Last week, I stumbled across an interesting statistic: 70% of overweight people classify themselves as "normal weight".
It's re-inforcing my view/opinion that fat people don't know they're fat. It's cruel NOT to tell them! If nobody tells them, they'll never know, and they won't do anything about it. By telling fat people that they're fat, you are helping to save them from the many ailments, such as heart disease and diabetes.
As a society, we have become far too accepting of fat and obese people. Just look at TV: When a segment is run about rising obesity rates, and they have a shot of fat people, they never show their faces, sparing them the embarrassment of being labelled 'fat'.
Morbidly obese people in public is simply visual terrorism. Especially when they wear tight clothing. We have laws against indecent exposure, because naked old men and saggy women running around is disgusting. How is morbidly obese people any different?
These people place an extra burden upon our health care system, and need to be humiliated into losing weight -- or they never will.
Comments
BULL SHIT - if your sick mind wants to humiliate fat people don't claim its because your doing it for they're own good. Cause your not - your just doing it cause they make you uncomfortable. That says more about you and your issues than them.
And what do you expect humiliation to do? Make them more depressed so they eat? If you were so concened you would be looking at ways to encourage and facilitate weight loss such as excercise and a balanced nutrional diet.
I would like to know the source of your "statistic" .... because what range of overweight people were they talking about? If it was based on the BMI its not hard to be classified as overweight - even if your a healthy weight (not fat). How do you know that the 70% that classified themselves as normal weight weren't? The statistic specifically mentions overweight people not obese, so it is probably those people who are 5-10kg over the so called "normal weight" range - which does not put them in the obese category!!!
I haven't had time to articulate the rest of whats wrong with your "statistic" ...... to be continued...
I've had fat people tell me I should "eat a sandwich" (like thats going to promote any real weight gain) even after I've told them their comments are unwelcome and offensive. They seem to be bitter at the thin world.
I think its disgusting when you see all these morbidly obese people on the tv shows that have to have a wall demolished so they can be taken to hospital. People are starving even in Australia.
I call shenanigans on the assertion that it's easy to be classed as overweight with a BMI. The BMI only classifies people as overweight if they are truly overweight or have a large amount of muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat it's only natural that your BMI would be higher. From the Better Health Victoria site:
BMI calculations will overestimate the amount of body fat for:
BMI calculations will underestimate the amount of body fat for:
So the BMI may not be great but it is still a good indication of health risk.
I was hesitant to post the original entry without having actually found the statistic I read because I KNEW someone would demand the statistic. While I wasn't able to dig up the original statistic I read, I found some equally interesting ones. If these don't shock you (or at the very least, alarm you), I don't know what will.
If a fat person wants to eat themselves to an early grave, why should you care? We live in a free society where people can do almost anything they like (especially to there own bodies). Let them eat. But if fat people don't know they are over weight then they are doing themselves damage with out 'realising' it. Peter's point is valid. These people should know that they are overweight. That being overweight or being classified as slightly obese in your BMI is not a good thing. The issue is ensuring these people know this. Now Peter has taken it to quite an extreme and I don't think we want public spitting at fatties but they need to know. If they then choose to continue that is there own choice (as long as I don't have to pay their medicare bill, they should have to pay that).