people can "get away" with a horrible diet, and some people can't. I don't condone anyone having a horrible diet, but aside from the few exceptions like the woman you mentioned, most people who eat a horrible diet for a sustained amount of time are going to end up obese. There are exceptions to every rule, and I realize that not every thin person has a healthy diet, and not every obese person has a horrible diet.

I accept people for who they are and the choices that they make, my only feeling is that obese people should not be a protected class like race, gender, etc. Smokers are not a protected class - they make a choice to smoke, which is a detriment to their health. They can be denied jobs, apartments, life insurance, etc., simply for being smokers. I don't see obesity as being much different than smoking in that regard. For the overwhelming majority, obesity is a result of negative choices. People are free to make those choices, and I don't judge them for it, but I don't think they should be protected by law against "discrimination" because of it. That seems to be the aim of these NAAFA people.

You can't tell a smoker by looking. Sometimes you can tell by smell, but I know some who I didn't even realize were smokers until i saw them smoking. Fat people can be identified by sight, but not the cause of their weight. It may be the minority, but some people definitely DON'T choose to be fat. Is it okay to discriminate against them? The "aim of these NAAFA people" is to make sure a job's availability is determined by the ability to do the job, not by appearance. Do you have an issue with that? Why? Do you actually judge them and not realize it?

ohsweetcalamity

It's not a damn Werner Herzog film, it doesn't need to be analyzed and interpreted. It's an exhibit for kids. And to kids, a lot of things are cut and dry. So teaching them that being fat isn't healthy has to be broken down into very simple terms. Sure, we could have a fat kid, and a skinny kid, and an asian kid in a wheelchair on each side, but giving them this much room for interpretation just lets their stupid childbrains decide what the message is meant to be, and they'll probably be wrong.

And why all the complaints that the baddies have stereotypical unhealthy physiques? So the 'villain' of the piece should be skinny? And the kids that are doing awesome healthy things should be chunky monkeys? I don't understand how you could possibly rearrange this to make the point clear to children.

As far as hurt feelings, well I was a grade A pure beef american fat kid, and I saw a whole lot of cartoons and TV shows with absolutely obese villains, and I never once thought they were suggesting that I, too, was a bad person, just because we shared similar waistlines. But hey, I'm sure this is a really really important thing that people should totally take time and effort out of their lives to change. I'm sure it'll make a huge difference to all the kids rolling on their heelies down Main St. USA.

Hambone23

Pft. There's a ton of skinnier kids who eat crap all day and sit in front of the tv or spend all day playing computer games. Suggesting only big kids are lazy and fat is ridiculous. Heck, how many pudgy boys did you know who suddenly shot up one summer and grew out of their baby fat. That does create a stereotype. Now, I'm absolutely behind educating kids to eat better, but I do see the negative in a display like this. Just because you're skinny doesn't mean you're healthy.

FitLink

Obesity is largely, although not entirely, a moral issue. Gluttony isn't looked upon favorably in most cultures. ETA: My point in my previous post was that once we start accepting the behaviors that cause people to be obese, it's a slippery slope. There's a HUGE difference between being tolerant of people for something they cannot control (i.e. race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of people obesity is caused by poor behavioral choices. People who make poor choices should NOT be considered a protected group in the same category as race, gender, etc. It blows my mind.

i got to thinking about this some more and had to come back and comment. i can go with the gluttony/moral thing, and i definitely agree that this is a societal thing - i feel that our whole culture in the u.s. is savage gluttony when it comes to most things - food, money, technology, you name it. but sticking with the food thing, how would you factor in the 'skinny' gluttons into this? not all gluttonous people wear it on their bellies.

your post got me thinking about my cooperating teacher during my student teacher practicum. she was model thin - size zero. but do you know what she ate for lunch everyday? two footlong chili hotdogs with all the fixings and a double order of cheese fries. no joke. everyday from january until may. and she wasn't on a high calorie diet for anything - that's just what she eats. she feeds her daughters in the same way, but apparently, but they weren't so lucky with the size zero thing and seemed to get larger everytime i saw them (only about three or four times).

i asked her for dinner and she told me to make sure i didnt' serve any veggies, because she didn't eat any. and she came in every morning with a fast food combo for breakfast. and she had snacks for the students (right) in her room, which she noshed on all day. and she was not athletic by any means, and didn't drink any water that i ever saw - only mountain dew or sweet tea.

she was by far the most disgusting eater i have ever seen in my entire life, but she looked like a beauty queen. i can't help but feel that there would be discrimination against her and her eating habits vs. an obese person who had the same eating habits. i'm not sure the best way to get what i'm thinking across, but i think the majority of people who participate on this site would have some kind of similar experience and think to themselves, 'what the hell?!' which is pretty much how i felt eating my salad and yogurt for lunch watching her gorge on fast food everyday.

in a nutshell: i mostly agree with you on most counts, but i do think those gray areas you mentioned and are not too fond of are legitamately there in many cases - not all, but too many to be completely discounted.

And since we CAN'T pick out gluttons by sight, why is it okay to shame people, especially children, on the basis of appearance?

caroleslaststand

This news does not surprise me at all. I have met people from that organization and I was criticized by a couple of their members for wanting to get into shape and for thinking that changing my diet had anything to do with good health. I didn't criticize anyone for wanting to stay fat or for eating a high calorie diet without exercising (and this is exactly what they described to me as their preference). I have no problem with people loving themselves no matter where they are at, but maybe some of us have a genuine desire to be able to look down and actually see our genitals without a mirror.

terrellc1

Surely Disney did their homework and asked what the kids thought. Or is it only the adults who have gotten their panties in a wad?

mccarol1956

Wow, I'm surprised by the majority of responses here. For an online community full of a majority of overweight or previously overweight people I don't understand why the people here do not understand how an image of a big fat guy as a villain can emotionally traumatise kids.

That's just ridiculous. Haven't WE ALL been fat before? Don't we all remember how rotten we felt? How would you have liked to walk through a grocery store only to have some kid call you Dr. Elephaunt, Disney's new fat ghost?

When people have said nasty things to me, i haven't thought 'it's okay because tomorrow i start my fitness journey to healthy eating and will reach my goal weight through all the motivation i've just recieved by being teased within 6 months.' No, i felt terrible, mildy depressed, unmotivated, anxious. I wanted to hide. None of these feelings are conducive to healthy living, and they do not created a healthy mindset.

Of course little fat baddies shouldn't be running around an exhibit teaching kids that fat and lazy is evil. Positive images of activity, fun, and healthy foods works much better. I can remember being a kid, learning about 'the food pyramid' and reading it on the back of my breakfast cereal packet every morning - THIS helped me.

Gosh, just think back to what you all responded to as adults. It wasn't the horrible feelings you had when you considered yourself overweight...those feelings just made you stay in your house, hide from your boyfriend, binge eat because 'it won't make a difference' - it was the realisation that yes, there is hope to change, a way to change, and yes, it is within your grasp.

Word.

Totally with you on this!

mcott1012

So... here's the thing, I am totally on the fence about this one. On one hand, I was the "fat kid" growing up. Even though I swam, danced, rode bikes, walked to friends houses around the neighbourhood and always worked my butt off in gym class... I was still a bigger kid... What can I say, I come from a long line of 'healthy sized' German women. Because of that, I was taunted mercilessly by fellow classmates. As such, I live with life-long scars, because despite the fact the wounds have healed I will never fully escape the stigma of being the 'fat kid'. Coming from that perspective, had I seen that exhibit at Disney World, it likely would have ruined my entire experience, because I was not some lazy, slovenly villain who continually snacked or had a lead bottom, and neither are all people who are overweight.
On the other hand...
There is no denying that children today are getting fatter. I look back at pictures of myself in public school and compare myself to the public school students of today. The sad truth is, had I been attending school with a lot of these children, my weight would not have even been noticed because I look almost average when compared to some of these kids today. It is true, children AND parents need to informed of healthy lifestyles and activities... And what better place to reach families than Disney World? I think the exhibit is a good idea in principle but should be tweaked...
Finally, I think the idea of Advancing Fat Acceptance is a double edged sword. Again, coming from the "fat kid" perspective, it is terrible the effects that can be felt (and how long those effects can last) by being put down for being overweight, and I would have loved a place to turn when I was younger.
Having said that...
Being extremly overweight is not a healthy way to live. Maybe the group should be called 'The National Association to Advance Healthy Body Type Acceptance'?
Like I said, i'm REALLY on the fence about this one...

cutie2b

He/She wasn't saying obese people are criminals. You know exactly what that post meant. And obesity is everyone's business because it's a major factor in health care/insurance costs, which affects EVERYONE!! So unless they start making different prices for obese and the non-obese I'll continue to make it my business.

Obesity has nothing to do with our health crisis. It's a symptom of the real issue - UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES (and only in some cases - obesity can be a symptom of hormone issues, medicines, etc. as well). Not exercising, eating only junk food, smoking, drugs, etc. are all going to result in poor health and extra health care costs regardless of your level of fatness and weight. You can be fat and healthy and you can be skinny and unhealthy. So what I eat is not any more of your business unless you are policing everyone's diet and exercise/fitness routines regardless of weight. Stop judging people only by weight and look at their behaviors. That's what's important. Are they eating whole food with lots of veggies and fruit? Are they exercising? Are they sleeping? Are they dealing with stress effectively? That's what really matters. Not their body fat percentage. You can say in general that potentially that people with high body fat percentages do not lead healthy lifestyles, but that's not always the case. And I promise that there are skinny people who have heart attacks and also have diabetes, who have made poor lifestyle choices. Look at the lifestyle choices and not just the outside appearance of someone. Until you get to extremes (anorexia or super obesity) and stress the body so much, weight in general doesn't cause death. For everyone in the middle, it's generally an issue of healthy lifestyles that relates to biological deaths from disease.

chanstriste13

Obesity is largely, although not entirely, a moral issue. Gluttony isn't looked upon favorably in most cultures. ETA: My point in my previous post was that once we start accepting the behaviors that cause people to be obese, it's a slippery slope. There's a HUGE difference between being tolerant of people for something they cannot control (i.e. race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of people obesity is caused by poor behavioral choices. People who make poor choices should NOT be considered a protected group in the same category as race, gender, etc. It blows my mind.

i got to thinking about this some more and had to come back and comment. i can go with the gluttony/moral thing, and i definitely agree that this is a societal thing - i feel that our whole culture in the u.s. is savage gluttony when it comes to most things - food, money, technology, you name it. but sticking with the food thing, how would you factor in the 'skinny' gluttons into this? not all gluttonous people wear it on their bellies.

your post got me thinking about my cooperating teacher during my student teacher practicum. she was model thin - size zero. but do you know what she ate for lunch everyday? two footlong chili hotdogs with all the fixings and a double order of cheese fries. no joke. everyday from january until may. and she wasn't on a high calorie diet for anything - that's just what she eats. she feeds her daughters in the same way, but apparently, but they weren't so lucky with the size zero thing and seemed to get larger everytime i saw them (only about three or four times).

i asked her for dinner and she told me to make sure i didnt' serve any veggies, because she didn't eat any. and she came in every morning with a fast food combo for breakfast. and she had snacks for the students (right) in her room, which she noshed on all day. and she was not athletic by any means, and didn't drink any water that i ever saw - only mountain dew or sweet tea.

she was by far the most disgusting eater i have ever seen in my entire life, but she looked like a beauty queen. i can't help but feel that there would be discrimination against her and her eating habits vs. an obese person who had the same eating habits. i'm not sure the best way to get what i'm thinking across, but i think the majority of people who participate on this site would have some kind of similar experience and think to themselves, 'what the hell?!' which is pretty much how i felt eating my salad and yogurt for lunch watching her gorge on fast food everyday.

in a nutshell: i mostly agree with you on most counts, but i do think those gray areas you mentioned and are not too fond of are legitamately there in many cases - not all, but too many to be completely discounted.

And since we CAN'T pick out gluttons by sight, why is it okay to shame people, especially children, on the basis of appearance?

huh?
:noway:

not sure where you caught me saying it was okay to shame anyone - i think might have mixed me up with someone else...

InvidiaXII

They made a big deal out of this movie too

Haaaah, I'm literally watching that movie right now. It's so funny

mccarol1956

unbelievable, fat acceptance. Are we supposed to pretend that being overweight and obese isn't unhealthy. After having 3 kids I found myself 20 lbs into the obese category. I'm ashamed of myself for letting it get this bad. I speak openly with my almost 5 and 3 year old about my weightloss and exercise. I want them to know that my weight and lack of exercise was unhealthy. I feel very fortunate that my children are healthy and active and that I'm getting my weight under control while they are still young.

I think it's not about pretending that obesity is healthy, it's about not belittling fat people or making them feel like second class citizens because of their weight.

This is so true..

FitLink

Obesity is largely, although not entirely, a moral issue. Gluttony isn't looked upon favorably in most cultures. ETA: My point in my previous post was that once we start accepting the behaviors that cause people to be obese, it's a slippery slope. There's a HUGE difference between being tolerant of people for something they cannot control (i.e. race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of people obesity is caused by poor behavioral choices. People who make poor choices should NOT be considered a protected group in the same category as race, gender, etc. It blows my mind.

You may consider it a "moral" issue. Your post implies you don't consider sexual orientation a choice, so don't consider it a moral issue. To be upfront, I don't either. But you can't deny that some people certainly do consider it both a choice and a moral issue, and for that reason, oppose giving people whose sexual orientation they consider "morally wrong" protection from discrimination. They even argue that allowing this is a "slippery slope," and if we start accepting "deviants" (and I use this word deliberately to draw a comparison to "gluttons"--both are perjorative terms for which less emotionally charged alternatives exist, and both are used to evoke an emotional response when used in these arguments) we'd have to start accepting bestiality and incest.

We can't force the bigots who have decided that gay is a choice and morally wrong to believe differently. We can recognize that they don't have to personally accept gays for the law to recognize that sexual orientation doesn't determine whether I can do my job, and so can't be used to determine my suitability for a job. You don't have to personally accept fat people--not even the ones who had no control over it--but that doesn't mean we can't have laws that say if a person can "perform the essential functions of the job," whether they are a "glutton" or not is none of your business.

BTW, that "gluttony" isn't looked favorably upon in "most" cultures is patently false. Most twenty first century western cultures don't accept FOOD gluttony (money gluttony seems pretty accepted), but the same can't be said of most cultures throughout history. Furthermore, the fact that things like "starvation mode" exists, and the lengths the body goes to to protect fat stores, highlights the fact that for most of human history, the ability to store fat efficiently was genetically selected for and was a positive trait. Even a short time ago in human history, being fat was considered a sign of aristocracy.

FitLink

Obesity is largely, although not entirely, a moral issue. Gluttony isn't looked upon favorably in most cultures. ETA: My point in my previous post was that once we start accepting the behaviors that cause people to be obese, it's a slippery slope. There's a HUGE difference between being tolerant of people for something they cannot control (i.e. race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of people obesity is caused by poor behavioral choices. People who make poor choices should NOT be considered a protected group in the same category as race, gender, etc. It blows my mind.

i got to thinking about this some more and had to come back and comment. i can go with the gluttony/moral thing, and i definitely agree that this is a societal thing - i feel that our whole culture in the u.s. is savage gluttony when it comes to most things - food, money, technology, you name it. but sticking with the food thing, how would you factor in the 'skinny' gluttons into this? not all gluttonous people wear it on their bellies.

your post got me thinking about my cooperating teacher during my student teacher practicum. she was model thin - size zero. but do you know what she ate for lunch everyday? two footlong chili hotdogs with all the fixings and a double order of cheese fries. no joke. everyday from january until may. and she wasn't on a high calorie diet for anything - that's just what she eats. she feeds her daughters in the same way, but apparently, but they weren't so lucky with the size zero thing and seemed to get larger everytime i saw them (only about three or four times).

i asked her for dinner and she told me to make sure i didnt' serve any veggies, because she didn't eat any. and she came in every morning with a fast food combo for breakfast. and she had snacks for the students (right) in her room, which she noshed on all day. and she was not athletic by any means, and didn't drink any water that i ever saw - only mountain dew or sweet tea.

she was by far the most disgusting eater i have ever seen in my entire life, but she looked like a beauty queen. i can't help but feel that there would be discrimination against her and her eating habits vs. an obese person who had the same eating habits. i'm not sure the best way to get what i'm thinking across, but i think the majority of people who participate on this site would have some kind of similar experience and think to themselves, 'what the hell?!' which is pretty much how i felt eating my salad and yogurt for lunch watching her gorge on fast food everyday.

in a nutshell: i mostly agree with you on most counts, but i do think those gray areas you mentioned and are not too fond of are legitamately there in many cases - not all, but too many to be completely discounted.

And since we CAN'T pick out gluttons by sight, why is it okay to shame people, especially children, on the basis of appearance?

huh?
:noway:

not sure where you caught me saying it was okay to shame anyone - i think might have mixed me up with someone else...

I was agreeing with you and expanding upon your post. Like the people who post "^^THIS^^" I am an aspie and don't always see why things like this aren't obvious to others. I was not saying you advocated shaming--the thread is about shaming children about weight ( the Disney attraction) and discrimination (NAAFA).

Though I do disagree with you on the "i can go with the gluttony/moral thing" as I expand upon to the poster you replied to. Whether it is a moral thing or not is a matter of opinion. For me, morality comes down to "harm to the person or property of a non-consenting other." Obesity, sexual orientation, seat belt use, helmet use, drug use...all are consensual and for adults, are "ain't nobody's business if you do."

FitLink

He/She wasn't saying obese people are criminals. You know exactly what that post meant. And obesity is everyone's business because it's a major factor in health care/insurance costs, which affects EVERYONE!! So unless they start making different prices for obese and the non-obese I'll continue to make it my business.

Obesity has nothing to do with our health crisis. It's a symptom of the real issue - UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES (and only in some cases - obesity can be a symptom of hormone issues, medicines, etc. as well). Not exercising, eating only junk food, smoking, drugs, etc. are all going to result in poor health and extra health care costs regardless of your level of fatness and weight. You can be fat and healthy and you can be skinny and unhealthy. So what I eat is not any more of your business unless you are policing everyone's diet and exercise/fitness routines regardless of weight. Stop judging people only by weight and look at their behaviors. That's what's important. Are they eating whole food with lots of veggies and fruit? Are they exercising? Are they sleeping? Are they dealing with stress effectively? That's what really matters. Not their body fat percentage. You can say in general that potentially that people with high body fat percentages do not lead healthy lifestyles, but that's not always the case. And I promise that there are skinny people who have heart attacks and also have diabetes, who have made poor lifestyle choices. Look at the lifestyle choices and not just the outside appearance of someone. Until you get to extremes (anorexia or super obesity) and stress the body so much, weight in general doesn't cause death. For everyone in the middle, it's generally an issue of healthy lifestyles that relates to biological deaths from disease.

And healthy lifestyle isn't a guarantee of health, long life, or that you won't have health problems that increase health care costs. Jim Fixx, author of the 1977 bestseller "The Complete Book of Running," has been credited with starting the fitness movement in America. He wrote books and articles about exercise and healthy eating, appeared on talk shows to promote exercise and healthy eating, and lived by what he wrote. He also died of a heart attack at the age of 52, in 1984, while out on his daily run. His autopsy showed three coronary arteries were blocked, one by 95%. Can we conclude that running is detrimental to health? Or should we conclude that health is more complicated than food and exercise? There are plenty of fat and skinny but unhealthy celebrities and average people who live well past 52, some well past 82 or 92, with few, if any, health problems. Health isn't as simple as food and exercise, and you can't know much about a person just by looking, especially about their health, so it's never okay to judge based on appearance--even fat.