Call Me Crazy, Part 3

[continued from previous post]

Where were we? Ah, yes! I was disclosing, much to your surprise, that I have some difficulty biting my tongue. What did I call those people? Of course! Ignoramuses.

Let’s tune back in, shall we?

Apparently, female commenter #1 thought I was making light of the conversation.

Female commenter #1 responds: This is a serious issue, more more ppls are beecomn to obesed. N the reality is we know how hard it is to drop weight. N maybe ppl that are obesed can really go to the gym n work out, or walk for a longtime. We […] don’t need to focus on the ppl that r obesed instead we need to prevent it. I did a paper n grad school about child obesity n the numers were crazy. I am seeing way too many children over weight bc they don’t eat the proper food n they don’t exercise. Instead they spend hours playing video games n hours on a computer. Then they are sitting down majority of the time they r in school. Obeses is a high risk factor n is killing our ppl day after day. This topic keep on comn up but until we do something about it, it will just be another topic :(…. Ppl that struggle with obesity deal with depression n low self esteem, which can lead to suicide. So this is def a serious issue. GOOD POST [name redacted]….

You’ll be astounded, dear readers, to learn that I felt the need to respond. I wanted to inquire about which graduate school admitted a person who wrote like that, but I did not. I kept to the topic. (Do you feel that? Yes, that’s smug superiority oozing out of your screen.)

Me: Absolutely, obesity is a serious issue. But simplifying the cause to laziness is…well, lazy. And certainly not helpful. And while we’re at it, prejudiced and hurtful and, what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, yes: ignorant.

Obesity has many causes. Read about ’em. Here’s a starter article for you:
http://www.downtoearth.org/health/nutrition/obesity-america

The next guy had a little different take.

Male commenter #3: [initial redacted] Money. while i agree that obesity is a problem, linking it to lazyness isn’t completely accurate. i don’t think the problem is lazyness, its motivation. i’m lazy, but i’m motivated to lose weight & be an overall better athelete & father. …obesity as a term is overrated anyway. back in Jan 2010 when i was @ 305,i was obese class III, now i’m class I @ 235. punch your info into that crap formula and see where you end up but be prepared for a shock. i have to get to 210 so i can be considered “overweight.” i anticipate hitting that weight on my bday. I really don’t consider myself obese, but if the numbers say so, then i guess i am. after taking [Brutus]‘s nutrition class back in Sept, i have a whole different outlook on ppl’s health. think about how many ppl you know that weigh 150lb, look like they’re @ the peak of fitness but are taking 30 pills per day just so they don’t have a heart attack, high blood pressure/sugar…. and look at all the tubs of fat like me, my brother & some of the other big dudes @ [CrossFit] that look like crap but can literally pull their own weight. whenever i see a bid guy/girl now, i stop and think about how i used to be in their shoes & wonder if i still would be in their shoes if i didn’t have the motivation i have today. c u saturday, we’re going to crush it!!!

Then The Linebacker weighed in. (OH MY GOD, NO PUN INTENDED. I’M SERIOUS. BUT NOW I CAN’T MAKE MYSELF CHANGE IT. HAHAHAHA.)

TL: I totally agree Big [Male commenter #3] I was considered Class 111 obese in Jan when I was 326 It rocked my world! I was saying that its “commonly” associated with laziness and [Male commenter #3] Im talking about the type of lazy that includes not working out and overeating(and then going to eat KFC and wondering why their still obese)….no one who crossfits or works out falls into this category!!

And I wanted to wash my hands of the whole situation at this point because really?, nobody was listening to what I had to say.

I wanted to.

I really wanted to.

And yet….

[continued]

Call Me Crazy, Part 2

[continued from previous post]

So one day last week, I notice TL’s status update and comments are as follows.

Obesity is not a disease….its a condition commonly associated with laziness

Female commenter #1: AGREE

Male commenter #1: So true Big [TL]. I can’t feel sorry for fat people unless they have some kind of gland condition or something.

Male commenter #2: Laziness and overeating. Don’t forget overeating, [TL]. [Pretty sure, this comment was made by this guy.]

Female commenter #2: I agree too. It just seems really socially irresponsible to let yourself get to that point. Not talking about a few extra pounds here, like from having kids or something, but real obesity.

Let’s stop there for a second, and—ahem—digest.

OK, first off, Male commenter #1, the one who is incapable of “feel[ing] sorry for fat people unless they have some kind of gland condition”…how the hell would he know who does and who doesn’t? Does he stop fat people on the street and go, “Hey, listen, I was just wondering whether to feel sorry for you or judgmental of you. So could you tell me if you have a gland condition?”

And, actually, Male #2 (who I’m going to infer was begotten to two skinny parents, who were begotten themselves to four skinny grandparents, and who has probably never felt the urge to overeat in his life) was the closest to being right on this. Broken down to its most elemental, obesity is almost always a result of overeating. There are lots of reasons people eat more calories that their bodies need:

  • being marketed ridiculous portion sizes
  • high-calorie crap-food being cheaper than good-for-you-food
  • having a disordered relationship with food
  • it tasting really damn good
  • it being a holiday
  • having a hard day at work
  • etc.

But basically, the vast majority of obese people don’t get obese because of “gland conditions”; they get obese by eating too much.

Now, according to the Body Mass Index calculator, I am obese. (According to my dad, I’m a vision of Baroque loveliness. Potato-potahto.) I’m not quite 5’2″, and last time I went to the doctor I weighed 176 lbs. That gives me a BMI of 32.4. Over 30 is obese, thus I am obese. I am obese because I consume more calories than are required by my body. (More on this subject later.)

But I’m not fucking lazy. I get up and go to work every damn day. I keep my house in, well, decent condition. I go to the gym and lift heavy objects over ma head. I walk my dogs to the dog park. I go hiking.

So anyway, I try—I don’t know this dude, or his friends—I try, but I just…can’t…keep…my mouth…shut.

Me: Wow. Sorry, but this is some of the most ignorant shit I’ve read in a long time.

Probably could’ve been a bit more diplomatic. Whatevs.

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