EPTPolitical correctness gone mad - childhood obesity - Page 14
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spacemonkeyy
Australia477 Posts
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Kenpachi
United States9908 Posts
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flowSthead
1065 Posts
The relevant part starts at about 2:30 and is basically about how obesity can travel from person to person and you are more likely to be overweight if you know people that are overweight, or even if your circle of people you know know people that are overweight. And the use of social networks here is not in the internet sense in the network of people interacting socially. As for fat people in relation to smoking and drinking, I sympathize with the idea that fat shouldn't be demonized to a certain extent and also with the idea that there might be people out there for whom being overweight is a choice, one that is related to a diet of things that make them happy. I sympathize with that the same way I sympathize with smoking, namely that if someone wants to smoke and increase their risk of lung cancer then that is their business and as long as they are relatively polite about where and when they smoke, I don't have a problem with it. I guess the only thing I would add is that the issue is obviously complicated and with no real practical solutions. If parents instilled better values in their kids and did their best to make sure their kids maintained healthy diet and exercise, then this problem wouldn't be a problem. But you can't police all the parents in the world, let alone America. And teaching a large populace that doesn't believe in evolution or that thinks Rick Santorum would make a great president that they should change the way they live their lives seems like it would be impossible. People get defensive over things they may know are completely wrong, and there is very little to be done about it. If you demonize fat kids, then fat kids get bullied and that is certainly not a good solution. But there does have to be some way to create ideal body images for kids with minimal increase in bullying. The fact is that bullying will happen regardless. Kids are awful because, from my experience, kids have much lower levels of empathy and less developed emotional intelligence to be able to deal with each other than adults do, and most adults are pretty stupid as well. So bullying will happen regardless. This doesn't mean that a strategy which increases bullying is a good thing, because it isn't. But it does mean that if you had multiple strategies, such as perhaps one that might have a slight increase in a negative image, but another that also attempted to train the emotional intelligence of kids and their manners in general so as to decrease the bullying that happens might be worth looking into. I don't know. I don't have any solutions. I do think too many people in the thread are treating this in way too simplistic of a manner because there are really two discussions (at least) around the idea of what should be done about obesity. There is the personal level which is about your own willpower, and then there is the communal or national level which needs bigger solutions than just "man the fuck up". That second one takes a complicated answer which neither "be better" nor "tax sugar" will solve. | ||
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fuzzy_panda
New Zealand1681 Posts
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SnipedSoul
Canada2158 Posts
On March 07 2012 16:40 fuzzy_panda wrote: Since heart disease and diabetes is such a major problem, something like the 2nd or 3rd biggest cause of death in America, how could it possibly be wrong of Disney to educate children about body weight? It's not like that ride was taunting the kids for being fat and calling them names. Being fat is not a good thing and nothing to be proud of... Correct, but telling people the truth hurts their feelings. It's much better to let everyone live in ignorance and think they're happy. | ||
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Gustis
Lithuania70 Posts
On March 07 2012 16:48 SnipedSoul wrote: Correct, but telling people the truth hurts their feelings. It's much better to let everyone live in ignorance and think they're happy. I sincerely apologize for my language. However, I believe it's called for. wtf dude are u stupid? its much better to have those limping diabeetos drain vast majority of healthcare resources just because some fast food/food producing companies make good buck of it and some insecure person gets offended? wtf. do you think its a right to be morbidly obese? | ||
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Meself
Estonia552 Posts
On March 07 2012 18:07 Gustis wrote: I sincerely apologize for my language. However, I believe it's called for. wtf dude are u stupid? its much better to have those limping diabeetos drain vast majority of healthcare resources just because some fast food/food producing companies make good buck of it and some insecure person gets offended? wtf. do you think its a right to be morbidly obese? You didn't even stop to ponder whether that could have been ironic, did you? :s | ||
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Mazaire
Australia217 Posts
Sad thing is that Australia is only about ten years behind. | ||
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Szordrin
Switzerland151 Posts
 But hey eating A LOT of food is good for consumption and consumption drives growth and growth is necessary to finance the health care system in order to provide for diabetes etc, which is caused by overweight, which is caused by eating A LOT... I see this working out!... | ||
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leecx
Singapore41 Posts
On March 07 2012 03:56 Xpace wrote: This may be slightly off topic but while we're discussing obesity in America, is it just me or am I the only one who hasn't seen an obese Asian? Just to clarify, when I mean obese I'm talking in the region of 300 lbs and above. And I'm not here to spark a racism discussion, it's just this quote captured my attention: In the big city, down to the suburbs, New York or LA, the midwest down to the south. I've been to a lot of cities but I've never actually seen an obese Asian. Fat ones, sure, but never the Michelin-man type. You aren't looking in the right places. I don't live in the US (Singapore here) but from my observations in Japan and my country, the really fat ass Asians tend to camp in LAN shops (sort of like PC bangs in Korea) or at home playing games. MMOs are the most common genre they play. There's a particular LAN shop that my friends and I like to go to and every single time we've been there over the past 1 year (about 10 times) there was a different obese guy sitting in a chair. Sometimes two. And yes, I'm referring to the Michelin man, spilling out of the chair, blocking the doorway type. Probably doesn't help that there's a McDonalds' outside the shop. ON TOPIC: Is it really so bad? Like if a campaign aiming to reduce childhood obesity happens to hurt someone's feelings and he decides to sue, would the case hold in court? We have something (sort of similar) here, the Trim and Fit club was a program meant to help primary school children lose weight, but it was discontinued after parents complained that being associated with the club caused their children to get bullied and made fun of. Probably didn't help that the acronym was FAT spelled backwards. | ||
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Nallen
United Kingdom134 Posts
On March 07 2012 03:18 sc2superfan101 wrote: the only reason why you can't find healthy foods in a supermarket is because you aren't looking. wtf? I weigh 150 and a medium feels like a baby shirt on me. maybe you're just skinny as hell? edit: and I buy my shirts at the places that only sell generic sizes. i think you're either making stuff up or you're a twig. I am able to locate it fine in the UK. Granted my experience in US supermarkets is substantially less. I'm sure that the fact I can go to the Walmart website, look up fresh fruit and find 3 items of 117 that are whole, unprocessed fruit is not indicative of anything. I am 6'1" and 160lb, giving a BMI of 21.1. Really it's harder to be more in the middle of the normal, healthy weight category - however I am happy to say I'm on the slimmer side of the people I know. You're probably American, and this probably confirms I am a twig, in your estimation. | ||
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Dark_Chill
Canada3353 Posts
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Tuneful
United States327 Posts
Often there is some larger addiction or control strategy like this at play when it comes to overeating. From reading the responses to the OP, however, most seem to have taken this opportunity to bitch about fat people and play up the "personal responsibility" line. Digging oneself out of a psychological hole, as the "personal responsibility" advocates suggest, doesn't happen. Usually, it takes the intervention of others (friends, family members, coworkers, therapists). How hard it must be when society rejects you for your "choices" so strongly! Or when your family members are also addicts? Self-acceptance, on the other hand, is an enabling tool: it allows people to stop struggling with the negative feelings that result from their condition so they have enough headspace to fix their problems. "Fat acceptance" shouldn't be looked down upon, in this case. Teaching people to accept themselves does not mean letting them off the hook, and shaming people about their bodies won't do anything to combat the problem. | ||
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heroyi
United States1064 Posts
WHO THE...WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS THIS SHIT??!?!? seriously...please tell me that this is a joke... I mean I can see other reasons why people don't like the whole fat education thing in Disneyland but... it's ok to be "fat?!" There is nothing I can really contribute to this thread that isn't already common sense... People need to stop being sheltered. | ||
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UmiNotsuki
United States633 Posts
What Disney should rail against should not be someone's body mass, but their eating and exercise habits. Don't say "you shouldn't be fat," say "you should exercise a lot and eat well." Much more clear, much less outrageous. Still, "National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance" is not something that should exist. Politics fail. | ||
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Mr Showtime
United States1353 Posts
Here's the comic of a related issue: ![[image loading]](http://www.picturesandjokes.com/pictures/then-vs-now-5.jpg) Also, I'm not a biased old man. I'm 19 years old and I grew up at the beginning of this entitled/do-no-wrong era. It's only gotten worse since then. It would be wrong to hate on people for being overweight. That's absurd. But teaching that it's okay to to continue to live an unhealthy life without any effort toward being healthier is just as absurd. | ||
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Cirn9
1117 Posts
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Vega62a
946 Posts
On March 08 2012 03:43 Mr Showtime wrote: This picture isn't exactly about this particular issue, but it's related in my opinion. The world we now live in is concerned with making sure that children don't feel bad about themselves rather than teaching them properly. The problem is: bringing kids up in a world where they can do no wrong AND failing to teach good habits is the worst possible thing that we can do as a society. Here's the comic of a related issue: Also, I'm not a biased old man. I'm 19 years old and I grew up at the beginning of this entitled/do-no-wrong era. It's only gotten worse since then. It would be wrong to hate on people for being overweight. That's absurd. But teaching that it's okay to to continue to live an unhealthy life without any effort toward being healthier is just as absurd. It's a complicated issue. On the one hand, you can't tell people that being overweight is a good way to be, and you have to encourage people who are overweight to take this time, right now, as the time where they decide to become healthier. On the other hand, if you tell children that being overweight is bad and wrong, you encourage and enable bullying of overweight children. In my experience, children who are overweight are frequently so due at least in part to depression and comfort eating. If you act in such a manner as to increase bullying of overweight children, they will often simply become more depressed, or, in an equally bad outcome, take extreme measures to lose weight, which is equally unhealthy. | ||
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scaban84
United States1080 Posts
On March 08 2012 04:14 Vega62a wrote: It's a complicated issue. On the one hand, you can't tell people that being overweight is a good way to be, and you have to encourage people who are overweight to take this time, right now, as the time where they decide to become healthier. On the other hand, if you tell children that being overweight is bad and wrong, you encourage and enable bullying of overweight children. In my experience, children who are overweight are frequently so due at least in part to depression and comfort eating. If you act in such a manner as to increase bullying of overweight children, they will often simply become more depressed, or, in an equally bad outcome, take extreme measures to lose weight, which is equally unhealthy. The kinds are screwed no matter what if they have crappy parents. Their parents should be health conscious. If the parents are overweight pigs then in all likelihood their kids will be. At this point societal pressure is the only option. The parents of overweight children should be disciplined, not the children. Its within your right as an adult to live an unhealthy lifestyle, but to push that lifestyle on your children should be a crime. | ||
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ilikeredheads
Canada1995 Posts
meanwhile in many third world counties, children are dying from starvation left and right....... | ||
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