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Why is obesity tolerated?

hjgbujhghg

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This is a thing that is going through my mind for a quite time. Obesity is NOT a comsetic problem, or a beauty problem as a lot of people seem to see it this way. Obesity is a serious health problem and it's still tolerated like nothing happens. When you have an obese kid in the class your parents usually tell you not to make a fun of him, because you could hurt his feelings. But it's totally fine to tell a skinny person, he's skinny. Or it's fine to tell someone who is underweight "you look like anorexic" , but it's not okay to tell an obese kid he's obese...What's wrong?
 

prplchknz

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it's not ok to tell someone they look anorexic. everyone I ever told that to got really offended.
 

freeeekyyy

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It's not okay to seriously mock people for being underweight either. In those cases where you have observed this, I'm willing to bet both people were usually in on it. Some people are better at laughing at themselves than others. In the same way, some fat people don't mind making fun of themselves for that either. Just like most things, it depends on context.
 

Amargith

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This is a thing that is going through my mind for a quite time. Obesity is NOT a comsetic problem, or a beauty problem as a lot of people seem to see it this way. Obesity is a serious health problem and it's still tolerated like nothing happens. When you have an obese kid in the class your parents usually tell you not to make a fun of him, because you could hurt his feelings. But it's totally fine to tell a skinny person, he's skinny. Or it's fine to tell someone who is underweight "you look like anorexic" , but it's not okay to tell an obese kid he's obese...What's wrong?

Because it is a lot more complex than it looks. Often, obesity is caused by more than poor diet. And I'd hardly call it 'tolerated'. Obese people literally carry their problems on their body, for everyone to see. And other seem to think it is perfectly ok to use them as a scapegoat for just that reason. Moreso than say, smokers, heavy drinkers, or any of the other 'escape mechanisms' that are socially tolerated.
 

Standuble

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I suspect that the social view is that by calling someone fat you're actually saying "they lack the self-control and discipline necessary to control their appetite" but even then I think it's a mere remnant of the past where having excess food was more a symbol of greed - both financial greed and gluttony. If food production continues then within a century I reckon calling someone fat would cease to be treated as an insult.
 

rav3n

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My take is focused on individual rights. As long as obesity isn't a transmittable disease, tolerance shouldn't be part of any equation since people don't have the right to control others because of aesthetic preferences. Analogous would be to insist that people have moles removed since...durr...melanoma.
 

Amargith

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My take is focused on individual rights. As long as obesity isn't a transmittable disease, tolerance shouldn't be part of any equation since people don't have the right to control others because of aesthetic preferences. Analogous would be to insist that people have moles removed since...durr...melanoma.

QFT. :nice:
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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Some people do seem to have difficulty losing weight, despite their efforts.

And for a lot of people, access to non-shitty food is difficult. It's not as though making fun of them will make them skinnier, either. Two things that are more likely to work are better food and exercise.
 

cafe

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The way obese people are treated, especially obese women, is not what I would call tolerance. There is some backlash against the intolerance and there is backlash against the backlash, though.

When I was very thin and people called me anorexic or whatever it didn't bother me any more than somebody calling me 'cracker' because I'm white. That's because of privilege in both cases, IMO. It bothers me a little when people say real men like curves and stuff like that, even though I'm average weight now. Was my husband a fake man when we met and didn't become a real man until I was in my thirties? :unsure:
 

zago

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Honestly fat people bother me a little. From afar I couldn't tell you why, but the ones I have known have usually been simply lazy. Back in college I knew this girl who was probably 5'2 and close to 200. She would have been really pretty if she got down to 120, which also would have been healthy. Mind you, I was still her friend and all, but I regularly witnessed her eating junk food, and she always took the elevator instead of the stairs. That alone baffled me. It's one thing to dedicate yourself to going to the gym several hours a week, that's pretty tough. But to walk up a few flights of stairs a few times a day is an almost passive way to get in better shape. It's as quick as the elevator, and really not that demanding. But it helps.
 

kyuuei

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I fail to see how it is an issue at all. There is no sense of tolerating it because it is what it is. You don't 'tolerate' water--it is and exists and will always be.

People aren't required to live their personal lives in any way, shape, or form for the sake of others. And I hope it stays that way. That's like saying why is tanning tolerated when it causes skin cancer. Because things go much deeper than what is scientifically practical.
 

cafe

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Fat people don't 'bother me' because I don't think I know anyone lazier than I am or with less self-discipline. I know I won that particular gene lottery. That doesn't make me a better person. It makes me lucky.
 

kyuuei

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Honestly fat people bother me a little. From afar I couldn't tell you why, but the ones I have known have usually been simply lazy. Back in college I knew this girl who was probably 5'2 and close to 200. She would have been really pretty if she got down to 120, which also would have been healthy. Mind you, I was still her friend and all, but I regularly witnessed her eating junk food, and she always took the elevator instead of the stairs. That alone baffled me. It's one thing to dedicate yourself to going to the gym several hours a week, that's pretty tough. But to walk up a few flights of stairs a few times a day is an almost passive way to get in better shape. It's as quick as the elevator, and really not that demanding. But it helps.

What you don't see is the underlying issues. Most 20 year old females don't desire to be overweight willingly. I mean, what you're saying is essentially the same argument you'd give to homeless people. "Why don't they just get a job? I mean that fixes everything." Until you see the figures of the sheer mass of homeless people with jobs. Then suddenly that isn't so viable.

Walking up stairs doesn't fix an unhealthy childhood, a lack of emphasis growing up on nutrition, social and peer pressure, and unconscious habit. Even healthy people tend to under estimate the calories they take in. Most people are not well educated in nutrition, and many girls are not encouraged to do things like work out at the gym--and it can seem really daunting to practically starve yourself on salads all the time while others your age with luckier genes are grubbin' like they're getting the needle the next day.

Barring emotional issues and medical issues, the people you socialize with a lot have a huge influence on your diet and lifestyle. She's young. Young people aren't really known for caring about their diet and nutritional health long term.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111119134520AARVEZk
 

prplchknz

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You don't know what other shit someone has going on so it's not fair to shun them cuz of their size. or go eww gross fatty eat a salad! you don't know what fucking underlying conditions are going on. My rule of thumb is to never comment on anyones weight good or bed.
 

Dr Mobius

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It’s essentially a complicated version of the rights of the individual versus state control. The problem is measuring culpability. How much is the individuals fault, or the state for having a poorly regulated food industry, how much are the companies that push their products on to people to blame? And at the end of the day if the state in turn has to pay for the care of said individual, does that not mean they should have a say? The problem like most in life is in a grey area, the solution is likely to be one in the goldilocks zone; were the individual is to a certain degree at fault, but the state takes some responsibility, and the corporations are held within reason accountable for the outcome.
 

kyuuei

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It’s essentially a complicated version of the rights of the individual versus state control. The problem is measuring culpability. How much is the individuals fault, or the state for having a poorly regulated food industry, how much are the companies that push their products on to people to blame? And at the end of the day if the state in turn has to pay for the care of said individual, does that not mean they should have a say? The problem like most in life is in a grey area, the solution is likely to be one in the goldilocks zone; were the individual is to a certain degree at fault, but the state takes some responsibility, and the corporations are held within reason accountable for the outcome.

It really isn't a gray area here. The state is not paying for things--the people pay the state via taxes.

My mother gets looks from people all the time for being 'obese', despite the fact she works out longer, harder, eats better, and puts more active effort into her health than they ever have in their lives. Most 56 year olds would NOT be doing p90x at their age. My mother does, though, and for the entire hour 15 to hour 30. She walks everywhere, doesn't even use her handicap parking she was awarded unless she needs to, and completely changed her diet to eat clean and wholesome foods with natural sugars and all that bullshit.

The state absolutely does NOT have a say in how healthy people can be because PEOPLE don't have a say in how healthy they are. They can only manage it to a certain extent--and that health status changes each day. Diet and exercise doesn't fix every illness in the world. Healthy people get sick too.

I am all for proper education, educational programs and health programs, and even incentives for healthy lifestyles. But I am not for rewarding people born with better genes than others. I am about to let a state representative tell my mother she's obese when she's eating clean food and managing her weight with more precision than some skinny-fat guy that can eat a burger whenever he wants.
 

prplchknz

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you know if healthy weight was deemed medically unfit and obese weight was deemed medically fit we'd see people being like wtf put that carrot down eat a cheeseburger! so really it's all perspective of what the medical community says. so the point is we're all gonna die and you being ideal weight isn't gonna save you in the long run. plus to live with some of you people that long i think i'd hang myself around age 80
 

Dr Mobius

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It really isn't a gray area here. The state is not paying for things--the people pay the state via taxes.

To be fair that would only be true in a state without debt, where they weren’t borrowing money for their residents. Last time I checked there were only a handful of countries who could claim that

Secondly I think we had a misunderstanding I said “if the state has to pay.” I was referring to universal healthcare, because obesity is a global problem, something I can attest to being from a country that has on occasion claimed the top rank on the obesity chart.

My mother gets looks from people all the time for being 'obese', despite the fact she works out longer, harder, eats better, and puts more active effort into her health than they ever have in their lives. Most 56 year olds would NOT be doing p90x at their age. My mother does, though, and for the entire hour 15 to hour 30. She walks everywhere, doesn't even use her handicap parking she was awarded unless she needs to, and completely changed her diet to eat clean and wholesome foods with natural sugars and all that bullshit.

I’m sorry that your mother has to put up with that. I’m sorry I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to respond to this.

I am all for proper education, educational programs and health programs, and even incentives for healthy lifestyles. But I am not for rewarding people born with better genes than others. I am about to let a state representative tell my mother she's obese when she's eating clean food and managing her weight with more precision than some skinny-fat guy that can eat a burger whenever he wants.

The bolded was what I was talking about when I said the state should take some responsibility. along with reviewing the regulation around the food industry, and putting in incentives for food companies to produce healthier products.

I think I should explain what I mean by grey area. I mean that there are no black and white answers, as in if we do this and that bam we’ve solved the problem. That it would take the individual and the state, and the food industry to reduce the number of obese people.
 
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