why society looks down upon obese people ?

Uh, exactly. In all likelihood, someone who is obese will always be obese. Meaning that the 300 pound person you're ridiculing for being lazy and lacking self control could be down from 500 pounds. Now, if you've just worked your ass off losing 200 pounds, what the **** good does it do you to have someone skinny walk up to you and give you shit for being fatter than them? The obvious response would be "go **** yourself. I've just lost 200 pounds, how fucking much have you lost recently?"

Hell, you ought to know this since you're admittedly always gonna be fat. You might have a valid medical excuse, but I'm not gonna know that if I walk into a store and see you standing there looking all fat. How do YOU like it when people see you, see how fat you are, and then treat you as a grotesque lazy glutton who just can't stop stuffing his face?

Oh I know: is it because they are more likely to be sitting down?

It isn't any different to racism or being homophobic though; you can tell yourself its different all you like but your basically the same hypercritical pos that every other human being is... enjoy :).

@MrGeezer: Why do you accuse me of anything? I would never look down on anyone who isn't a child rapist or something like that. I'm saying their families and friends should help them understand that they have a problem, one that they can at least control to a certain degree, and help them get in better shape. Not slim, mind you, but better shape. Overcoming what is becoming a disability, if possible, BEFORE it becomes a disability.

Again, my thyroid does not help me. In fact, it never will. I'll always be fat, but once I realized I had to make some sacrifices, I took control of things and now my cholesterol is under control, I do cardio, I can walk three, four or five hours if I want to, and I know I've reduced my heart-disease risk quite a bit.

I also believe society could do a lot more to help. Looking down on people is not right; it does not help. I agree with you. I don't know where you got the idea that I don't.

Right, "family and friends". That's the point, it's the job of family, friends, or possibly colleagues to confront obese people about their obesity. No one has any business saying a damn thing to obese people about their obesity unless they actually know the person. And in the event that one does know the person who needs to lose weight, looking down on them is counterproductive.

It seems like you and I are mostly in agreement. I never said that I was against telling obese people that their obesity is a problem. What I'm against is total strangers standing in judgement of someone they've never fucking met. Stuff like people who openly bully an obese person they see in the store or on a bus, and then try to justify their behavior with comments like, "it's their fault they're fat, they're not gonna change unless someone speaks up."

Life is not fair.

Some people have to work harder than others.

There are kids who grow up in rich families and are set for life.

I don't bitch about everyone who has it easier than me I just do what I need to do to survive and not lead myself into an early grave.

I work harder than some people and there are others out there who work a lot harder than me and that is just the way things are.

I have cravings and I am always wanting to buy junk food or expensive tech gadgets but I also know my boundaries because I know someone is not going to cover me if I screw up.

Also I have humility and feel shame if I have to rely on others for my own mistakes.

Everyone has a different body the requires a different amount of nutrients.

Figuring that out is each individual's job.

Someone who is disabled shouldn't be on the same diet as someone who runs marathons.

It's not rocket science.

Have you ever celebrated a graduation or a promotion by getting drunk? Have you ever celebrated thanksgiving by pigging out? If so, then I think someone who's worked their ass off to lower their weight is entitled to a fucking cheeseburger without having some total stranger getting all up in their shit.

He's not implying that they can't or shouldn't.

You have highlighted the solution to the issue in your own post.

Yes people get drunk, yes they pig out. They do so infrequently. Its about moderation. Everybody is entitled to eat and drink what they like, I dont think anyone is disputing that but to do so until it inhibits your ability to walk shows a complete lack of perspective/social awareness.

I live in the UK. I feel blessed to have the NHS. However I do get annoyed when I see fat people waddle in and out of hospital. I could be paying for mobility scooters and replacement knee's because johnny cheeseburger cant say no. Then down the hall there's a childrens ward full of kids that arent old enough to even understand whats wrong with them. How is that any more justifiable than taking the piss out of fatty mc fat fat.

Stay employed and say healthy

I used to be quite overweight and I'm glad people ripped me for it. Gave me a push to get my crap together and actually start to exercise and eat properly. If it becomes acceptable because everyone is being nicey nice about it and acting like being massively overweight isn't a massive issue then people just won't bother.

People don't become obese from eating a burger or other fattening foods during special occasions unless special occasions to them is every day of the year.

Although usually if I eat a lot during a special occasion I will spend more time exercising the next week.

I know my limitations and if I want to indulge myself then I will need to exercise more to burn it off and keep from gaining it back.

And again...when you walk into McDonalds and see a lardass eating hamburgers, or walk into a Wal-Mart and see a lardass buying ice cream, you're typically not gonna have the slightest fucking idea how often they do it. Unless you actually KNOW the person, you've got jack shit to say about how frequently or infrequently they do ANYTHING. You can't look at a fat stranger and reliably build an entire life story about them based on one act of indulgence, when people with ANY life story also tend to sometimes exhibit similar acts of indulgence.

If you don't know the person, then you've got zero justification to make any claims about how frequently they do anything. The only people qualified to make those judgements are the people who know them, as in their friends, their families, their colleagues, and their doctors. If you're just someone who walked into Wal-Mart and decided to laugh at the fat stranger in front of you, then you don't fucking apply. And if the fatass actually IS friend or family, then you ought to know damn well enough that shaming them is actually detrimental to their progress. It has been very well established that positive reinforcement is far more effective at behavior modification than negative reinforcement is. If you really care about instigating change for the better, then you don't hit kids, you don't beat dogs, and you don't make your friends and family feel like shit because they have problems. If it's someone who you actually care about, then you treat them with understanding and compassion rather than ridicule. And if it's someone who you don't even know, then you shut the **** up because you're in no position whatsoever to say how frequently they do ANYTHING.

So I need justification to call someone fat but they dont need to justify how they got so fat?

So they can eat and eat and eat until they cant walk and I cant say shit because I dont know them???

Surely protecting fat people from abuse is equal to protecting anyone from abuse. They dont get special treatment because they cant leave cake alone. **** that.

My point is when there are kids with Leukemia sitting in a hospital bed there is a pace for love and support. When you go two wards down and see Miss Chunkybutt getting a new knee because she crushed her old one...my sympathy tends to fade somewhat. Im not saying there is a definitive black and white between good and bad. But im gonna judge till im old and grey, because I think its selfish.

Uh, what? Who the hell do you think you are that total strangers have to justify ANYTHING to you?

If a fat person is minding his own business, and you don't know him, then he doesn't owe you any justification. If a gay person is minding his own business and you don't know him, then he doesn't owe you any justification. If a Muslim is minding his own business and you don't know him, then he doesn't owe you any justification. If some tatoo/body-piercing freak is minding his own business and you don't know him, then he doesn't owe you any justification.

Meanwhile, if you start giving shit to some stranger who is fat, gay, Muslim, or tattooed, then you DO freaking owe them some justification because now you AREN'T minding your own fucking business.

I never stated I would give someone shit for being fat. I wouldnt. But I would look down on them and I have every right to. They dont have to justify being fat. I dont have to justify looking down on them. Not sure what your not understanding.

Im tattooed I dont expect to get shit for it, but I am sure people can and do look down on me about it. I expressed my right to modify my body and they express their right to dislike it. Someone wants to eat thats fine....I couldnt care less. However I will judge them for it. Im judging you right now.

I think your fat. Super fat. Haha

@always_explicit:

"So I need justification to call someone fat but they dont need to justify how they got so fat?

So they can eat and eat and eat until they cant walk and I cant say shit because I dont know them???"

Are you serious!? No one has to justify anything to you, who are you? You should keep your negative thoughts to yourself, didn't your mother ever teach you that?

The fact is when you see a fat person you haven't a clue why they are fat, could be medical could be they have an eating disorder, or they're just plain greedy, could be severely depressed and they find comfort in food, best thing you can do is keep you mouth shut and worry about your own life and the people you care about. Also don't stare it's rude I'm sure your mother would have taught you that.

@always_explicit: I lol'd at chunkybutt:-P

Again i never said I would express my negative thoughts. People have the right to do what they want.

I will however judge them negatively for ruining their bodies and costing the NHS millions. I consider it part of my social responsibility to stay healthy as far as I can reasonably control it. I do so because I hate the idea of other people paying to keep me alive/medicated for something I have control over. I dont think thats an unreasonable expectation to have of others.

I also never said anyone had to justify anything to me. Likewise I dont have to justify my thoughts and feelings to you, or someone fat.

Keeping my mouth shut is neither here nor there.

When I was in the army we had a fat drill sergeant. I used to laugh inside my head at how that man could run two miles. Then I saw a fat man run a 12:00 two mile run. I'd say he had an excess weight of 30 or 40 lbs. Then I saw a skinny, lanky guy who couldn't even pass his running or push up test. I then came to the conclusion that someone who is fat can be fit, and someone who is skinny can still be a blob.

I don't hate obese people.

I hate obese people who blame others or genetics for being obese (it's fact that thyroid problems that cause obesity despite a restricted caloric intake are EXTREMELY rare).

I also think it's wasteful to eat so much so often to cause one to become over 300 pounds or more, think of all the resources required to produce and move that much food for example for one person to enjoy.

If that obese person is eating a whole family meal for themselves then sure I am going to judge them.

Even if you are working very hard it doesn't mean you can just go pig out and eat 3-4 times as much as a normal person and expect not to be judged, because you will just make all the work you did pointless.

It would be like if I was currently failing a Math class and I got an "A" on one test so I decide the next test I can fail.

Although if an obese person comes in and only eats a portion for an individual then I will probably not think much about it other than that they will have to work harder to burn off what they are eating than someone who is not obese.

Pushing aside the obese part, it's bad for anyone to eat large portions of junk food/fast food.

So I will probably think negatively of anyone eating huge portions of junk food/fast food.

To me it comes down to respect.

I don't ask anyone to do something that I myself wouldn't do.

I try to take care of myself to the extent that I am not a burden onto someone else.

Sometimes people are dealt bad cards and they need some help but they should try to lessen the damage as much as they can, for themselves and for others around them.

I had heart surgery when I was very young (coarctation of the aorta) and I also have a bi-cuspid valve.

I decided to never tried smoking and I try not to consume too many fattening products while keeping a weekly exercising routine.

I do this so my friends and family do not worry about me and I do not put any medical financial burden on them while also trying to live a long life that I can enjoy.

I am not going to go out of my way to harass people I see but I will think negatively of them if there is evidence to suggest that they are disrespecting themselves or others around them in one form or another.

We all judge people from the first time we see them and that is normal for humans to do.

The difference is if you act out your thoughts or not.

Following that logic, suppose a 400 pound fatass decides to eat healthy and do away with junk food entirely. By your logic, he's entirely justifiedd in giving a slim healthy person shit when he sees them putting ice cream in their shopping cart.

If you're a healthy person, do you want fat salad-eating bastards giving YOU shit just because you decided to buy some ice cream, pizza, and fried chicken?

People judge people, you surely must understand that its simply human nature. Societies also look down upon skinny people, different races different religions. It always has and most likely always will be the same. If your the one person in a million that judges absolutely nobody and never takes the piss out of a person size/religion/race/gender then all credit it to you. You truly are one of the few. But **** it. I judge people, people judge me....and yet the world keeps spinning on its axis.

I think @RyviusARC summed it up quite nicely when he said someone eating a family meal to themselves will get judged. Of course they will. Im not gonna abuse anyone for being a chubster on the street because its not my business but im not gonna tread on egg shells just because someones thyroid turns them into a human blimp.

People judge others based on ignorant assumptions, but the point is that they're being assholes when they do that.

Sure we all do it. But when you get caught doing it, the thing to do is to admit that you were being an asshole instead of trying to defend your behaviour on the basis of ignorance and double-standards. I could walk in on anyone during thanksgiving dinner and chew them out for overindulgence, but then I would be the asshole in that situation.

Thats thanksgiving...you dont hit 20 stone by eating a bit too much a few times a year. You get there by consistently consuming more than you burn off. More than you should. More than you need. Thats nobody else fault and it leads to being judged by others. I wouldnt walk out of the house with a swastika on my arm. If I did I would fully expect to be judged. Those people judging me wouldnt be ignorant. Its called reasonable assumption, reading between the lines.

If a chubster cant see the light through the trees that isnt societies fault for having a snigger at them. Its too much cake.

Why should I be labeled as an asshole for calliing someone out on their weight? I've seen people who bust their ass to get fit again and I have great respect for those people but I have zero respect for people who are claiming its a disease and then do nothing about it. The fact we have this "fat acceptance" movement is bullshit.

I couldnt agree more. The same society that gives these people opportunities to gain weight also gives these same people opportunities to lose it. Those that achieve great weight lose deserve a huge well done, im not suggesting fat people should be shamed publicly that wouldnt be right, but judging is human nature

Society can't handle people who think outside the box and couldn't even fit into the box if they wanted to.

Obese people lack self discipline and willpower which is a selfish, self centered and childishly immature behavior. It's a sign of weakness and people bite it like candy just like they do at people that are overly passive..etc. Not only are they harming themselves which eventually effects those that care about them, their higher risk of health issues doesn't exactly help everyones insurance premiums either. They also consume more of the worlds food resources. They take up more space which is very noticeable in tight crowded areas or places with limited seating arrangements to the point where people like me are forced to sit in some dinkyass plastic chair so mr. fat tatoni can have the comfy love seat. You can't even go on some rides or certain cave explorations if you are with obese people unless you ditch them.

Gluttony should be frowned upon, it's damaging to everyone. You can perceive it however wished but it's an act of selfish over indulgence with no sign of self control or willpower and by enabling them, you also enable their ability to never grow up and say to themselves, hey, enough is enough. Keeping ones weight in moderation only serves to benefit everyone while obesity only serves to benefit the uncontrollable mental gratifications of the self, sometimes to the point where they have to rely on other people to get by. It's a shame really.

The difference there is I don't see the person eating the whole ice cream bucket in one go.

They could be buying the ice cream for a large family or a party.

Moderation is what matters and if you are already obese and trying to lose weight then you cannot afford to pig out because it's a lot easier to gain back the weight.

Profiling is how humans have survived so long. It's part of us.

If you were in certain parts of L.A. and you saw people wearing all red then you would probably steer clear of them.

If you see a fat person at McDonald's eating 3 meals on their own then chances are that they don't give a damn about losing weight and are eating themselves into an earlier grave.

I think we see it as a sort of moral failing on the part of the obese person. Incorrect, but still.

I see it as over consuming resources and how it effects other people. I don't give a crap if an individual doesn't want to be healthy or wants to die early, that's them but when it effects others, even indirectly it becomes a problem.

@General_X: "I hate obese people who blame others or genetics for being obese (it's fact that thyroid problems that cause obesity despite a restricted caloric intake are EXTREMELY rare)."

Any evidence of that claim?

Two sources say it could be around 4% of the population:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring12/articles/spring12pg22-23.html

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/couldyou.htm

Though the second link doesn't distinguish between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, the former of which causes weight LOSS while the latter causes weight GAIN.

When you see obese people loading up on ice cream in their motorized cart, you don't know that they're eating the whole thing in one go either. How often do you REALLY actually see a fat person (who is a stranger) eat an entire meal? Is that something that you actually do, just sit there and watch total strangers eat an entire meal (never mind three)?

When I was younger one of my first jobs was at a fast food place and I did see a majority of obese people eat 3 portions in one sitting.

What was worse is that they would sometimes bring their kids and feed them almost as much and those kids were obese as well.

I find it repulsive to see parents do this to their children.

@MrGeezer: When it comes to obese people, some of the behaviors that contribute to their obesity are dead obvious. Examples include but are not limited to driving around a parking lot for five minutes to get a closer spot, taking the motorized cart all the way to their car and just leaving it because they are too lazy to walk, eating massive meals in one sitting (go to any all you can eat buffet, and more.

I have no intention to mock obese people. However, saying that it isn't my business goes out the window when other people's health insurance premiums are higher because unlike smokers it is considered discrimination to charge obese people higher insurance rates (I don't pay as long as I'm in the Army but I will eventually).

don't be mean bruv

@sukraj It's simply the truth. How often do you find people look at an Obese person and say "Look how sexy they are with their triple chins?

An obese person trying to lose weight doesn't deserve criticsim. The obese person who moans and whines that they are fat and then go on to eat an entire pizza deserves all the criticism they can get. I don't appreciate laziness smh

Do you frequently go up to fat people and ask them WHY they're using the motorized cart? Do you actually ask them if they have any problems walking, or do you just assume that it's because they're lazy?

I'll give you the driving around the parking lot, but in all honesty the few calories they'd shave off by parking 100 feet farther away aren't really gonna make a difference.

I'll also concede the all you can eat buffet thing, but I have to ask...how often do you REALLY pay attention to how much some stranger has eaten? Do you REALLY sit there and take inventory of what the guy eats (3 burgers, five slices of pizza, two bowls of ice cream...), is that something that you do frequently?

See, that's sort of weird. I work in a restaurant now, and I tend to not notice that kind of thing because I'm too busy WORKING.

@MrGeezer: Well, since you asked, this morning I was shopping on the mall nearby and saw a really obese woman leaving mcdonald's on her handicap scooter with 2 menus, extra large coke, 2 boxes of chicken nuggets, a crap ton of fries and a huge stack of napkins, "parking" right outside, proceed to cover her whole scooter with the nakpins, seat, mirrors, everything and attack the food like it was going out of style...what caught my attention was her covering everything...it's a burger, not explosive diarrhea...but then again, after seeing her eat and managing to get bits of burger and grease everywhere I think she did the right thing... I'm pretty sure she wasn't trying to lose the weight.

ROFL

And is that typical of the kinds of behavior that you see going on? Exactly how often do you actually see fat people pigging out, compared to the number of fat people that you see at all?

I suspect sort of a confirmation bias thing going on here. Like, when a fat person orders a glass of water and a salad, nobody notices, it doesn't even register. They only notice when they see a fat person stocking up on ice cream. Similarly, someone with a negative opinion of blacks can easily cite instances in which they've seen black people act like thugs, while simultaneously ignoring the vast majority of encounters in which the black person wasn't doing wrong.

@MrGeezer: That's a mighty assumption you've got going on =) Nowhere did I say it was the norm or that most fat people I see are pigging out. I also see a thin people pigging out and it catches my attention just the same, but nobody asked me to come up with a situation where a skinny person ordered 3 menus...

Exactly. You probably notice thin people pigging out too because pigging out, regardless of whether or not the person is fat or thin, is abnormal behavior.

Notice that what I was asking was how often that kind of behavior is actually observed. Answering that you saw a person doing that this morning doesn't really address my question.

I normally don't look at what they're ordering but I can tell you that I see a lot more severely overweight people at fast food places than I do at restaurants.

I also see that a big part of the severely obese people I see shopping "drive by" (handicap scooters for obese people is extremely common here...everybody has one) the vegetable section and make a line (sometimes it's like a parade) at the frozen, microwave/oven ready meals section.

The reason I notice is not so much because they're fat, but because where I come from I had never seen a handicap scooter, so they still catch my eye.

I also tend to notice that severely obese people tend to buy their children huge amounts of food at fast food places and insist that "they eat it all". Sure, I've seen thin parents say it too but they normally give them half a burger and a couple of fries, not an XXL menu.

I feel sorry for obese people, but that's about it. I don't look down on them. I'm sure if I grew up with slightly different habits, I'd be fat too. But instead I'm just skinny and unhealthy. Being around obese people often, I notice that their over eating is more than just an issue of appetite - it's their personal way of emotionally dealing with their personal problems. We all have our ways of indirectly dealing with out problems, it's just unfortunate that so many people found their way to be over-eating. Then again, I drink a lot of alcohol and vaporize a lot of herb and concentrates, so I'm sure a fat problem could look down on me for my problems as well. I'm just not blatantly physically afflicted by it. We've all come from different places and different circumstances, you'd have to be a true egomaniac to look down on someone for their personal problems.

Personally I'd rather kill myself than seeing myself become morbidly obese. I can understand that in this age and with the hectic lifestyle and conveniences of the 21st century one could easily become overweight. But morbid obesity is something I can't get my head around. I usually associate it with psychological issues that are not confined to eating disorders.

To comment on those handicap scooters, I find them abhorrent and extremely pitiful. Granted I never saw a fat person riding one around here, but if I ever managed to gtfo of here and saw an obese person riding one I'd probably get an unstoppable urge to cover my face in shame.

See, I've never really minded the motorized carts, because the way I see it, some people actually do have leg and back problems that making walking difficult, painful, or dangerous. If I see a fat person riding one, sure I could assume that he has no problems walking and is just riding it because he's fat. And if I see a thin person riding one, sure I could assume that he has no problems walking and is just lazy. But then, if fat people aren't supposed to ride them and thin people aren't supposed to ride them, then who the hell is supposed to be using those things?