Obesity, Racism and Cruelty

My IQ is 32. I have to concentrate really hard in order to eat. I guess that's why I'm underweight.
 
How come all you super smart fat guys don't have enough sense to give the finger to all those morons who make your life miserable, and live your life the way you want?

I am fatter than I am smart, but I could care less what anyone else says or thinks. I live my life for me, not for anyone else.

And as far as the blood sugar uncontrollable hunger thing is concerned, I don't want to hear it. I have been a Type II Diabetic for years and have always been able to control what I shoved down my gut.
 
Ben Aroun,
That kind of gruff, dismissive BS isnt going to work, and it certainly wont help any little kids, who are the main victims in this.

you're not feeling particularly kind today, are you?
An old man should know better.
 
That kind of gruff, dismissive BS isnt going to work, and it certainly wont help any little kids, who are the main victims in this.

It is not the soft stuff I worry about. There are people who are actively trying to criminalize obesity for their own interests. Having sued just about everything else out of existance they would like to go after all of the fast food chains. I for one am tired of the routine. It seems that every conceivable choice can be criminalized, legislated against, then tax via either insurance hikes, or lawsuits.

This isn't about health, or even aestethics. It is about greed and finding a new justification for public extortion. When are we going to grow tired of this routine? Yes, those evil fat people tend to get sick younger; but then again nobody dies healthy, and a sudden youthful heart attack is far less socially costly then lingering octogenarian.

n2s
 
Ben Arown-Awile said:
And as far as the blood sugar uncontrollable hunger thing is concerned, I don't want to hear it. I have been a Type II Diabetic for years and have always been able to control what I shoved down my gut.
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If you don't want to hear it then don't read it. Not everyone can be as perfect as you.:rolleyes: :p
 
With young children name calling is just commom. Everyone gets nicknames or something. In elementary school, one kid always used to call me fat. I beat him bloody when no teachers were watching and we have been good friends ever since. In my experience that is just how it works. Young children cant understand how to work their differances out verbally, and a tiny balled fist cuts through the haze like a hot knife through butter.

Then in highschool, which is COMPLETELY different from elementary school, a kid used to harass me, so I punched him in the face. Sure, it felt great for about five minutes, and all the other kids and even some teachers came up to me and actually told me they were happy I did it, or that I should have hit him more. But even after that, I felt horrible about it, I felt that the violence represented a major failure on my part. It wasnt the three day suspension or the punishment of my parents that bothered me, it was my own conscience.

As far as teasing over obesity goes, younger children will tease over anything at all, obesity is at the top of the list, but I had friends who were teased for being vegetarians, or being jewish, or wearing glasses. With young children, will just find something to tease about, no matter what.

Then at about 12 or 13, I think that people develop keener senses of pride and self worth. Then teasing either stops, or if it continues it becomes personal. Fortunately, or unfortunately, at that age people can convey their ideas better through speach. This is the time when being called fat, or a greedy jew, or a faggot, really hurts the most. It doesnt matter what name you are called, it hurts, and it feels personal.

Race is a little different as Federico points out. It in general continues more into adulthood than being called fat does. And people can actually get violent about it.

It all hurts though.
 
When I was in 5th grade my Stanford Achievment Test score rated me equivalent to a sophomore - in college. In 7th grade I'd move to graduate student equivalent. My Stanford-Binet was 186.

So what? There's always someone smarter about something than you are regardless of what it is. My best friend in High School had an IQ of under 140. I always seemed to be playing catch up with him.

Retarded to genius, except for the really sick ( like sociopaths, narcissists, borderline personalities, and others ) we all experience the whole range of feelings, can be wounded very easily and deserve to be treated as fellow humans.

To quote someone whose name my mind has misplaced,

"In this world to get along you have to be Oh So Smart or Oh So Nice. I tried being Oh So Smart for years. I recommend Nice."
 
145-150 IQ, depending on the test, 5-11, 230#, 17% body fat (skinfold), strong as an ox. I was teased mercilessly in school, but that stopped pretty quick when I started lifting weights and the main perpetrator realized I could snap him like a twig. :D

The human child is the cruelest being on Earth. Name me another species that will drive one of its own near the point of suicide (like in the OP) on the basis of its coloring, or size, or growth rate. There isn't one.
 
"...except for the really sick ( like sociopaths, narcissists, borderline personalities, and others )..."

Yo, present and accounted for sir.
 
DannyinJapan said:
How many of you have ever considered the idea that teasing people or even making comments about their weight is just as bad as teasing or making comments about their color/race?

I have had to learn how to overlook these things (inasmuch as I am able) in order to preserve relationships with people who, I can accept, do not think about what they have said and do not honestly realise what an ugly, hurtful, needless and cruel thing they have just done.

I guess I am asking everyone here to be careful what you say, for the sake of others, and never assume that "fat" is an OK thing to joke about.
It is not.
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Hi, Danny. Perhaps I'm missing some important part of your argument, but don't you criticize the Japanese a lot? Using words like "Engrish" isn't much different than slang that ridiculed the way black people spoke, or Chinese, or [insert culture here]. I'm pretty thick-skinned, and I don't mind some racial jabs, but not if the instigator can't take jabs back in return.

I don't see there being a difference between criticizing the way someone looks and the way they act, either. Maybe you can't help being overweight, but I doubt that Japanese people can help their accents, either.

Do you not realize you're being hypocricital here, or am I missing something?

Chris
 
Yvsa said:
..If you don't want to hear it then don't read it. Not everyone can be as perfect as you...
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Didn't mean to raise your hackles, my friend. I was just making the point that regardless of the source of the hunger, the food actually gets put in the mouth by the hands, and that is a voluntary, directed action. I suppose there may be some people who suffer from a Dr. Strangelove syndrome and who's hands stuff food into their mouths against their will, but I don't think they will be found among the general population. The bottom line is that we are all responsible for our actions and their consequences.
 
Chris,
You are going to have to be much much more specific than that.
When I complain about Japanese people, its usually because of a violation of my civil rights or racism or narrow-mindedness, which they are famous for.

No, this is not the same. No, I am not being a hypocrite.
 
BruiseLeee said:
My IQ is 32. I have to concentrate really hard in order to eat. I guess that's why I'm underweight.
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Bruise, you have a unique way of putting everything in perspective. ;)
 
Ben Arown-Awile said:
The bottom line is that we are all responsible for our actions and their consequences.
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That's very true Ben, and I agree whole heartedly!
But until you've felt hunger pangs so bad that if you didn't eat something, no matter what it is, to keep from being physiically ill then you haven't been there and cannot speak from experience.
Personally I prefer fruits and raw veggies to other things just to help keep the weight down, but sometimes those just aren't an option.
 
DannyinJapan said:
Chris,
You are going to have to be much much more specific than that.
When I complain about Japanese people, its usually because of a violation of my civil rights or racism or narrow-mindedness, which they are famous for.

No, this is not the same. No, I am not being a hypocrite.
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Emphasis mine. Again with the cultural generalizations....

"The Japanese govt achieved a level of mind control over their people that the Soviets only dreamed of.
They are not sheep, they are children."

"please dont get me started on europeans."

"The truth is that this is a country full of people who have a middle school level of emotional and intellectual understanding.
(They are children)"

"The society is a colony organism type society, like a stone age culture in venezuela.
If they want to interact with the rest of the world, they must change.
It is as simple as that."

And that's from just a few of your posts. Like I said, I don't really care if you want to slag the Japanese for the way they are. It's their culture, not yours, and it's evidently working for them. They're adapting as well as they can to an outside world they didn't necessarily want to have to adapt to, but it seems like you won't be happy until everyone there acts like an American. Fine, that's your right, but if you're going to relentlessly criticize them and their society, then I don't see what the big deal is if people decide to criticize you and your society, which is famous for its rampant obesity.

A lot of Japanese people can't help acting the way they do because that's how their culture raised them. I've read the arguments before as to why Japanese people are bad, or why black people are stupid and violent, and why the Indians are always drunk, and why every race except the Aryans is imperfect, and it's all getting kind of childish. Races are different. Personally, I'm happy the entire world isn't like North America. It gives me a reason to travel, and to appreciate diversity. I don't need a McDonald's on every corner, or for every person to act like I do. That would be pretty boring.

Most of your posts come across as very judgmental. Now that's fine... it keeps things interesting, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just don't be so defensive when someone turns the tables on you.

And your description of yourself as an "Engrish teacher" in your bladeforums profile isn't helping your argument any. If you want to poke fun at their accents, why get upset if they poke fun at your weight? They have no more control over how they sound than you do over how you look.

I feel bad that this thread, which started off as a plea for compassion and understanding, is heading in this direction. I just don't see a lot of compassion or understanding in your posts, so it's hard for me to muster up much sympathy for you. I apologize for how harsh that sounds, but that's one of the downsides of the internet. Perhaps we all just need to lighten up a bit and not take personal comments so personally.

Chris
 
There is no "turning tables" going on.
Im talking about being unkind and insulting strangers.
You're talking about criticism.

Here's the difference Chris:

I have never in my life walked up to a stranger, Japanese or any other "race" and made unkind comments about their appearance or speech or their countries' politics.

I may speak about it here, in this forum, but I never walked up to a stranger, live, face-to-face, and said any of those awful things.

I complain about life here, yes. I do not attack people personally with slander and insults.
That's the difference.
The words "criticize" and "insult" are two very different things.

FYI, Japanese people have not shown any fear of approaching me and insulting me over all of those things and more.
In fact, on more than one occasion, they have actually touched my stomach.
Absolute f#cking strangers!

Do you see the difference?
I would never have done that. Criticize their legal and social system? Hell yes.
Personally insult absolute strangers? Hell no.

That's the difference.

By the way, there are more McDonalds here in Japan than there were in my hometown in America.
 
DannyinJapan said:
I have never in my life walked up to a stranger, Japanese or any other "race" and made unkind comments about their appearance or speech or their countries' politics.

I may speak about it here, in this forum, but I never walked up to a stranger, live, face-to-face, and said any of those awful things.
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Some would consider it more honest and honourable to have the courage to give your opinions to their faces so they can argue and contradict you, instead of saying it behind their backs.

That being said, even taking cultural differences into account, I would be offended if someone did that to me. Criticism, whether to someone's face or on an online forum, always has the potential to insult someone.

DannyinJapan said:
I complain about life here, yes. I do not attack people personally with slander and insults.
That's the difference.
The words "criticize" and "insult" are two very different things.
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Of course they are. You see yourself as merely criticizing. To the listener, whose culture, appearance or behaviour is being criticized, it comes across as an insult. If someone unloaded on America and Americans with half the vehemence with which you criticize Japan and the Japanese, there would be plenty of insulted people on this forum, and I wouldn't blame them.

That's just what I see on the forums. I have no idea what you're like in real life, so don't confuse the two. I assume you don't walk up to Japanese people and insult them, though I'd be surprised if they couldn't sense your attitude towards them. In any case, there's no excuse for their criticizing you. If they haven't seen a lot of Westerners or fat people, then a certain amount of curiousity is understandable (I'm sure Asians experienced that when they came over here earlier), but I'm sorry to hear that some have crossed the line into rudeness. Cultural norms differ, but there's no reason in this day and age that they should insult you personally.

My comments were more directed at your request to the forum that we not joke about fat, or criticize fat people. Like I said, I don't see much compassion and understanding from you on this forum, so it seems an odd request for you to make. Keep in mind that what seems like an objective criticism to you may very well come across as a personal insult to others, and vice versa.

I don't really have the time or inclination to explain my thoughts in more detail on this forum. If you want anything clarified, please email me and we can talk about it there. Otherwise, I'll leave this as my last word on the subject, as neither of us is evincing a willingness to alter our opinions on this subject in any fundamental way.

Cheers,

Chris
 
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