Calling someone "Fatty" could become a hatecrime.
Discussion
just me said:
davepoth said:
Is that really true though? If a person stops taking in calories they will lose weight, even those with "bad glands". I was trying to find a medical condition that would actually cause obesity but I couldn't - being fat is simply eating more than your body needs, even though everyone needs different foods and different amounts of food.
Haven't read up on it, but yes it seems there is a fat gene and some people have a much greater propensity to gain and hold on to fat than others. Don't really understand it all, but I suspect it's not just a matter of diet or willpower.
Weight and build are genetic (i.e. I'll always have a large frame) but my extra padding is purely a result of inactivity and excess food.
There is lots of bullying going on against kids for things that they can't help. Why is is skin colour different from someone who wears glasses, is ginger, wears hearing aids, has a big head, big ears, big nose etc...?
Yet racism you can go to jail for yet you can abuse someone for having big ears and other people will likely join in.
As much as racism is wrong I find it strange that you can go to jail for it yet can abuse people for other things that they can't help and not even get a telling off from a teacher.
Yet racism you can go to jail for yet you can abuse someone for having big ears and other people will likely join in.
As much as racism is wrong I find it strange that you can go to jail for it yet can abuse people for other things that they can't help and not even get a telling off from a teacher.
This is a silly idea but I do sort of see what they mean. They're saying discrimination exists against fat people, and it does, they're absolutely right. The key difference though between being fat and - for arguments sake - black, is you were born black and thats who you are. Equalities and anti-discrimination law is applied to people who are gay, black, disabled etc. All of those are things you just are, being fat is something most people can have control of.
Yes, but it does not affect their ability to do computer programming, for instance. So discrimination would be wrong (and possibly you are denying yourself the services of a very talented programmer). Further, despite being qualified, a fat person may find it very difficult to get a job. Is it the same for someone who wears specs or has big ears (we never had this where I grew, you guys really make fun of people because they have big ears?)?
I know one lad a few years below had an operation to bring his ears in a little bit. He was only about 6/7 years old and the bullying was that bad he needed the op for him to continue to go to school without getting bullied. Nothing happened to the people doing the bullying I don't think. However, there was a one case of racism I can recall. It wasn't harsh or regular but if I remember the person doing the racism got suspended from school for 2 months and it was a huge issue. The racism case was a few years later and the racist was maybe 12/13.
I just find this wrong really and something needs to be done to bring all hatecrime ( specifically cases where the victim can't help it / they were born that way ) onto the same punishment level.
I just find this wrong really and something needs to be done to bring all hatecrime ( specifically cases where the victim can't help it / they were born that way ) onto the same punishment level.
just me said:
Yes, but it does not affect their ability to do computer programming, for instance. So discrimination would be wrong (and possibly you are denying yourself the services of a very talented programmer). Further, despite being qualified, a fat person may find it very difficult to get a job. Is it the same for someone who wears specs or has big ears (we never had this where I grew, you guys really make fun of people because they have big ears?)?
Well its no secret that theres 'groups' of people who tend to find it easier to get jobs than others, outside of whether they're qualified or not. Fat women over 40 generally struggle the most and have to be twice as qualified as the position requires to be considered half as good. We know this sort of thing happens but what are you REALLY meant to do about it?If someone had to go to court for mentioning somebody was quite podgy, a Judge would laugh his head off.
just me said:
There are fat marathon runners. Are you saying it's because they eat too much compared to how much they burn off? I find it hard to believe, but I suppose it's possible.
Look at it this way.People who eat 1,000 calories a day are thin. People who eat 10,000 calories a day are fat. There is a causative link there.
Fat people can have decent cardiovascular fitness and they usually have quite strong muscles from lifting themselves. But they are still fat.
I was trying to think of a suitably erudite and exquisitely crafted response to this but its far too late for that. The facts are that some some people sre horrible all of the time and most people are horrible some of the time.
Coping with horrible
s is part of life. Does this mean that being a horrible should be encouraged, condoned or even accepted? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean that its a matter for law, either.
Coping with horrible
s is part of life. Does this mean that being a horrible should be encouraged, condoned or even accepted? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean that its a matter for law, either. davepoth said:
Look at it this way.
People who eat 1,000 calories a day are thin. People who eat 10,000 calories a day are fat. There is a causative link there.
Fat people can have decent cardiovascular fitness and they usually have quite strong muscles from lifting themselves. But they are still fat.
Plenty of fat people who count calories and eat the correct amount of the right types of food for their exertion levels. People who eat 1,000 calories a day are thin. People who eat 10,000 calories a day are fat. There is a causative link there.
Fat people can have decent cardiovascular fitness and they usually have quite strong muscles from lifting themselves. But they are still fat.
Some people just can't seem to lose weight, no matter what.
I agree that in the majority of cases, what you are saying holds true.
just me said:
davepoth said:
Look at it this way.
People who eat 1,000 calories a day are thin. People who eat 10,000 calories a day are fat. There is a causative link there.
Fat people can have decent cardiovascular fitness and they usually have quite strong muscles from lifting themselves. But they are still fat.
Plenty of fat people who count calories and eat the correct amount of the right types of food for their exertion levels. People who eat 1,000 calories a day are thin. People who eat 10,000 calories a day are fat. There is a causative link there.
Fat people can have decent cardiovascular fitness and they usually have quite strong muscles from lifting themselves. But they are still fat.
Some people just can't seem to lose weight, no matter what.
I agree that in the majority of cases, what you are saying holds true.
What tends to happen is that the fat person will crash diet without exercising, which causes the body to drastically slow down the metabolic rate and hinder weight loss. For those people the answer is just to walk more, even if it is just to the shops to start with.
There are other reasons why someone might not be able to lose weight. If you've got other health problems or a disability of some sort you'll find it very tough, particularly if you have a mobility related disability. You could eat like a sparrow and still not lose weight if you can't move much easily, and if you move with constant pain you need all the energy you can get hold of just for that.
martin84 said:
There are other reasons why someone might not be able to lose weight. If you've got other health problems or a disability of some sort you'll find it very tough, particularly if you have a mobility related disability. You could eat like a sparrow and still not lose weight if you can't move much easily, and if you move with constant pain you need all the energy you can get hold of just for that.
Inactivity is no barrier to not being fat.
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