[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.
Holy fucking crap.
Umm, you don’t have to wait until tomorrow and the day after to post pts. 3 & 4. There isn’t any rule against it anyway. I’m usually fine with suspense, but I’m *dying* to hear how this turns out.
Bearing in mind that my opinions are mostly reviled, I also have difficulty keeping my mouth shut. It’s hard enough for me to understand why you’d take offense to something this innocuous that obviously isn’t directed specifically to you. However, you’re not really demonstrating how any of their comments are wrong. Are you really arguing that obesity and laziness aren’t related (i.e. that obese people aren’t more likely to be lazy and vice versa)? Or are you simply asserting that you’re the exception to the rule?
It sounds like the crux of your differences resides in the list you composed. The language of theirs (i.e. laziness and overeating) emphasizes personal responsibility, while yours seems to externalize (excessively, in my opinion). I don’t see how the two are really mutually exclusive; it just sounds like different sides talking past each other with tendentious arguments that likely correlate strongly with their political predilections. The obesity epidemic is so complex and problematic that I don’t really see the need to limit the blame to either individual or societal factors.
OK, first of all, Marty: “with tendentious arguments that likely correlate strongly with their political predilections”? Shut. Up. You pretentious dick.
Second, did I say I was going to demonstrate how their comments are wrong? I don’t remember that. Oh, right, that’s because I never said that was my intention. My intention is to entertain my friends with the ridiculousness that is my thought process and emotional journey. Really, why are you still reading?
And you don’t really see the need to limit the blame to either individual or societal factors? Hmm. That’s interesting. Oh, wait, no it’s not!
Last, I’m NOT DONE. That’s why I said it would be in five parts.
You state in one sentence that your intention is to entertain, and then in the next you ask why I’m still reading? If that question wasn’t purely rhetorical, the answer is that I’m continuously entertained, though likely for different reasons than the target audience.
Likewise, I’ll gladly point out where you stated your intent to prove them wrong when you identify where I stated my claim was to be interesting.
I dug up this guy’s myspace profile if you want any new dirt to sling around. Let’s just say he has an impressive bench. I look forward to the remainder of the dialogue.
That is really, really creepy, Marty.
isn’t it interesting that obese or fat people are one of the few groups that is is still all right to be judgemental and openly scornful about?
what’s up with that?
and amy, your dad is absolutely correct.
Wait, am I really reading comments on a blog post that was written over 2 years ago? I need to GET A LIFE! Still, funny shit.
I know–two years is an internet-eternity! But I’m glad you’re enjoying it.