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Thin Privilege or Lifestyle Consequences
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No! Look back in time. If there was "skinny privilege" then that means there's always been overweight people and that's not the case. Back in the early 80s and before everyone was thin.
[edited by MFP Mods]
Nope, I lived through the early 80s, although I was a kid. Lots of people were not thin, lots of people wanted to lose. Maybe we have a different understanding of what "thin" means, and certainly people overall were not as heavy as now, but no, not everyone was thin. My mom (who was high normal BMI or slightly overweight) checked out every diet book on the planet, and I was (a bit later) normal weight but not thin throughout my teens and completely depressed about my body.
Anyway, back to the OP and responses, thanks aokoye, you may have saved me from watching.
The percentage of overweight people in the early 80s and earlier was much lower than now. It's a fact! People who overeat do it to themselves. I made myself fat by eating. I don't understand where it started, in our society, that being fat is ok. It has nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with health; fat people are not healthy! This app is all the proof I need to understand that that people know they aren't healthy. You never see an old person who is fat, because fat people die young!
But you didn't say less people, you actually said "Back in the early 80s and before everyone was thin. "
And of course that statement simply isn't true.
And yes you do sometimes see old and fat people. "Never" is also false.
Hyperbole weakens your arguments rather than strengthens.
I remember the old test taking trick our 3rd grade teacher told us. If a true/false question contains the words all, everyone, never or some other absolute is most likely false.
Not sure what we are considering old. You do see obese people in their 60's but not so much in their 70's+. By that time they tend to die from the complications of obesity or they are so disabled they are in an assisted living arrangement and don't get out much.4 -
This thread isn't about debating. It's about, If you don't agree with me then you're mean and you don't follow the community rules and I'm gonna report you thread. I posted on here because I watched a video that was shared and I happen to agree with the man in the video. I also posted a link to a site showing numbers about the population of obesity. More people than ever are obese, this is a fact; obesity can reduce your life expectancy by 8-10 years. Thanks for your support. I don't believe in skinny privilege and actually this thread has pushed me towards believing that there is fat privilege.10
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PS... The man in the video went over exactly what the title of this thread is, Skinny Privilege or Life Consequences. So I did stay on topic!3
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This thread isn't about debating. It's about, If you don't agree with me then you're mean and you don't follow the community rules and I'm gonna report you thread. I posted on here because I watched a video that was shared and I happen to agree with the man in the video. I also posted a link to a site showing numbers about the population of obesity. More people than ever are obese, this is a fact; obesity can reduce your life expectancy by 8-10 years. Thanks for your support. I don't believe in skinny privilege and actually this thread has pushed me towards believing that there is fat privilege.
How has this thread pushed you toward believing that there's fat privilege? How are you defining privilege and are you using the word it in the way that sociologists (among many others) tend to in the context of things like white privilege or male privilege?
As for the rest of your post, I'm not sure what you're talking with regards to "If you don't agree with me then you're mean and you don't follow the community rules and I'm gonna report you thread.". No one has said that and frankly there haven't been any posts that even come close to warrenting being reported (I say this as someone who has no problem with reporting posts). I don't think this thread has been nearly the echo chamber that you are implying it is.
Your link isn't actually relevant to very much of the video at all and I've told you why that's the case. The only sections that are obviously relevant are the statistics on obesity among adults, but that's a miniscule amount of the content. If anything I suspect the person who made the video would be pretty opposed to the bulk of what's in the link that you shared. If you hold the position that the person in the video does, the link actually works against what your position. Remember, no one is claiming that aren't a large number of obese people in the US.
I guess my last question is, given that you shared the link from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with us, what did you find on their website other than the map of obesity in adults in the US and the graph with the rise in obesity?7 -
This thread isn't about debating. It's about, If you don't agree with me then you're mean and you don't follow the community rules and I'm gonna report you thread.
I haven't seen anyone call you mean. I thought you said you were obese, so was suggesting that beating yourself up might not be super helpful. It never was for me.I posted on here because I watched a video that was shared and I happen to agree with the man in the video. I also posted a link to a site showing numbers about the population of obesity. More people than ever are obese, this is a fact; obesity can reduce your life expectancy by 8-10 years.
Pretty sure everyone here knows and are not disputing that the obesity rate is up compared with, say, the '80s, and that obesity is a health concern.Thanks for your support. I don't believe in skinny privilege and actually this thread has pushed me towards believing that there is fat privilege.
Btw, many or most of us (regular posters) are likely not obese or are well on the way to losing the weight. I lost 90 pounds in 2014-15 and have been basically maintaining (fluctuating between 125 and 135)--weights that are not overweight but also not thin. I'm planning to get back to focusing on becoming leaner (as well as stronger) this year.
Having been fat and not fat, not sure what "fat privilege" is supposed to be, but the idea strikes me as absurd.11 -
Thin privileged? I had to think about this for a while. I came to the conclusion. The fact that we are not all starving is a privilege many of us take for granted. The fact we have an obesity issue in affluent parts of the world is completely in line with this. I was obese my entire life, this is the first time in my life I have been at a "normal" weight. Besides having the privilege to live a little longer, I feel no different in society at all.9
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psychod787 wrote: »Thin privileged? I had to think about this for a while. I came to the conclusion. The fact that we are not all starving is a privilege many of us take for granted. The fact we have an obesity issue in affluent parts of the world is completely in line with this. I was obese my entire life, this is the first time in my life I have been at a "normal" weight. Besides having the privilege to live a little longer, I feel no different in society at all.
Except there are obesity issues in non-affluent parts of the world as well and among people in the US who are working class. Never mind that those with X privilege don't automatically feel different in the world. Feeling privileged isn't a requisite for privilege to exist. if anything people often don't realize that they have that privilege until they are made aware of it.11 -
psychod787 wrote: »Thin privileged? I had to think about this for a while. I came to the conclusion. The fact that we are not all starving is a privilege many of us take for granted. The fact we have an obesity issue in affluent parts of the world is completely in line with this. I was obese my entire life, this is the first time in my life I have been at a "normal" weight. Besides having the privilege to live a little longer, I feel no different in society at all.
Except there are obesity issues in non-affluent parts of the world as well and among people in the US who are working class. Never mind that those with X privilege don't automatically feel different in the world. Feeling privileged isn't a requisite for privilege to exist. if anything people often don't realize that they have that privilege until they are made aware of it.
Well, the fact that an excess of calories exist in the "non-affluent" areas of the world is a privilege. If we look back to our past, famine was common. Yes, even the "working" class have privileges. I am technically working class, but I AM PRIVILEGED. I can go to the store and buy food, I get to go to work, I have shelter.... ect.... Too many folks forget this *kitten*.11 -
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psychod787 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »Thin privileged? I had to think about this for a while. I came to the conclusion. The fact that we are not all starving is a privilege many of us take for granted. The fact we have an obesity issue in affluent parts of the world is completely in line with this. I was obese my entire life, this is the first time in my life I have been at a "normal" weight. Besides having the privilege to live a little longer, I feel no different in society at all.
Except there are obesity issues in non-affluent parts of the world as well and among people in the US who are working class. Never mind that those with X privilege don't automatically feel different in the world. Feeling privileged isn't a requisite for privilege to exist. if anything people often don't realize that they have that privilege until they are made aware of it.
Well, the fact that an excess of calories exist in the "non-affluent" areas of the world is a privilege. If we look back to our past, famine was common. Yes, even the "working" class have privileges. I am technically working class, but I AM PRIVILEGED. I can go to the store and buy food, I get to go to work, I have shelter.... ect.... Too many folks forget this *kitten*.
Someone always has it worse, of course. I'm not disputing that. That someone has it worse doesn't mean that the person who has it "better" isn't still marginalized. There are also intersections. So for instance, I have a very, interesting, form of male privilege in that I'm read as male, I'm trans (and male identified), and I'm black. Within the context of many, or even most, arenas in the US (among many other countries) black men are seen as a threat, even if that "seeing" is an unconscious feeling. If we want to go further I'm also highly educated (in the western sense of the word). It's very useful to look at things like privilege outside of a vacuum because people don't exist in vacuums. So no I don't have white privilege nor do I have privilege relating to being cis-gender. I do have privilege related to how much education I have. That, however, that's complicated by my other identities/aspects of my being.
I should note, I'm not convinced about their being such a thing as thin privilege. I do, however, think that people who aren't thin are marginalized in various ways.12 -
Privilege is a societal issue. The problem is your body is not a society, it's a biological system and doesn't recognize privilege.
So while we have the privilege of being able to discuss this, people are still dying (early) due to the food choices they are making.
So the person who is overweight arguing thin privilege is doing themselves no good with respect to their health by pointing to such a social issue. It does nothing to change what they are eating. It does nothing to make their neighborhood or community a better place to live.
Just as it was said there will always be someone who has it worse, there will also always be those who have it better.
The question is, what are people doing with what they have in hand? Are they using the information they have to improve their situation, or just spending time and energy complaining that someone has privilege while not taking control of what is under their control and changing their trajectory?
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tbright1965 wrote: »Privilege is a societal issue. The problem is your body is not a society, it's a biological system and doesn't recognize privilege.
So while we have the privilege of being able to discuss this, people are still dying (early) due to the food choices they are making.
So the person who is overweight arguing thin privilege is doing themselves no good with respect to their health by pointing to such a social issue. It does nothing to change what they are eating. It does nothing to make their neighborhood or community a better place to live.
Just as it was said there will always be someone who has it worse, there will also always be those who have it better.
The question is, what are people doing with what they have in hand? Are they using the information they have to improve their situation, or just spending time and energy complaining that someone has privilege while not taking control of what is under their control and changing their trajectory?
What makes you think that they aren't trying to take control of their weight? The two things are not mutually exclusive. We don't help people get healthy by making things inconvientent for them. We only make it more difficult because they have battle the difficulties of day to day life on top of fighting a weight loss battle.5 -
Actually, I don't think I said anything about if they are or are not doing anything. I specifically commented on the citation of those privileges. That is a fruitless exercise with respect to addressing one's own weight.
I can comment on the idea of calling out privilege without it meaning I know anything about what they are or are not doing.
To suggest otherwise is the logical fallacy of non-sequitur.
I specifically ask the question, what are they doing, which means I don't know, nor do I assume that I do know.tbright1965 wrote: »Privilege is a societal issue. The problem is your body is not a society, it's a biological system and doesn't recognize privilege.
So while we have the privilege of being able to discuss this, people are still dying (early) due to the food choices they are making.
So the person who is overweight arguing thin privilege is doing themselves no good with respect to their health by pointing to such a social issue. It does nothing to change what they are eating. It does nothing to make their neighborhood or community a better place to live.
Just as it was said there will always be someone who has it worse, there will also always be those who have it better.
The question is, what are people doing with what they have in hand? Are they using the information they have to improve their situation, or just spending time and energy complaining that someone has privilege while not taking control of what is under their control and changing their trajectory?
What makes you think that they aren't trying to take control of their weight? The two things are not mutually exclusive. We don't help people get healthy by making things inconvientent for them. We only make it more difficult because they have battle the difficulties of day to day life on top of fighting a weight loss battle.
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tbright1965 wrote: »Privilege is a societal issue. The problem is your body is not a society, it's a biological system and doesn't recognize privilege.
I'm not invested in the idea that "thin privilege" exists (I have recommended before Phoebe Maltz Bovy's book on the use of "privilege" language and agree with the reservations she seems to have about it). However, how society reacts to fat people certainly could be a societal issue, and I assume that someone -- not that anyone actually has in this discussion that I've seen -- who talks about "thin privilege" would be talking about that.
Some evocations of "thin privilege" strike me as stupid or unproductive, but mostly I hear them from people who are mocking the idea or saying "shut up fatty" or pointing to some supposed outrage that happened somewhere by likely is not something common in most of our experiences (look at this thing that happened at a college campus, kids are crazy today or whatnot) rather than seriously responding to comments made by obese people or others seriously arguing the idea. Granted, I don't hang out with fat activists, but I do find it interesting that it's incredibly rare to see actual serious complaints about so-called thin privilege that are of the ridiculous type here or other things people seem to think lots of people are saying (like that weight doesn't matter for health), but there are very often comments or even threads started (as here) to slam those ideas. I kind of wonder what's up with that -- it would make more sense if it were common for people to assert here that weight loss is unimportant, but of course that's not so.So the person who is overweight arguing thin privilege is doing themselves no good with respect to their health by pointing to such a social issue. It does nothing to change what they are eating. It does nothing to make their neighborhood or community a better place to live.
Again, I don't see any people who are overweight arguing thin privilege here.5 -
"As for the rest of your post, I'm not sure what you're talking with regards to "If you don't agree with me then you're mean and you don't follow the community rules and I'm gonna report you thread.". No one has said that and frankly there haven't been any posts that even come close to warrenting being reported (I say this as someone who has no problem with reporting posts). I don't think this thread has been nearly the echo chamber that you are implying it is."
Someone reported me. Not that it matters as I thought it was silly but yes someone reported me.
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Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless. There have been periods in human history when to be Rubenesque was a sign of affluence and therefore a desirable trait. It will have been the thin (read: the less wealthy) who enjoyed much less privilege in those times. I believe it's not thin privilege but attractive privilege and thin simply happens to be considered attractive in contemporary zeitgeist.
It may seem like I'm splitting hairs but I think it's an important distinction. People don't have a lot of control over the genetic programming that drives them to want to most viable option for their genetic material but it's interesting to note that what qualifies as "thin" has changed in my lifetime from girls wanting to look like Twiggy or Kate Moss, waif-like and frail, to the current mantra that "fit is the new thin". If we can't prevent people from selecting for attractiveness, maybe we can redefine attractiveness to be more inclusive?17 -
Although the guy annoys me with his excessive use of the F word and how dramatic he is being in this video, I guess I agree with him for the most part.9
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This logic doesn't work very well if we apply it to other forms of privilege. Ie those related to sex, national origin, race, disability, etc.born_of_fire74 wrote: »Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless.
That said, even if you only apply it to weight (and I'm willing to give you the doubt that you're not applying it to other forms of privilege), that doesn't make said privilege something that's ok or that societies can't work to change on an institutional level.3 -
This logic doesn't work very well if we apply it to other forms of privilege. Ie those related to sex, national origin, race, disability, etc.born_of_fire74 wrote: »Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless.
That said, even if you only apply it to weight (and I'm willing to give you the doubt that you're not applying it to other forms of privilege), that doesn't make said privilege something that's ok or that societies can't work to change on an institutional level.
Sure it does. Attractive people of either gender are better treated than unattractive; an able bodied person is treated better than a disabled person; race and national origin are both related to appearance as well—the closer to “white” you are, the more privilege you enjoy. Of course these are sweeping generalizations but if you look closely at any prejudice or privilege related to prejudice, I feel it can be boiled down to appearance. We are merely mammals looking for mates no matter how much we want to think we are more.
Consider how an overweight but pretty woman is treated in comparison to one who is slim but homely. There are a number of plus sized models but can you name any that are truly homely? Add an overweight, homely woman into the mix and consider who will be treated most favorably and who the least. Individual encounters will vary but the overweight pretty woman will fare better in most interactions than the other two.
I’ve not condoned this behaviour as much as suggested that it’s biologically unavoidable. You might as well be unhappy with people needing to urinate. You can’t outlaw bathrooms and expect people to stop urinating any more than you can outlaw discrimination and expect people to stop categorizing and ranking others they encounter on the daily. So instead of letting people urinate all over the place whenever they like, making messes and exposing themselves inappropriately, let’s encourage civility and respect.
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Except it's not about attractiveness in most cases, it's about power, superiority, as well as the tendency for people to group themselves and others.born_of_fire74 wrote: »
This logic doesn't work very well if we apply it to other forms of privilege. Ie those related to sex, national origin, race, disability, etc.born_of_fire74 wrote: »Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless.
That said, even if you only apply it to weight (and I'm willing to give you the doubt that you're not applying it to other forms of privilege), that doesn't make said privilege something that's ok or that societies can't work to change on an institutional level.
Sure it does. Attractive people of either gender are better treated than unattractive; an able bodied person is treated better than a disabled person; race and national origin are both related to appearance as well—the closer to “white” you are, the more privilege you enjoy. Of course these are sweeping generalizations but if you look closely at any prejudice or privilege related to prejudice, I feel it can be boiled down to appearance. We are merely mammals looking for mates no matter how much we want to think we are more.4 -
Although the guy annoys me with his excessive use of the F word and how dramatic he is being in this video, I guess I agree with him for the most part.
Me too...
I have been on both sides of the spectrum..obese and now thin.
I get more grief now that I am thin...
Told I can't eat this because I exercise or am thin
Ridiculed in the gym because I can't lift as much as others or choose to treadmill.
Can't find a lot of clothing to fit me well as the sizes I require are in limited supply
I get called names like "skinny *kitten*" or told "it's not fair I am so small now" or get ridiculed because I am "not curvy" and real men don't like sticks etc...
when I was heavy people went out of their way to help me, tell me it was all good, have another cookie or don't worry you can sit here etc...
So tell me again how there is "thin privilege"...smh.
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »
This logic doesn't work very well if we apply it to other forms of privilege. Ie those related to sex, national origin, race, disability, etc.born_of_fire74 wrote: »Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless.
That said, even if you only apply it to weight (and I'm willing to give you the doubt that you're not applying it to other forms of privilege), that doesn't make said privilege something that's ok or that societies can't work to change on an institutional level.
Sure it does. Attractive people of either gender are better treated than unattractive; an able bodied person is treated better than a disabled person; race and national origin are both related to appearance as well—the closer to “white” you are, the more privilege you enjoy. Of course these are sweeping generalizations but if you look closely at any prejudice or privilege related to prejudice, I feel it can be boiled down to appearance. We are merely mammals looking for mates no matter how much we want to think we are more.
Consider how an overweight but pretty woman is treated in comparison to one who is slim but homely. There are a number of plus sized models but can you name any that are truly homely? Add an overweight, homely woman into the mix and consider who will be treated most favorably and who the least. Individual encounters will vary but the overweight pretty woman will fare better in most interactions than the other two.
I’ve not condoned this behaviour as much as suggested that it’s biologically unavoidable. You might as well be unhappy with people needing to urinate. You can’t outlaw bathrooms and expect people to stop urinating any more than you can outlaw discrimination and expect people to stop categorizing and ranking others they encounter on the daily. So instead of letting people urinate all over the place whenever they like, making messes and exposing themselves inappropriately, let’s encourage civility and respect.
What! So when I work outside and get dark I'm lessening my privilege? Wow... when I am outdoors more i look far more Hispanic than "white", no Hispanic in the family line. Italian ,native American, and Irish. Dark hair, curly beard, and brown eyes. Well *kitten*, better stay indoors and increase my privilege...🙄5 -
I'm about 5 minutes in and so far I agree with him that everything he's mentioned so far is either an Obese Consequence rather than Thin Privilege or not a real issue (in that it happens to people of every size.)
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Except it's not about attractiveness in most cases, it's about power, superiority, as well as the tendency for people to group themselves and others.born_of_fire74 wrote: »
This logic doesn't work very well if we apply it to other forms of privilege. Ie those related to sex, national origin, race, disability, etc.born_of_fire74 wrote: »Humans select for attractiveness. We can't help it; we subconsciously believe it is how we get the best, most successful mate with whom to procreate. As a result, attractive people always enjoy many privileges however what is attractive is not timeless.
That said, even if you only apply it to weight (and I'm willing to give you the doubt that you're not applying it to other forms of privilege), that doesn't make said privilege something that's ok or that societies can't work to change on an institutional level.
Sure it does. Attractive people of either gender are better treated than unattractive; an able bodied person is treated better than a disabled person; race and national origin are both related to appearance as well—the closer to “white” you are, the more privilege you enjoy. Of course these are sweeping generalizations but if you look closely at any prejudice or privilege related to prejudice, I feel it can be boiled down to appearance. We are merely mammals looking for mates no matter how much we want to think we are more.
Yes, and how do you suppose people decide whether they are superior or more powerful: what criteria are they using to group themselves together? Do they know your bank balance by looking at you? Do they know how much power you wield by looking at you? Do they know your ancestry to determine whether you are the same as them? These are not things people generally know about each other and, when they do, it is virtually never known at the time they make their first impression.
When deciding how to categorize you and whether you are a member of their group or an “other”, people look at your clothes, your hair, your accoutrements and your stature; they look at your body language and evaluate your comfort level based on eye contact; they listen to the language you use and what accent you may have. Many characteristics that cannot possibly be determined accurately on the basis of appearance alone are nevertheless guessed at and used to rank and categorize you.
psychod787: To many racists, a swarthy white lady is no different from a PoC lady at 50’ and possibly no different once engaged with, depending on the individuals. If you’ve never experienced negative consequences from this aspect of your appearance, that is fantastic! In many ways, we are expanding the definition of attractive already: TG models, plus sized models, the Dove campaign...4 -
I think this topic got covered in a bit of depth recently in another thread, it's quite a polarizing one. The guy in the video seems a bit angry and he's probably cashing in on the controversy to get views - marketing innit...
IMO the debate boils down to life choices being 'privilege' and if you buy into that or not. I get that some people are overweight not because of life choices but the majority of overweight people are that way because they choose to be that way.
If they were complaining about something they could not control like 'tall' or 'pretty' or 'clever' privilege it might be more understandable. In the other thread someone raised a good question about the whole privilege thing - if someone has privilege what are they supposed to do about that? What's the expectation from the non-privileged?
I'll stick to life choices are not 'privilege' but the guy in the video doesn't come off very well with his communication. Agree with the message but not the delivery.3 -
I think this topic got covered in a bit of depth recently in another thread, it's quite a polarizing one. The guy in the video seems a bit angry and he's probably cashing in on the controversy to get views - marketing innit...
IMO the debate boils down to life choices being 'privilege' and if you buy into that or not. I get that some people are overweight not because of life choices but the majority of overweight people are that way because they choose to be that way.
If they were complaining about something they could not control like 'tall' or 'pretty' or 'clever' privilege it might be more understandable. In the other thread someone raised a good question about the whole privilege thing - if someone has privilege what are they supposed to do about that? What's the expectation from the non-privileged?
I'll stick to life choices are not 'privilege' but the guy in the video doesn't come off very well with his communication. Agree with the message but not the delivery.
Some people feel like it is not something they can control. I felt that way for a long time. Now that I am most of the way through my weight loss I realize that the secret was, among a few things, to actually stop trying so hard. That is not an easy lesson to learn when you have as much weight to lose as I did and people around you were assuming you were not trying hard enough. I believed it.
I take responsibility for myself though. There are privileges to being less obese. The NSV thread is full of them. I have experienced many. That is not a society thing though it is a personal thing.
I could not watch the entire video. The guy is a jackkitten. There may be truth to some of what he has to say but there was no point in saying it unless the video ended with him offering helpful advice. Being responsible for your choices is good but unhelpful if you are struggling with how to change them.9 -
Interesting. I'm not over-fat by any means. I'm probably about 12-13% at the moment. Half of the data points in the graphic could apply to big and tall guys like me or bodybuilders in general... and I don't even want to talk about airplane seats. Luckily I almost always fly with my 5'2 wife and just encroach on her space.
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I think this topic got covered in a bit of depth recently in another thread, it's quite a polarizing one. The guy in the video seems a bit angry and he's probably cashing in on the controversy to get views - marketing innit...
IMO the debate boils down to life choices being 'privilege' and if you buy into that or not. I get that some people are overweight not because of life choices but the majority of overweight people are that way because they choose to be that way.
If they were complaining about something they could not control like 'tall' or 'pretty' or 'clever' privilege it might be more understandable. In the other thread someone raised a good question about the whole privilege thing - if someone has privilege what are they supposed to do about that? What's the expectation from the non-privileged?
I'll stick to life choices are not 'privilege' but the guy in the video doesn't come off very well with his communication. Agree with the message but not the delivery.
Some people feel like it is not something they can control. I felt that way for a long time. Now that I am most of the way through my weight loss I realize that the secret was, among a few things, to actually stop trying so hard. That is not an easy lesson to learn when you have as much weight to lose as I did and people around you were assuming you were not trying hard enough. I believed it.
I take responsibility for myself though. There are privileges to being less obese. The NSV thread is full of them. I have experienced many. That is not a society thing though it is a personal thing.
I could not watch the entire video. The guy is a jackkitten. There may be truth to some of what he has to say but there was no point in saying it unless the video ended with him offering helpful advice. Being responsible for your choices is good but unhelpful if you are struggling with how to change them.
I agree that it's unhelpful to tell people to just take responsibility and it's often a lot more complicated than that. I spent years battling addictions being told to just snap out of it or get over it would not have worked.
I didn't watch all the video either, I got the jist early on and the tone of the message I don't think adds any value to anyone. I did see the bit where he mentioned he was previously obese and is obviously very proud of his transformation and the work that he put into it. I think this is what get's people's back up, when you've taken the tough path, worked really hard at it and stuck at it then someone who hasn't done that tells you you're 'privileged' to be enjoying the results of all that work it's going to provoke an angry reaction.
It's all Internet drama and he's probably made that video for attention to sell his wares, and it seems to be working...4 -
I think this topic got covered in a bit of depth recently in another thread, it's quite a polarizing one. The guy in the video seems a bit angry and he's probably cashing in on the controversy to get views - marketing innit...
IMO the debate boils down to life choices being 'privilege' and if you buy into that or not. I get that some people are overweight not because of life choices but the majority of overweight people are that way because they choose to be that way.
If they were complaining about something they could not control like 'tall' or 'pretty' or 'clever' privilege it might be more understandable. In the other thread someone raised a good question about the whole privilege thing - if someone has privilege what are they supposed to do about that? What's the expectation from the non-privileged?
I'll stick to life choices are not 'privilege' but the guy in the video doesn't come off very well with his communication. Agree with the message but not the delivery.
Some people feel like it is not something they can control. I felt that way for a long time. Now that I am most of the way through my weight loss I realize that the secret was, among a few things, to actually stop trying so hard. That is not an easy lesson to learn when you have as much weight to lose as I did and people around you were assuming you were not trying hard enough. I believed it.
I take responsibility for myself though. There are privileges to being less obese. The NSV thread is full of them. I have experienced many. That is not a society thing though it is a personal thing.
I could not watch the entire video. The guy is a jackkitten. There may be truth to some of what he has to say but there was no point in saying it unless the video ended with him offering helpful advice. Being responsible for your choices is good but unhelpful if you are struggling with how to change them.
I agree that it's unhelpful to tell people to just take responsibility and it's often a lot more complicated than that. I spent years battling addictions being told to just snap out of it or get over it would not have worked.
I didn't watch all the video either, I got the jist early on and the tone of the message I don't think adds any value to anyone. I did see the bit where he mentioned he was previously obese and is obviously very proud of his transformation and the work that he put into it. I think this is what get's people's back up, when you've taken the tough path, worked really hard at it and stuck at it then someone who hasn't done that tells you you're 'privileged' to be enjoying the results of all that work it's going to provoke an angry reaction.
It's all Internet drama and he's probably made that video for attention to sell his wares, and it seems to be working...
But he also admits he never experienced any of the drawbacks of being really heavy. I guess because I have I am less inclined to go on a rant about it. I was never mocked for exercise (at least to my face) but I have personally experienced all of the rest and now that I have lost most of the weight I need to lose it is certainly a privilege to no longer face them. I hope I never forget what this level of freedom feels like.
The thing that bothered me was that because he found his solution he is quick to judge people that have not yet and more specifically those who exceeded his top weight. Now that I have my solution (I assume since I am not quite done yet) I do fight the urge to feel stupid for how long I carried way too much weight but I certainly do all I can to avoid judging others that have not yet. I hate to tell him but if you can gain 40 or 50 pounds too much with more time and the right circumstances you can gain a whole lot more. He might feel superior because he didn't let it get as far out of hand as I did but we have lived different lives.
It is easy when you know. It is hard when you are still guessing and you believe the wrong things.11 -
But he also admits he never experienced any of the drawbacks of being really heavy. I guess because I have I am less inclined to go on a rant about it. I was never mocked for exercise (at least to my face) but I have personally experienced all of the rest and now that I have lost most of the weight I need to lose it is certainly a privilege to no longer face them. I hope I never forget what this level of freedom feels like.
The thing that bothered me was that because he found his solution he is quick to judge people that have not yet and more specifically those who exceeded his top weight.
Is he judging those who haven't found the solution, or is he judging those who, when presented with the facts of their circumstance, put their heads into the sand and say it's not true? I believe it's the latter, those who are sticking their fingers in their ears and saying, I'm healthy this way...
From my perspective, I see people who ignore the science as little different from those who are anti-vaccine.
I see it not as judging the ignorant who don't know, but as judging the choice to ignore the science and engage in non-productive thinking. Judging the choice to REMAIN ignorant despite the facts. Totally different.
Now that I have my solution (I assume since I am not quite done yet) I do fight the urge to feel stupid for how long I carried way too much weight but I certainly do all I can to avoid judging others that have not yet. I hate to tell him but if you can gain 40 or 50 pounds too much with more time and the right circumstances you can gain a whole lot more. He might feel superior because he didn't let it get as far out of hand as I did but we have lived different lives.
It is easy when you know. It is hard when you are still guessing and you believe the wrong things.
I guess the question is how can people not know in a day and age when the sum of human knowledge is literally in your hands?
One must work to remain ignorant in this information age.
Why not work to get the information and act upon it, if you are going to work?
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