Nah, I still think she's doing it just for the publicity.

if you want society to take responsibility for obesity thats one thing, promote exercise, ban soft drinks , only serve healthy food etc. but you're not going to change things by attacking strangers and calling them out- personally i dont think its anyones business if a person decides to follow their doctor's advice (which a good doctor would say something tacitly about losing weight and health risks i mean they are more qualified to make these opinions than a complete stranger) or not, how is it affecting you if a person cant have kids or has irregular periods because they are obese (unless its a family member) you just cant bully someone into changing their habits and you end creating more of a problem (i wouldnt want to be that voice in someone's head that causes them to possibly hurt themselves because of a name or something hurtful i said to them) you never know how someone is going to react to being called fat or ugly or a slut, its not about manning up- sure society is tough but do you really have to go out of your way to make it painful for another person to live their life?

person33

Dont you think being bullied is a great push to improvement yourself? Im not talking about unstable people who will slice their veins once they get offended.

I personally think so, if you are a fat slob covered in acne (like mentioned in the video), being bullied and discriminated against (like women who won't look at you, your work collective that won't talk to you or employees that won't hire you) is a great reason to fix yourself.

If its not I dont know what is.

Originally Posted by person33

if you want society to take responsibility for obesity thats one thing, promote exercise, ban soft drinks , only serve healthy food etc. but you're not going to change things by attacking strangers and calling them out- personally i dont think its anyones business if a person decides to follow their doctor's advice (which a good doctor would say something tacitly about losing weight and health risks i mean they are more qualified to make these opinions than a complete stranger) or not, how is it affecting you if a person cant have kids or has irregular periods because they are obese (unless its a family member) you just cant bully someone into changing their habits and you end creating more of a problem (i wouldnt want to be that voice in someone's head that causes them to possibly hurt themselves because of a name or something hurtful i said to them) you never know how someone is going to react to being called fat or ugly or a slut, its not about manning up- sure society is tough but do you really have to go out of your way to make it painful for another person to live their life?

First of all, the language used in the actual letter was really mild (fat and ugly were not used). Do I agree with the idea of unsolicited commentary? Not particularly. However, I do have an issue with her equating a comment regarding her obesity to bullying someone who is gay or of a different race which are factors we can't control. Our society has become too sensitive to people who are overweight (if you look at the youtube comments you'll see people making comments about how terrible "skinny barbies" are, and how she is "perfect just the way she is". Being fat is a health issue, not just one that is purely aesthetic.

The fact is, these people are costing the health care system a ton of money. The wait time to see gynecologist can be quite long in some areas. Since many problems can be helped by weight loss (irregular menses, infertility depending on the cause) it causes an unnecessary load in a wait list for patients who are worried about a pelvic mass. Or in the case of diabetics, having a foot amputation take up the spot of a person who needs a hip repair or a knee replacement. So, yes having an increasingly overweight and obese population affects everyone.

Am I saying that we should go around calling people fatties? No. I just think that we need to stop being so worried about offending people who are obese because there are people (children!) who have no idea that they are overweight because they have been so coddled by society. No more of this "love your body even though you have a BMI of 40" bs.

I don't disagree with what you're saying but what about the multitude of other medical problems that are brought on by other poor lifestyle decisions? Lung cancer? Cirrhosis? Can't male infertility be linked to smoking as well? Where's the outrage there? Why do we give liver transplants to former alcoholics? What about the 25-year-olds with melanoma because they tanned ridiculously as teenagers? What about those who use up the precious resources of our healthcare system by failing to use condoms and developing STIs? What about drug addicts? Nobody's bitching about rehab clinics... and while it can be (and should be) argued that addiction is a disease, it's poor choices that initially enable the disease to take effect. Why is food addiction not treated the same way?

There is compassion, "coddling", if you insist, of these people who de facto "cause" their own ailments because nobody's perfect and because we all have vices. And frankly, it's none of my business if my friends smoke, nor my business if they gain a few pounds.. it is CERTAINLY not the business of a stranger. They know obesity is a risk and they know 1/2 longterm smokers will succumb to a smoking-related illness. That's their prerogative. Overweight/obese individuals should be judged at the same level of anyone with any habit that can adversely affect their health -- and let's face it, between cigarettes, sodium levels, binge drinking, UV rays, laziness, self-mutilation, McDonalds, unsafe sex and recreational drug use... we are all our own worst enemies. Let's try to be a little more understanding.

As far as the weight issue goes, I know that the first time I gained quite a bit of weight was after starting medication for severe anxiety. I found that weight very hard to lose taking the drug; I just recently stopped and am seeing it slowly but surely come off because I do not live a sedentary lifestyle nor is my diet horrible. Often there really are other factors at play.

Originally Posted by starfish

While a lot of obesity is due to lifestyle, it is not always, and you should be careful what you assume. Words like that are the "cruel words" she was talking about. For all you know she could have a genetic condition that leads to being overweight (and there are many that can do this, both directly and indirectly). You are in no position to judge the reasons why this woman is overweight.

Sure, a genetic condition may predispose her to being overweight, however, IT DOES NOT preclude her from LOSING WEIGHT.

That is a fact.

Originally Posted by LIBORplustwo

Sure, a genetic condition may predispose her to being overweight, however, IT DOES NOT preclude her from LOSING WEIGHT.

That is a fact.

Depending on the genetic condition that's not necessarily true. It is in some cases where the person is predisposed to being overweight, but in some cases it can cause excess fat accumulation, and decreasing food intake is actually dangerous because the food isn't being used for energy. In other cases the problem can actually be with breaking down fat, which prevents the body from being able to access energy stores (and also extremely difficult to actually lose weight).

It's far more complicated than you're making it out to be.

like someone said you wouldnt go up to a random person and yell at them to stop smoking and lecture them on the dangers to their health, why is any more socially acceptable to do this to someone who is overweight?

Originally Posted by person33

like someone said you wouldnt go up to a random person and yell at them to stop smoking and lecture them on the dangers to their health, why is any more socially acceptable to do this to someone who is overweight?

Society discriminates against smoking people in other, quieter ways, like not allowing them to smoke in certain places, or for example if they ride the bus people around them change sits to escape the smell.

Also, no one actually walked to the TV chick and started insulting her. First of all she overreacted. Second of all, like I already said, people just pointed out to her that she's fat, they did it on the web. We all know that rules of etiquette don't work on the web. The internet allows people to say whatever they want anonymously, and they execute their right.

Originally Posted by AngryBean

Society discriminates against smoking people in other, quieter ways, like not allowing them to smoke in certain places, or for example if they ride the bus people around them change sits to escape the smell.

Also, no one actually walked to the TV chick and started insulting her. First of all she overreacted. Second of all, like I already said, people just pointed out to her that she's fat, they did it on the web. We all know that rules of etiquette don't work on the web. The internet allows people to say whatever they want anonymously, and they execute their right.

Clearly not anonymously all the time, apparently they found out who sent her the letter.

So now they will pressure the person into an apology with a lawsuit, the person will make an apology saying "they misunderstood" him. Then in a month everyone will forget everything, people will keep thinking crap about other people, the news chick will remain fat, and the news station will be known for its anti bullying policies so popular in white suburbian america that pays.

This story has happened before many many times...

Originally Posted by AngryBean

So now they will pressure the person into an apology with a lawsuit, the person will make an apology saying "they misunderstood" him. Then in a month everyone will forget everything, people will keep thinking crap about other people, the news chick will remain fat, and the news station will be known for its anti bullying policies so popular in white suburbian america that pays.

This story has happened before many many times...

History does tend to repeat itself, so yes.

Note: I work in the healthcare field, so my responses are probably a different perspective than most of you. Most smokers end up dying before they cost the system a huge amount of money. Still, I end up discussing smoking cessation opportunities with smokers every visit. The fact is, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are some of the largest drains on the health care system:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...Lvowgg&cad=rja

Food addiction is not something that is widely accepted in the medical community. Nevertheless, assuming that food addiction is legitimate, most people who are obese/overweight do not have food addiction. Yes, there are conditions and medications that lead to weight gain; however, a majority of people who are obese are not that way SOLEY because of their medical condition. This is just another example of us trying to normalize obesity and not accepting any responsibility for their own problems.

edit:

In other cases the problem can actually be with breaking down fat, which prevents the body from being able to access energy stores (and also extremely difficult to actually lose weight).

Like SCADD in newborns? Yeah, that leads to difficulty gaining weight.
Familial Lipoprotein Lipase deficiency - that also leads to failure to thrive.

Originally Posted by Lois

Note: I work in the healthcare field, so my responses are probably a different perspective than most of you. Most smokers end up dying before they cost the system a huge amount of money. Still, I end up discussing smoking cessation opportunities with smokers every visit. The fact is, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are some of the largest drains on the health care system:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...Lvowgg&cad=rja

Food addiction is not something that is widely accepted in the medical community. Nevertheless, assuming that food addiction is legitimate, most people who are obese/overweight do not have food addiction. Yes, there are conditions and medications that lead to weight gain; however, a majority of people who are obese are not that way SOLEY because of their medical condition. This is just another example of us trying to normalize obesity and not accepting any responsibility for their own problems.

edit:



Like SCADD in newborns? Yeah, that leads to difficulty gaining weight.
Familial Lipoprotein Lipase deficiency - that also leads to failure to thrive.

I also work in the healthcare field. I was referring to different disorders, one of which is Wolman disease (though there are many other related ones that aren't as rare).

Also, acknowledging that not everyone is obese due to poor lifestyle choices isn't normalizing it, it's saying that you should THINK before you assume that about someone.

Originally Posted by starfish

Depending on the genetic condition that's not necessarily true. It is in some cases where the person is predisposed to being overweight, but in some cases it can cause excess fat accumulation, and decreasing food intake is actually dangerous because the food isn't being used for energy. In other cases the problem can actually be with breaking down fat, which prevents the body from being able to access energy stores (and also extremely difficult to actually lose weight).

It's far more complicated than you're making it out to be.

not even worth it, man. not even worth it...