How do you feel about fat pride?

I'd take a different view on things. I'd say you're entitled to get as fat as you want, smoke as much as you want, drink as much as you want, tan as much as you want, whatever you want that what makes you happy provided it doesn't hurt other people - but you should pay for your own healthcare / health insurance (or live with the consequences), rather than spreading that cost around to other people. Just my $0.02, but the problem with me having to subsidize other people's costs shouldn't be blamed on their poor health or their poor decision making; it should be blamed on our bloated government and healthcare system that spreads those costs around, rather than putting them on the individual responsible for their own poor health.

Society "creating a support system" sounds all nice, warm and fuzzy, but as a practical matter people are going to do what makes them happy (particularly what makes them happy in the short term), and that's particularly true when you begin to take away the financial consequences of their actions. Likewise, spreading a message that "un-health isn't a great idea", aside from the awkward double negative, isn't exactly going to do a lot. I'd wager that the vast, vast majority of fat people know they aren't in perfect health and that their weight is almost certain to catch up with them at the end of the day. That's like telling a smoker that it's bad for him - you think he doesn't already know that? Even most "fat acceptance" people aren't suggesting that they are as healthy as someone at a "normal" body fat measurement, but rather making a more nuanced argument about the negative effects of yo-yo dieting and the poor chances for long-term success in weight loss.

At the end of the day, I'd say to let people do what they want to do, don't worry so much about what other people do, and to the extent their poor choices affect your wallet, take that up with your bloated government.

I've already stated like 15 times that we all indirectly pay for various expenses for other people - just like we'll all collectively help you (general) if you get cancer, or foodstamps if you lose your job, or unemployment if you get laid off. That's the way our country works. We're a community.

If I believed that obesity was a choice, like smoking (I quit 7 months ago), I'd agree with you. But obesity is not a black and white issue like some of you are making it out to be. It's an issue we're never going to fix it if we keep treating people like they are fat factory cut outs from the same mold - and ignoring the link between poverty and obesity.

People need to stop the "if you tried harder, you'd be less fat" line of thinking - it's far from being that simple in a lot of cases.

The VAST MAJORITY of people would "be less fat if they tried harder". The problem is, tools and funds people have to deal with it vary a lot. From what I've seen on it, fat pride people seem to be trying to re-define beauty and desirability and come from an attitude like: "ah forget it, I'm never going to lose enough weight to look like media's view of what you should look like. Since that is already manufactured anyways, why don't we re-define what "beautiful" is and try to make others change to suit us, and call prejudice on those who protest."

im fat and sexxaaayyyyy as alll hellllll

:smokin:

I'd take a different view on things. I'd say you're entitled to get as fat as you want, smoke as much as you want, drink as much as you want, tan as much as you want, whatever you want that what makes you happy provided it doesn't hurt other people - but you should pay for your own healthcare / health insurance (or live with the consequences), rather than spreading that cost around to other people. Just my $0.02, but the problem with me having to subsidize other people's costs shouldn't be blamed on their poor health or their poor decision making; it should be blamed on our bloated government and healthcare system that spreads those costs around, rather than putting them on the individual responsible for their own poor health.

Society "creating a support system" sounds all nice, warm and fuzzy, but as a practical matter people are going to do what makes them happy (particularly what makes them happy in the short term), and that's particularly true when you begin to take away the financial consequences of their actions. Likewise, spreading a message that "un-health isn't a great idea", aside from the awkward double negative, isn't exactly going to do a lot. I'd wager that the vast, vast majority of fat people know they aren't in perfect health and that their weight is almost certain to catch up with them at the end of the day. That's like telling a smoker that it's bad for him - you think he doesn't already know that? Even most "fat acceptance" people aren't suggesting that they are as healthy as someone at a "normal" body fat measurement, but rather making a more nuanced argument about the negative effects of yo-yo dieting and the poor chances for long-term success in weight loss.

At the end of the day, I'd say to let people do what they want to do, don't worry so much about what other people do, and to the extent their poor choices affect your wallet, take that up with your bloated government.

I think our healthcare in the Nordic countries is pretty good in comparison with some other places. I don't mind you calling it warm and fuzzy at all; quality of life is great here.

Being fat makes corporations more money. They spend more on healthcare and more on cheaply made food.

Being fat makes corporations more money. They spend more on healthcare and more on cheaply made food.

This line of reasoning hits close to home to me. What I tell people is that when I was on the American Standard Diet I would have to pay for my food three times, through subsidies, at the point of purchase, and finally with my health. Now that I buy things from my local co-op, I still have to shell out for the subsidies and pay a lot more at the point of purchase, but I am not paying a third time. I think a critical view of the diet in this country and the vested interests involved is very important to this discussion.

Well I usually get my stuff inside....

Honestly, since I've never considered myself that big, I don't think its my place to have much of an opinion. I do think everyone deserves acceptance and self-esteem, though.

I don't want to derail this thread...but da faq is a co-op?!

And if this will save me $$$ buying food ($200 a week lately - and I'm in just cutting stage) please elaborate intently

I don't want to derail this thread...but da faq is a co-op?!

And if this will save me $$$ buying food ($200 a week lately - and I'm in just cutting stage) please elaborate intently

Well I am in Portland, OR and we're pretty crunchy/hippie dippie here.

The technical definition:

"a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or the people who use its services"

So the person who runs it is very invested in the quality of the products and researches them in ways I don't have time for. Depends on your priorities, though. Just seems like everything I taste there is better and with fewer/better ingredients but it does not save me money. I used to coupon a lot and I'm paying a ton more than I was but definitely less than you are.

I don't want to derail this thread...but da faq is a co-op?!

And if this will save me $$$ buying food ($200 a week lately - and I'm in just cutting stage) please elaborate intently

Basically it just comes down to the structure of the business. The suggestion that the mere act of shopping at a co-op is somehow healthier for you is akin to suggesting that you'll be healthier because you shop at a grocer that's a privately owned company versus a publicly traded corporation like Whole Foods. I'm all for quality grocers but I wouldn't confuse quality with health.