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Demonising fat people
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Good post. :thumb:
(i know this post is kind of useless, on another forum we have a button where you can agree or thank or poster for a good post)
--- to give some point:
As regards to overweight or fat people I feel a bit on the fence. I have no issue with someone who's overweight, and have no issue talking or making friends. In fact one of the only girls I nearly pulled in a nightclub was very large. Didn't make much difference (it put me off a bit she was so forward though, I'm shy
I don't agree with defending it though, like saying 'it's just nature'. Whilst that may be true to some extent, it's like burying your head in the sand where being over a certain weight is detrimental to your health. Obesity is one of the largest health concerns in the UK, and I think we have a culture in some circles of unconditional acceptance - that people won't mention that someone who's grossly overweight should try losing weight.
Of course, what's said isn't the same as what's thought, as Ricardo has aptly demonstrated he has no lack of prejudice based on someones appearance. Overweight people are no worse than anybody else so shouldn't be treated as such - but the reason I refuse to say 'yea, freedom to do what you want!' is because it is so damaging to many people's lives.
As am I.
:rolleyes: :yeees:
:yeees:
Fuck it - I'm not twisting anything here. Fair enough, I've been blunt, but when it comes down to it, that's just the way I am and perhaps society itself has become too soft. I'm not choosing the most offensive terms here, not even close. Guess freedom of speech isn't quite what it used to be. You know what, as I said, this is the internet, which is not part of my 'real life'. To summarise: Bollocks to this.
:wave:
You have to accept that the way you should express your opinion is required to be more restrained than it would be normally here, you don't have free reign to say what you want just because it's how you feel.
Ah - you edited your post before I could locate, cut and paste:
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* You will respect the opinions of others. Just because you don?t agree, it doesn?t give you the right to make personal attacks on that person.
But still - I don't see how I've 'broken' these rules. I will agree, perhaps my wording isn't perfect and I take on board your comment about restraint possibly being needed - but I certainly won't retract my views or comments made as what is said, is said.
Look, I think I need a break from here, and perhaps here needs a break from me. I'm used to speaking my mind and people speaking theirs, and I often post when at work, which is a very directly spoken environment and so that is my mindset through the day. Difficult to switch in and out of that in the blink of an eye, and yes, that is possibly a failing of mine. This is obviously a very emotive subject and one of the first threads IMO that has been taken so personally be people (and yes, I understand why), so a softly-softly approach is possibly needed, but after years of that with various people in my 'real' life, it's something I know just doesn't seem to work and so I just don't do it any more.
I think i'll withdraw at this point.
It's this point I often forget, to be honest, hence the direct nature of some of my responses. It all too quickly becomes familiar ground (and I've been here since 2002) and so you forget where you're posting - especially with my internet is not real life views.
Seriously though, in 'real life' I am one of the most genuine and trust-worthy people you can meet - but it's my direct opinions that my friends seem to value hell of a lot as they know they won't get a candy-covered answer and so come to me when they need something telling straight. It's just not what is needed on this site, for most people, which is fair enough.
Ok, now I'll withdraw
Actually there is some evidence to show that companies are more reluctant to hire obese people which is obvioulsy wrong in cases where jthe job isn't physically demanding.
Maybe it that people think fat people don't take enough care of themselves. If you go to a job interview, you wear some clean ironed threads, make sure your hairs tidy - it shows that you take pride in your appearance. Again it comes down the 'Why don't they do something about it attitude?' which I think has a some justification.
I'm not one for judging people on appearances. This place shows that people from all walks can get along better when appearance isn't an issue. Here opinions and thoughts count.
I do think however that theres a difference between what style of clothes you wear for example and your weight. You choose your style but I find it hard to beleive anybody would choose or be happy with being unhealthy - and not want to do anything about it.
I think the point to bear in mind is that people can be at different stages of dealing with issues, especially on a public message board. In life when we approach someone we know we've already made judgments about how they may react or at least have some understanding of who we are speaking to.
You've actually said things are really helpful in this thread at times, and it's the return to the comments about repulsion that make things difficult, not advice about how to deal with gyms or positive ways to look at exercise.
It's those comments that when expressed so directly that can and have caused hurt to some of the posters here - people aren't necessarily prepared for someone to say something that is so hurtful to them, especially in a thread initially in health where people may be reading it because they are feeling incredibly vulnerable about the issues discussed.
I never knew you were catholic?
Surprising, ain't it
Aye, I think the way I grew up has given me a hard-line view on quite a few things and so I am sometimes less than empathic/sympathetic.
<removed family stuff as irrelevant>
Direct is just the way I am (due to the removed), and so many posters on here go softly softly which often finds the OPs returning a couple of weeks later in the same situation.
ETA - hard to believe I was as shy as a mouse at school.
Ouch..it gradually goes downhill from here.
Ric-I know you're a decent lad at heart but you have some of the most fuck up views in the world. First of all, you're never going to know if "fat people" got the job or not because your social clientle is biased towards those who are somewhat "aesthetically pleasing," therefore that eliminates you and your friends from interacting with people who may, or may not been fat and actually got the job. What I find most sickeing about you is that you feel uncomfortable around obese people, as if you're some angel yourself. And I'm trying to peddel the "beauty comes form within" line, I'm just saying that you must live a lonely and ultimately unfufilling life with your friends if all you base your life on is looks and business accumen. Must be a sad, sad existence for you.
Orrrrrrr....
Imagine being a conceited prick who is so self conscious about everything about himself that he has to constantly bring up topics of money, 'grad' schemes, and thoughts of superiority to mere mortals, in order to feel better about himself.
Imagine being so shallow that your pool of friends is limited only to people who you consider attractive, slim and intelligent enough to know. Imagine being such a shitty person that if someone you knew ended up disfigured that you would be ashamed to be seen out with them.
Imagine being such a prick that you reduce someone on a message board to tears with your spiteful comments.
Nah, I think I'd rather be me thanks!!
I've een to A+E several times, and every time there has been at least one person there wasting my NI money, dressed in sports kit, there as a result of "doing exercise".
I really don't see why I should be expected to pay for these people's self inflicted injuries....
I can see how you'd feel Paris Hilton's inferior.
These are most definitely not the sort of things a show-off who felt 'superior' to everyone would talk about as they wouldn't admit to having those sort of problems. I've said I'm not especially handsome, am intimidated in the presence of supermodels etc, I am honestly not a show-off - yes I've talked about myself a lot on here, but more just to try and give a context to justify my views/opinions on things. I have nothing to gain from "showing off" to people here given nobody knows who I am, I don't link to my Facebook or CV on LinkedIn to show off my credentials.
Well this thread isn't.
Let's not get too far into discussing Ricardo's issues here please. His comments have already caused enough disgust without also de-railing the whole thread. The truth is a 100 posts in this thread aren't going to make his views any easier to understand for people, it's a world you'll thankfully never have to part of.
So back to issues of demonisation - I'll delete anything that's just about Ricardo again in this thread to keep things on track.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7105630.stm
I know it's only one source, but if the evidence showing that overweight people are actually more likely to live long, healthy lives were shown to be true, would any of the gym-bunny posters change their stance on the whole 'looking after your health' issue?
For every word in that article, there are probably 10000 pieces of proper scientific research proving that obeseity increases risk of certain illnesses.
And I can't believe Big Gay you are trying to compare a sports injury to being ill from being obese and not doing anything about it lol.
I'm sure there are some health risks to being overweight, but they are probably minimal. The biggest danger is that you'll continue to put on weight to a stage where you are heavily overweight.
If you are heavily overweight there are obvious health risks...
:yes:
Yep, you shouldn't demonise anyone. I was more commenting on the BBC piece and the argument that being overweight isn't bad for you
Well the BBC magazine title is 'The truth about obesity' and discusses most of the article in terms of obesity, but intermingles the premise they're posing in terms of being overweight.