Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Face it we would all be healthier if we didn't spend the time on CD but instead worked out....
In most cases people are fat from poor choices. people not faced with the same poor choices have little tolerance for those that experience them. Not unlike straight people with little tolerance for gays, or the normal that stare at mentally handicapped and so forth. we have little tolerance for that which isn't like us. Yet we are all unique with our flaws and all.
Face it we would all be healthier if we didn't spend the time on CD but instead worked out....
In most cases people are fat from poor choices. people not faced with the same poor choices have little tolerance for those that experience them. Not unlike straight people with little tolerance for gays, or the normal that stare at mentally handicapped and so forth. we have little tolerance for that which isn't like us. Yet we are all unique with our flaws and all.
Difference between the gays and the handicapped is that they cant help the way thy are, overweight people can with a heather lifestyle but all what's holding them back is their excuses
A lot of people become obese, and then realize they're hurting themselves, decide they don't want to do that anymore, and get healthy again.
Your friend chose not to do that.
I think that's what upsets you most. That you had a friend who made the stupid decision to allow internet blogs to convince him that he had an excuse to eat himself to death, while other people in a similar physical state continue to live, and some even thrive, and didn't choose to make those stupid decisions.
I'm sorry for your loss. Perhaps you might take this as a learning experience, and cultivate friends who have higher opinions of themselves from now on.
A lot of people become obese, and then realize they're hurting themselves, decide they don't want to do that anymore, and get healthy again.
Your friend chose not to do that.
I think that's what upsets you most. That you had a friend who made the stupid decision to allow internet blogs to convince him that he had an excuse to eat himself to death, while other people in a similar physical state continue to live, and some even thrive, and didn't choose to make those stupid decisions.
I'm sorry for your loss. Perhaps you might take this as a learning experience, and cultivate friends who have higher opinions of themselves from now on.
Its not just the internet blog's its organisations like NAAFA who are like fat cults what promote that even if you are fat you can still be healthy . This fat cult is brainwashing many fat people and this will cause more deaths, if a fat person is brainwashed to believe that they can never lose the weight because its not even their fault they are fat then that fat person will never try to lose the weight. This cult is spreading to my country's shores and its the last thing my country needs with our high child obesity problem. NAAFA push their "health at every size" logic because they are nothing but a bunch of fatties who would rather live in self denial instead of taking personal responsibly for their own poor lifestyle actions.
If trends like this continue with our ever growing obesity rate first world society can be very different in a few generations.
If people want to be fat, let them. If people want to smoke, let them. I don't care what other people do.. if they are doing what makes them happy why should I care? I'm sick and tired of the left wingers trying to find a way to tax and control every little part of the citizens that they don't agree with.
If these people want to be fat, so be it.. but they should expect higher insurance premiums and not expect special treatment for being fat, or whatever lifestyle they choose.
The problem is not that people are fat, the problem with America is that people can do whatever they want to do, and everyone tries to look "compassionate" by helping them and giving them free money and govt assistance.
"Fat people complaining that its not their fault they are fat and that fat people can also be healthy = first world problems"
"Yes tell yourselves that being fat is not your fault and is not always unhealthy, why don't you tell obese kids the same "logic" aswell? its not like it will cause more problems for that child" *sarcasm
This "fat acceptance" movement is doing more harm then good for the acceptance of fat people because it makes fat people look like a bunch of wingers who cant accept personal responsibly and deny proven science. This "movement" is now spreading to Australia and they are trying to promote a "health at every size" logic where they want to convince people that being fat does not mean that you are unhealthy, they want doctors to adopt this logic and stop telling overweight people that they should lose the weight.
Obesity related illness has taken over smoking as one of the biggest killers in Australia and there is an alarming rising rate in child hood obesity so this is a grave concern. "fat acceptance" conferences from organisations like NAAFA are doing more harm then good and are a danger for our children - we should be promoting health, not accepting an unhealthy lifestyle for what it is.
YOU may be asking, Xzane why do you care about this issue so much?
On a personal level I had a good mate who was overweight and I always tried to motivate him to come to the gym with me and I always promoted healthy eating but my friend spent his time on "fat acceptance" blog's and he believed that his fatness was genetic and not his fault - so he was never motivated to even bother trying.
I say I "had" a good mate because his obesity got the better of him and he passed away at the age of 19. I believe if it was not for his fat lazy parents who fed him all sorts of unhealthy foods and blogers telling him that he is "fine as he is","being fat is not always unhealthy" my friend may be still alive today.
I know that obesity issue's may not be politicly correct to talk about but just like my mate people are dying !! we cant ignore this issue anymore
So I have a few questions open up for public debate;
1. Do you think NAAFA ideals as good ideals to teach to our children?
2. Do you think these "fat acceptance" conferences are an embarrassment for first world country's when there are larger problems in other countrys where there is a lack of obese people or healthy weight people because there is a lack of food?
3. Do you think NAAFA promotes or dis-promotes personal responsibly?
4. Do you think NAAFA should change their moto to "Dont blame yourself, blame something else"
5. Do you think that these conferences what don't promote personal responsibly and try to promote the acceptance of a poor lifestyle choice are going to help the public's opinion of the obese or is it going to make it worse?
What a great post. It was pretty predictable that some people would engage in vicious personal attacks on you rather than discussing the topic. Therefore, thank you for your courage in wading into this topic which is fraught with emotionality and overwrought, loaded language. What will be next? Smokers' cough acceptance? Drug addiction acceptance?
The thing is, Escort Rider, that the politics of NAAFA can only take hold, if people *choose* not to accept personal responsibility and accountability for their own actions. NAAFA doesn't put a gun to your head and demand that you believe in the dogma of healthy fat people. It tells you what it wants to tell you, and you either believe it, or you don't. Or, you twist what it says and create some other soapbox upon which to stand, and blame NAAFA for the issue you have chosen to create.
Personally I agree with the -basic premise- of NAAFA, that fat people shouldn't be ridiculed or made to feel inferior exclusively based on their size. If you feel otherwise, chime in but somehow I'm guessing you agree with that basic premise as well.
Where I feel they go too far, is in their political spin in demanding that accommodations be made for fat people in the workplace and in public. For example - restaurants might need to have chairs specially made to handle a 400-pound person sitting on them. Or airplanes must have at least "x" amount of extra-wide seats that don't cost extra for that same 400-pound person to sit in it (why should they be discriminated and have to pay more? Fat or otherwise, they're still ONE passenger). That kind of thing, I disagree with, because then it turns things the other way around: why should I, as a person who can fit in a normal airplane seat, have to shoulder the financial burden for the 400-pound guy taking up the space of two of me, by virtue of raised airfare for everyone? That's discrimination on everyone -except- fat people.
But that's a political thing, and it's something people who have at least some modicum of intelligence realize is a political thing. So the OP's message is getting mixed, because he's trying to say NAAFA insists that fat people are healthy. They're not insisting anything of the sort. Perhaps he might want to check out naafa.org and find out what, exactly, they are "saying" online.
NAAFA leaves the medical aspect of obesity up to the medical community, and deals with all the other aspects of obesity instead. If it addressed the medical aspect of it, and offered resources for obese people who -feel- unhealthy, or who -are- unhealthy (above and beyond simply being fat), to find support in losing weight, getting fit, getting healthy - then I'd respect it more. But because it basically ignores the medical aspect of it, it does a disservice by creating issues that don't exist, such as the OP's issue - that organizations such as NAAFA are "making people believe" that obesity isn't their fault and that it's healthy to be fat. No one is "making" anyone believe anything. Weak-willed people will believe whatever is convenient for them to believe. If some organization came along and said "Sunspots are making you obese, and the government is making the sunspots," people would believe it. There's probably some kind of claim like that on mercola.
If people want to be fat, let them. If people want to smoke, let them. I don't care what other people do.. if they are doing what makes them happy why should I care? I'm sick and tired of the left wingers trying to find a way to tax and control every little part of the citizens that they don't agree with.
Actually, what us "left wingers" are trying to do is get people to pay for the choices they are making. Why, when you get a job, does someone that eats well, exercises, etc pay the same health insurance premiums as someone that is 100 pounds overweight? Because the healthy person is subsidizing the lifestyle choices of the overweight person.
By complaining about taxes on unhealthy food, etc....you saying that you think people that neglect their health should receive a "free ride" for their health choices. Sorry....but I don't want to subsidize other people's lifestyle choices. Whether its taxes on unhealthy food, higher premiums for overweight people, etc....I don't care. Just make people pay for their lifestyle choices.
Regardless, as for the OP, as I said in the other post that this poster created.....demonizing people that are overweight doesn't help anything. People didn't magically develop lower will-powers over the last few decades, instead we've allowed businesses to aggressively market junk food to children, teenagers, etc. We've allowed food businesses to control governmental dietary standards...... I've always been amused by people who are genetically slim, but otherwise have a poor diet, lambasting people who are overweight.... Though most people will gain weight on the standard American diet, some people have genes that make them relatively immune from weight gain on the standard American diet.
Actually, what us "left wingers" are trying to do is get people to pay for the choices they are making. Why, when you get a job, does someone that eats well, exercises, etc pay the same health insurance premiums as someone that is 100 pounds overweight? Because the healthy person is subsidizing the lifestyle choices of the overweight person.
By complaining about taxes on unhealthy food, etc....you saying that you think people that neglect their health should receive a "free ride" for their health choices. Sorry....but I don't want to subsidize other people's lifestyle choices. Whether its taxes on unhealthy food, higher premiums for overweight people, etc....I don't care. Just make people pay for their lifestyle choices.
Regardless, as for the OP, as I said in the other post that this poster created.....demonizing people that are overweight doesn't help anything. People didn't magically develop lower will-powers over the last few decades, instead we've allowed businesses to aggressively market junk food to children, teenagers, etc. We've allowed food businesses to control governmental dietary standards...... I've always been amused by people who are genetically slim, but otherwise have a poor diet, lambasting people who are overweight.... Though most people will gain weight on the standard American diet, some people have genes that make them relatively immune from weight gain on the standard American diet.
Meh. That's all well and fine in theory.... but in the real world it's not the same.
I'm thin, exercise and eat very healthy.... I had 3 surgeries last year, take a medication that costs thousands a dose (health insurance pays it), have 3 chronic conditions, and am prone to having odd things wrong with me that require expensive medical care.
My sis is overweight, has never really had anything wrong with her, and hardly goes to the doc (she exercises and eats healthy).
Meh. That's all well and fine in theory.... but in the real world it's not the same.
I'm thin, exercise and eat very healthy.... I had 3 surgeries last year, take a medication that costs thousands a dose (health insurance pays it), have 3 chronic conditions, and am prone to having odd things wrong with me that require expensive medical care.
My sis is overweight, has never really had anything wrong with her, and hardly goes to the doc (she exercises and eats healthy).
Very true. I exercise and eat well, all my blood levels are fine, nutrition levels are perfect; I'm working my way back to a weight I'm comfortable with; have maybe 15, 20 pounds to go at the most. I rarely get sick. I have a cousin who eats much better than I do, gets a whole lot more physical exercise than I do, is thinner than I am - and she's sucking up the insurance company's money to hell and back with the chemotherapy treatments. Who woulda thunk breast cancer would be expensive.
So I guess you can throw out the "my healthy lifestyle shouldn't pay for that obese person's insurance" theory - because her healthy lifestyle is costing my obese self a fortune in -her- chemo treatments.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
