The "War" on "Fat" People

[hopejoy]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

I know what you mean and have personally experienced both sides. There is definately prejudice and hate towards overweight people. Thin women are treated so much better than fat women... and not just by men. My husband fortunately has loved me through thick and thin but out there in the cold cruel world... people men and women treat fat people differently than thin people. I don't even think that people are conciously aware of why they dislike someone... and I think there are multiple reasons for the hate. Anyways, it's a sad but very true reality. It's real.

liz

[Chicklady]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

My theory- overweight people and smokers are the two groups that somehow slipped through the cracks of the political correctness. People finally have been educated enough to be shocked and horrified at racial prejudice or sexism, or if you were to say something bad about handicapped folks. Heck, they even have laws to protect the rights of those groups. Seems all that hasn't been covered is obesity and smoking.

[Bettestress]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

My theory- overweight people and smokers are the two groups that somehow slipped through the cracks of the political correctness. People finally have been educated enough to be shocked and horrified at racial prejudice or sexism, or if you were to say something bad about handicapped folks. Heck, they even have laws to protect the rights of those groups. Seems all that hasn't been covered is obesity and smoking.

Exactly right, we are not protected under "hate crime" laws, or EOE, and if anyone were to scream "fat" slur at you in public, it would be A-OK.

[Hudson]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

One thing. Most of these skinny people have a bad frame of reference. Their own perfectly working insulin. They eat something (even a donut or cake or plate of pasta), they produce just enough insulin to process what they ate. They are satisfied and don't get hungry for 5 or 6 hours. They live much of their lives this way. They think (from their own experience) that eating again in 2 hours is just our lazy our of control piggy fault.

Then they read that it is simply a matter of calories in vs calories out. Fat people are just out of control. So they start with their own experience and draw a conclusion that is reinforced by the media. Then they see a fat person that has little energy and conclude they are lazy. NEVER considering that something may be wrong causing them to not move. (insulin production is taking too much of their food and turning it to fat, and they have little food for normal energy production).

Yes the assumptions are wrong, but they are understandable.

[spazzyhilo]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

sigh with actions like this its only a matter of time before signs that say "no fatties allowed" will be posted in every window.

I don't think they realize that not all fat people got that way just from eating the wrong foods and sitting on their buns. So many factors play into it, genetics, depression, medications, medical problems, etc. This is why we all lose weight differently and at different paces.

Heaven forbid we be unique individuals.

[albs75]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

I have seen both sides of this in so many ways. I was always a thin person until 5 or 6 years ago. Everyone in my family is thin and everyone I knew was thin. I thought that people who were overweight were mosty fighting genetics and I felt bad for them. I also thought that the severly overweight were often dealing with emotional issues that caused them to over eat (akin to an anorexic).

Being on the other side of all of this has been a painful, eye opening, frustrating experience. People treat me totally differently. This isn't a projection of my own feelings on to others, this is true and absulute. It is as if people think that I have chosen to be fat and I don't care. I have had total strangers say the most bizarre things to me. A man walked past me in the garage at Target and said "you've just given up, haven't you?". My stunned response was "what?". He went on to say "you look like you used to be really pretty but you don't care any more do you? You've just given up". He was shaking his head and snearing. This happened 6 months ago and I'm still stunned.

People treat me as if I am stupid now too. Literally, they treat me as if I am dumb. Because that is another thing about the prejeudice against fat. The belief is that people who are fat are ignorant of the dangers of being fat or ignorant of any facts relating to dieting. If one more MD lectures me about the dangers of fast food I don't know what I am going to do. As I gained the weight and kept telling MD's that I didn't know why I was goining, they wouldn't take me seriously. Now, officially obease, after seeing the reports from the nutritionists, they finally believe that it isn't my fault that I can't lose weight. They still, however, insist, that I over ate to get this way.

[Ketone]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

I think that people are so aware of anorexia as an eating disorder. Why can they not see that yes, sometimes being obese is not a choice. I know when I was up with my bmi about 30 something. I was "obese" by CDC terms and it was mentally and physically an issue. I sleep walk ate, and emotionally stuffed due to depression. I may have photos of someone who is now a size 12, but I have been a 20 (at 5'1") and it is hard. I do feel for each of you who are trying to get healthy and wish you all the best of luck and success! and I mean it! ! !

[Debi2007]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

I have to agree with one of the other posts - the negativity towards "fat" people is not a new thing. It has been around for a long time. I think we are just seeing it more because honestly... there are soooo many more fat people.

People in our nation are getting fatter and fatter. The statistics are high. Over 65% of Americans are overweight. I don't know statistics for other countries.

I am 40 years old and have been overweight my entire life. I have experienced so much prejudice and nothing really shocks me anymore. People can be absolutely cruel.

Sadly, parents teach it to their children. I was in my son's preschool a few weeks ago and one of his little friends said "why is your mom so fat?" Then he said... "my mom says that fat people should live on an island together so we don't have to see them."

My son doesn't know I am fat. He knows I am different and that I am "softer" lol... than daddy (who is fit). He just doesn't know that being fat is a bad thing and hopefully by the time he has that awareness (which will no doubt be given to him by peers) - I will be thin.

I am rambling now... but this is a great topic and one I have addressed with friends many times.

[TitianWasp]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

I think that somewhere between thin/admired and fat/prejudiced-against, there is the phase of completely invisible. Doesn't matter if you are pretty or smart, talented or rich...as far as the world is concerned, you have gone all sort of grey and vague and it seems like people can't see you at all any more. A different sort of prejudice I guess - to not be acknowleged altogether.

[UrbanShaman]

Re: The "War" on "Fat" People

This issue hits close to home for me because of my career choice. For the longest time it was accepted and expected to be large if you sing opera. You know the saying about the fat lady. Well it applied to both genders. However, in recent years, as opera makes a bid to compete with other types of entertainment, the focus has left the voice and settled on the body. Singers who are merely adequate voices but look good are put forward instead of overweight or unattractive singers. Hollywood has a hold of opera with a vengeance now and my weight has become a liability, hence ONE of the reason I'm losing weight.

I'm not saying that one should be overweight to sing opera but there are singers who are not quite as fit who sing gloriously and look wonderful on stage who are being passed up for singers who look good but don't sing as effectively. It's a changing world, folks.