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Article on "Fat Faye"

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Mars:
Let's not get too carried away with the smoking analogy. It really does only stretch so far. My point was that you don't hear about people crying for smoke acceptance or declaring that nicotine stains are beautiful. Smokers know that what they're doing is unhealthy and choose to do it anyway regardless of the consequences. I think anyone who lives a lifestyle that leads to obesity is probably aware that it's unhealthy as well. They can choose to live that way if they want; it's the whole idea of fat acceptance that I don't agree with.

For the record, I would say that I probably endure just as much abuse as overweight people do on account of my habit. I get to deal with all manner of people who preach to me about how my habit is going to kill me and does all kinds of harm. I get told that it's causing problems for non-smokers, despite the fact that I take measures to ensure that my smoking doesn't affect them (standing downwind of them, asking before I light up, not smoking around children). I get called all kinds of names because of the choice I made. I take all of it in stride because I know that I've made an unhealthy decision and if people want to judge me solely because of that then that's their lookout. Obese people are going to face the same kind of things, but it's a consequence of their decision and that's just how it is.

You're absolutely right Jepser that people are responsible for their own choices and it's a bit self-important to assume that you know better and to get in their face about it. The issue with the blog linked is that she seems to be surprised and upset that the wider (or thinner, really) public are unaccepting of her lifestyle choice.

Jepser:
Yes indeed, and she shouldn't. Even though people should try to live and let live, most of the times, they really don't. The best thing you can do then, is either taking value in their opinion, or living your life like you had been, and not getting angry about it.
Nice one in the last line btw. xD

kurayami:
I looked through the aforementioned blog further just in case there might have been a modicum of intelligence nestled in there somewhere. Then I read this comment that she wrote in response to another commenter:

"What most of us [fat acceptance supporters] have in common is that we don't believe fat determines a person's health, or that a certain lifestyle automatically leads to a certain body type."

Does anyone else see what's wrong with this statement? If things similar to the above are what fat supporters actually believe then that's just really sad. The stupidity espoused by these people is just flabbergasting. I don't consider myself a "fatist", but geez, I don't understand people who are adverse to making better choices for themselves and then howl with outrage when someone calls them on it. I'm sorry, but I don't see how it can be too much effort to put down the cookies, step away from the television and go for a walk.

Meh.

evernew:
I'm sorry to go back on the smoking thing yet again.

Since February this year, it is no longer allowed to smoke inside restaurants, bars, clubs, concert venues etc. in the federal state where I go to school.
 There have been numerous outcries (our favorite tabloid newspaper had stories about proprietors committing suicide because 80% of their core clientele could no longer visit as usual) and many places that have the layout and financial resources for it have refurbished to have a smoking area (which, also by law, needs to be properly sealed off with a door that cannot be propped open etc.).

A lot of the smokers in that area have been protesting. So have the proprietors. The Supreme Court realized that a lot of these people have a point (you cannot really forbid everything that is potentially bad for a person if you still want your citizens to have freedom of choice etc. - it's a long debate).

A few days ago, the same legislation was introduced in the place where I live. This federal state has about 10 times as many inhabitants. Thus, the outcry was thunderous.

What I'm getting at here is that there are smokers pushing for tolerance. Very similar to fat people.
Their claim to have freedom of choice over their lifestyle is similar as well.
The consequences for themselves are obvious (both choices are unhealthy period; of course there's that one uncle who chainsmoked for 70 years and lived but _in general_ being overweight or being a smoker is not good for you).

The point that has to enter into this discussion is the social consequences. Smokers are expensive patients. Fat people are expensive patients. Both have elevated risks for serious diseases etc. A smoker may directly damage other people through passive smoke. This is where the parallel stops.
But fattiness is still a hazard.
The people who know it isn't healthy and still choose to be fat - in fact, defending to be fat - should IMHO not receive medical treatment unless they pay 100% of it themselves. Same for smokers, by the way.

Now onto something entirely different (but not quite):
My sister is chubby. She likes TV too much, she has no discipline when it comes to food or exercise and she has enough disposable income to have Sex-and-the-City-style cocktail meetings with her fellow chubby 'girlfriends' pretty much weekly. All this is doing her no good.
The rest of the family is pretty slim. My dad has a beer gut but he's working on it and has lost 10 kg in the last year.
We're calling her out on it quite a lot (and she's immensely pissed off by that, we're aware). We're not doing it to hurt her. We're doing it to help her. And sometimes, the heavier a person is, the harder you have to push to get them over the edge.

And RE: that comic with the fat kids mobbing article: I shake my head. Words fail me. I tried to put a medium-critical comment under that post but it probably got
moderated into oblivion with 2-5 mouse clicks administered by a really fat finger.


EDIT: A full-sized picture of the author of the article. Just because I can.

MC:

--- Quote from: Illumilatte on 06 Jul 2008, 00:43 ---I wonder when she's going to write an article complaining about Wall-e.  :-(

--- End quote ---

yeah no kidding, I can just see it

"Wall-e is an incarnation of fat robotics and Wall-e tries to tell us that our lifestyle is unhealthy, he makes no assumptions toward this at all because I just overanalyze until I see what I wanna see.... but who cares because I'm right! Down with Wall-e and up with irresponsible fat lifestyles. May the grace of the lord fatty cakes be with you all, amen"

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