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My rant on overweight justification in America

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Azzurri

Member
ScOULaris said:
I can't speak for all of Europe, but have you been to Italy? I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say that most people look thin and healthy. Not malnourished or scrawny, although of course everyone's definition of "too thin" is different as it is with "too fat."

I wouldn't call them fit, yes Italian, yes been to Italy multiple times. Healthy, yes, more slender then Americans on average, yup. Also Here in the USA we also have extremes, like really obese or really jacked people.
 

JoshDigi

Neo Member
Kenak said:
Eh, I don't have any issues what-so-ever with overweight people. The only issues I have are when people claim to diet and exercise, but really they cheat on the diet all the time and working out equates to getting sweaty and out of breath. Or the infamous walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

I see this all the time at the gym. Fatties sitting on the exercise bike going 2 MPH all the while drinking a liter of gatorade. But hey, they went to they gym that day so its not their fault that they are fat!

I want to go up to them and say, "You will forever be fat if you keep this up. That gatorade is nothing but sugar. It won't make you an athlete just because the commericals said it would. You are ingesting more calories while at the gym then you are burning off. Drop the gatorade and actually put some work into your work out."
 
JoshDigi said:
I see this all the time at the gym. Fatties sitting on the exercise bike going 2 MPH all the while drinking a liter of gatorade. But hey, they went to they gym that day so its not their fault that they are fat!

I want to go up to them and say, "You will forever be fat if you keep this up. That gatorade is nothing but sugar. It won't make you an athlete just because the commericals said it would. You are ingesting more calories while at the gym then you are burning off. Drop the gatorade and actually put some work into your work out."

No need to be so harsh,and wow I had no idea this thread was still going.
 
JoshDigi said:
I see this all the time at the gym. Fatties sitting on the exercise bike going 2 MPH all the while drinking a liter of gatorade. But hey, they went to they gym that day so its not their fault that they are fat!

I want to go up to them and say, "You will forever be fat if you keep this up. That gatorade is nothing but sugar. It won't make you an athlete just because the commericals said it would. You are ingesting more calories while at the gym then you are burning off. Drop the gatorade and actually put some work into your work out."
Yeah! Personally, I make sure to throw in one more sentence just to explicitly drive my point home: "I consider you inferior to me you fat sack of excrement!"
 

Wrekt

Member
I wish I was the guy that invented these:

Skechers_shape_ups_fitness_junkie_trainer_lg1-160x200.jpg


I've seen the vast majority of fat people at my company wearing a pair of Shape-ups at one point in time. He had to make so much bank off of them.

Nobody lost any significant weight with them.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Just saw the bump and read the Cracked article.

The article is a joke and further proof that Internet writers just scour GAF all day for ideas.

The author compares obesity (a health-related, biological problem) to shortcomings that stem from numerous societal factors (having a hot girlfriend, making tons of money... etc.) Every human being on the planet (save for less than 1%) is capable of maintaining a healthy weight. Your weight/physique is one of the very few things that we have direct control over in our lives.
 

Coxy

Member
ScOULaris said:
Just saw the bump and read the Cracked article.

The article is a joke and further proof that Internet writers just scour GAF all day for ideas.

The author compares obesity (a health-related, biological problem) to shortcomings that stem from numerous societal factors (having a hot girlfriend, making tons of money... etc.) Every human being on the planet (save for less than 1%) is capable of maintaining a healthy weight. Your weight/physique is one of the very few things that we have direct control over in our lives.

point #1 will probably link to this post soon
 
ScOULaris said:
Just saw the bump and read the Cracked article.

The article is a joke and further proof that Internet writers just scour GAF all day for ideas.

The author compares obesity (a health-related, biological problem) to shortcomings that stem from numerous societal factors (having a hot girlfriend, making tons of money... etc.) Every human being on the planet (save for less than 1%) is capable of maintaining a healthy weight. Your weight/physique is one of the very few things that we have direct control over in our lives.
He also mentioned addictions. And while the comparisons aren't 100% comparable (i.e. literally everyone can lose weight but due to limited resources not everyone can become rich), I think they are apt on the whole. The point is that people can be selective in calling out bad behaviors that apply to them, but generally aren't as harsh in regards to their own shortcomings. I don't think he was advocating that obesity is perfectly okay.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Steve Youngblood said:
He also mentioned addictions. And while the comparisons aren't 100% comparable (i.e. literally everyone can lose weight but due to limited resources not everyone can become rich), I think they are apt on the whole. The point is that people can be selective in calling out bad behaviors that apply to them, but generally aren't as harsh in regards to their own shortcomings. I don't think he was advocating that obesity is perfectly okay.

That's very assuming in a variety of ways.

It's assuming that most people are selective in calling out bad behaviors. It's also assuming that all shortcomings are more or less objectively equal.

I enjoyed the article, but that part kind of irked me.
 
Zefah said:
That's very assuming in a variety of ways.

It's assuming that most people are selective in calling out bad behaviors. It's also assuming that all shortcomings are more or less objectively equal.

I enjoyed the article, but that part kind of irked me.
But I think ultimately the point is that one can be encouraging of ideal behavior -- for instance advocating a better diet and exercise regiment -- without being judgmental or condescending towards the individuals who would be wise to listen to your wisdom.

There's a fine line that I think some people misunderstand. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is wonderful. I agree that obesity is a problem, and that a desire for tolerance is a little counter-productive as obesity isn't just a problem for vain people ("ugh, I hate having to look at awful fatties") but is a legitimate health concern.

However, preaching that it's strictly a character flaw of the lazy and stupid does lend itself to the comparisons the author is making. Do you think that any of the posters in this thread who have crossed that fine line that separates prudent advice from mockery are themselves perfect? If not, then the author has a valid point. It doesn't matter that not all problems are created equal. The crux of the message stands.
 

Onemic

Member
ScOULaris said:
Just saw the bump and read the Cracked article.

The article is a joke and further proof that Internet writers just scour GAF all day for ideas.

The author compares obesity (a health-related, biological problem) to shortcomings that stem from numerous societal factors (having a hot girlfriend, making tons of money... etc.) Every human being on the planet (save for less than 1%) is capable of maintaining a healthy weight. Your weight/physique is one of the very few things that we have direct control over in our lives.

NO
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Steve Youngblood said:
But I think ultimately the point is that one can be encouraging of ideal behavior -- for instance advocating a better diet and exercise regiment -- without being judgmental or condescending towards the individuals who would be wise to listen to your wisdom.

There's a fine line that I think some people misunderstand. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is wonderful. I agree that obesity is a problem, and that a desire for tolerance is a little counter-productive as obesity isn't just a problem for vain people ("ugh, I hate having to look at awful fatties") but is a legitimate health concern.

However, preaching that it's strictly a character flaw of the lazy and stupid does lend itself to the comparisons the author is making. Do you think that any of the posters in this thread who have crossed that fine line that separates prudent advice from mockery are themselves perfect? If not, then the author has a valid point. It doesn't matter that not all problems are created equal. The crux of the message stands.

Oh, I agree with that. I'm much more for trying to encourage people to lose weight rather than just dismissing them as 'fucking fatties'.

I do agree with the sentiment of the OP, though--that the justification/acceptance of obesity in modern America should not be tolerated or encouraged.
 
ScOULaris said:
Just saw the bump and read the Cracked article.

The article is a joke and further proof that Internet writers just scour GAF all day for ideas.

The author compares obesity (a health-related, biological problem) to shortcomings that stem from numerous societal factors (having a hot girlfriend, making tons of money... etc.) Every human being on the planet (save for less than 1%) is capable of maintaining a healthy weight. Your weight/physique is one of the very few things that we have direct control over in our lives.
While I think the article is stretching a bit in equivalency on this particular issue, especially since obesity is certainly becoming a huge (lulz) problem in this nation, I think fatness can certainly be tied to social/economic factors. We have made shitty food incredibly cheap and easy to get and this needs to be fixed. When we began to recognize the dangers of pervasive tobacco use, we placed barriers (location bans, rising prices, age restrictions etc) to its use and availability. I hope the same is done for our junk or poorly nutritive food.

I don't think the OP is really indicative of 'fatty hate', but some of the thread responses could probably count. What is weird is that it took me many years of internet use to happen upon GAF and now it's everywhere else I turn. I'm such a bandwagoner :(
 

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
Steve Youngblood said:
But I think ultimately the point is that one can be encouraging of ideal behavior -- for instance advocating a better diet and exercise regiment -- without being judgmental or condescending towards the individuals who would be wise to listen to your wisdom.

There's a fine line that I think some people misunderstand. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is wonderful. I agree that obesity is a problem, and that a desire for tolerance is a little counter-productive as obesity isn't just a problem for vain people ("ugh, I hate having to look at awful fatties") but is a legitimate health concern.

However, preaching that it's strictly a character flaw of the lazy and stupid does lend itself to the comparisons the author is making. Do you think that any of the posters in this thread who have crossed that fine line that separates prudent advice from mockery are themselves perfect? If not, then the author has a valid point. It doesn't matter that not all problems are created equal. The crux of the message stands.

hear hear, steve youngblood. spit truth like fire.
 
Forgive me if someone has suggested this already, but it would be fascinating to see the actual body types/pictures of the people posting in this thread to go along with their posts. Opinions on the fat v. healthy weight debate can be influenced by all kinds of things outside of your own body type, of course, but it's hard to deny that your own situation wouldn't affect your stance a little bit. I'd be curious to see if the stronger-worded posts reflect that, as some posters would seem to think.
 
macuser1of5 said:
I don't think the OP is really indicative of 'fatty hate'
Here's a sampling from page 3:
ScOULaris said:
Everyone knows why they are fat and what they can do about it. Many choose not to address it. We call those people "lazy fatasses." Glad you're proud to be a card-carrying member.
Now, I don't think that undermines the premise entirely, but let's not pretend that this thread is an altruistic endeavor.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
DrPirate said:
Italian-Canadian here.

I try to stuff my face with dual double big macs, two steaks every monday and wednesdays, pasta dishes tuesedays and thursdays, and 3 eggs with bread and such every morning with continuous snacking all day and I can't seem to break 180 pounds (I'm 6'2). I would like a more "meatier" frame, and I work out three times a week, but I can't seem to get the right size I want.

Genetics has ALOT to do with it. Everyone in my family is skinny, and we consume enough food to feed the average family for a week every day.

How long ago did you move to Canada? It does seem genetics play a role in that about 30-50% of people can tolerate modern junk food without going into binge eating. However we also know that junk food doesn't cause acute obesity. American born kids that end up becoming obese usually don't until around puberty or in their mid to late 20s. In one case I think it's hormonal (puberty), and in the other I think it's a neurological association between color, texture, flavor, social interaction, and certain types of food that jacks up the body's value of the food such that it overrides a healthy level of hunger.

And some people will think that the entire population of the United States decided to spontaneously overeat in the 1970s no matter what evidence in presented. They think that biological stuff like hunger just happens and that such systems can never get disregulated no matter what the environmental and dietary factors are. It's odd that people think this way considering we're in a society with so many treatments to correct other biological disorders or suboptimal health. Thyroid levels too low? GRIT YOUR TEETH. Type 1 diabetes? STEP IT UP AND INSULIN WILL MAGICALLY HAPPEN.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
DrPirate said:
Italian-Canadian here.

I try to stuff my face with dual double big macs, two steaks every monday and wednesdays, pasta dishes tuesedays and thursdays, and 3 eggs with bread and such every morning with continuous snacking all day and I can't seem to break 180 pounds (I'm 6'2). I would like a more "meatier" frame, and I work out three times a week, but I can't seem to get the right size I want.

Genetics has ALOT to do with it. Everyone in my family is skinny, and we consume enough food to feed the average family for a week every day.
Write down your caloric intake and physical activity and post it. I'm interested.
Also what types of snack foods are you eating and is there an easy opportunity to overeat in your environment based on types of foods, or what is ok?

Also as others have said, milk.
 

7Th

Member
Steve Youngblood said:
But I think ultimately the point is that one can be encouraging of ideal behavior -- for instance advocating a better diet and exercise regiment -- without being judgmental or condescending towards the individuals who would be wise to listen to your wisdom.

There's a fine line that I think some people misunderstand. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is wonderful. I agree that obesity is a problem, and that a desire for tolerance is a little counter-productive as obesity isn't just a problem for vain people ("ugh, I hate having to look at awful fatties") but is a legitimate health concern.

However, preaching that it's strictly a character flaw of the lazy and stupid does lend itself to the comparisons the author is making. Do you think that any of the posters in this thread who have crossed that fine line that separates prudent advice from mockery are themselves perfect? If not, then the author has a valid point. It doesn't matter that not all problems are created equal. The crux of the message stands.

To be fair, absolutely nothing is strictly a character flaw that can be attributed only to the individual; I mean, even criminals are criminals due to reasons beyond their control, usually poor parenting or the lack of opportunity for education.
 
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