Disclaim: I absolutely DO NOT condone treating others with disrespect solely based on how they look. Everyone should be treated with respect regardless of what kind of lifestyle choices they make. I'm totally cool with it if you're happy with who you are.
That out of the way, I wish to discuss a rather vocal group of "activists" that get under my skin. The group I refer to is "Size Acceptance". It sounds like a good idea in theory. We shouldn't publicly humiliate people simply for being overweight. However, it seems to have grown into something of a victim mentality, as activist movements are prone to do. They've coined the phrase "fat shaming", the act of making someone feel ashamed simply for being fat. This would include, rude comments, dirty stares in public (especially related to eating), and mistreatment due to their weight. Their basic philosophies not only contain some dangerous ideas, but downright willful ignorance about weight and health. This group of people are no better than the Pro Ana/Mia crowd as far as helpfulness and safety goes.
On the subject of fat shaming, what constitutes a "rude comment" about someone's weight? If a doctor tells you that your high cholesterol is due to your weight, is this considered fat shaming? If a gynecologist can't see your cervix due to your excess weight and doesn't prescribe your birth control due to being unable to examine you properly, is she at fault? What I'm getting at here, is that among SA followers, it seems there's a growing trend of labeling doctors as fat shamers. This is dangerous and not at all going to lend the movement any credit. When you're ignoring medical professionals because of your "hurt feelings" then you're posing a serious risk to yourself. Simply because feelings of embarrassment come with being told such harsh truth doesn't mean it's meant to be rude. Doctors are paid to tell people how to stay healthy, so they're not going to sugar coat it. What's shameful is people who break down and lock themselves in rooms because someone hurt their precious ego.
Fat shaming aside, there seems to be an all around negative attitude about dieting and exercise. While it's true that fad diets won't work, permanent changes in your everyday diet DO work. Simply eating 500 less calories a day would have a dramatic effect on how your body maintains homeostasis. And no, "starvation mode" does not mean the body will completely stop burning energy. If that were true, then starving people wouldn't be so skinny. In fact, if you combine a calorie deficit with vigorous exercise, your body doesn't have time to hit starvation mode because it will need to burn more energy, thus allowing you some wiggle room to have a snack or two. All weight loss requires is a bit of commitment and desire to change, it's not the complicated process that the SA crowd would have fat people to believe. If you don't want to put fourth the effort, then accept that you will stay the same, and for better or for worse, you will sometimes be treated badly, as we all are from time to time for our choices.
Some fat activists would like to see a world where, rather than being forced to lose the weight and be better off for it, the world accommodates THEM everywhere they go. The world is designed for people of average weight, this includes chairs, planes, buses, beds, most everything that holds our weight and our mass. Those in the SA crowd call this "thin privilege". First off, labeling everyone who's not obese as "thin" is a gross generalization. People come in all shapes and sizes, some a bit bigger, some smaller, but they fall into the range of average. Second, many places in America are already very accommodating even to people who would be considered overweight, the problem lies in the area of morbid obesity. In areas such as planes, those who are morbidly obese pose a problem to airline companies. They take up more than one seat, yet they pay for one. Solution? Make them pay for two seats. Of course this sparks outrage among the SA crowd, they cry fat shaming, and say things like "why not just make bigger seats?"Unfortunately the majority of people don't need 6 feet of elbow room. It's a fact that they don't see people that size every day, and the majority of people have no problem fitting in the seats. If you can't fit in coach, spring for first class, if you can't fit in those seats, then pay for two, simple as that. Is it fair to the airline who is trying to run a business for a morbidly obese person to take up a seat for free that could have held another passenger? Is it fair that they lose out on money from that ticket? Once again the SA people prove that they're rather self centered and really only see the world in terms of "Why is the world so unfair to ME? Don't they see that I'M suffering here? I am being discriminated against!!"
In conclusion. The world is a tough place, and you have to be tougher if you don't want to get trampled on. While it's not OK to disrespect someone based on appearances, it's also rather unbecoming to walk around with a victim complex. It is very obvious that there wouldn't be such a fuss if deep down, these people didn't loathe themselves. If you're happy with yourself, you don't crave approval from the outside world. The very fact that it's called Size ACCEPTANCE implies that they wish to force everyone to give them asspats and treat them with kiddie gloves. No one gets off that easy, even us "thin" people the SA people seem to be torn with jealousy and hatred over. Also, how about some food for thought, there are many in the world who would do anything just for a few crumbs of food to keep from perishing, even in developed countries in the western world. Now who's the world unfair to?
That out of the way, I wish to discuss a rather vocal group of "activists" that get under my skin. The group I refer to is "Size Acceptance". It sounds like a good idea in theory. We shouldn't publicly humiliate people simply for being overweight. However, it seems to have grown into something of a victim mentality, as activist movements are prone to do. They've coined the phrase "fat shaming", the act of making someone feel ashamed simply for being fat. This would include, rude comments, dirty stares in public (especially related to eating), and mistreatment due to their weight. Their basic philosophies not only contain some dangerous ideas, but downright willful ignorance about weight and health. This group of people are no better than the Pro Ana/Mia crowd as far as helpfulness and safety goes.
On the subject of fat shaming, what constitutes a "rude comment" about someone's weight? If a doctor tells you that your high cholesterol is due to your weight, is this considered fat shaming? If a gynecologist can't see your cervix due to your excess weight and doesn't prescribe your birth control due to being unable to examine you properly, is she at fault? What I'm getting at here, is that among SA followers, it seems there's a growing trend of labeling doctors as fat shamers. This is dangerous and not at all going to lend the movement any credit. When you're ignoring medical professionals because of your "hurt feelings" then you're posing a serious risk to yourself. Simply because feelings of embarrassment come with being told such harsh truth doesn't mean it's meant to be rude. Doctors are paid to tell people how to stay healthy, so they're not going to sugar coat it. What's shameful is people who break down and lock themselves in rooms because someone hurt their precious ego.
Fat shaming aside, there seems to be an all around negative attitude about dieting and exercise. While it's true that fad diets won't work, permanent changes in your everyday diet DO work. Simply eating 500 less calories a day would have a dramatic effect on how your body maintains homeostasis. And no, "starvation mode" does not mean the body will completely stop burning energy. If that were true, then starving people wouldn't be so skinny. In fact, if you combine a calorie deficit with vigorous exercise, your body doesn't have time to hit starvation mode because it will need to burn more energy, thus allowing you some wiggle room to have a snack or two. All weight loss requires is a bit of commitment and desire to change, it's not the complicated process that the SA crowd would have fat people to believe. If you don't want to put fourth the effort, then accept that you will stay the same, and for better or for worse, you will sometimes be treated badly, as we all are from time to time for our choices.
Some fat activists would like to see a world where, rather than being forced to lose the weight and be better off for it, the world accommodates THEM everywhere they go. The world is designed for people of average weight, this includes chairs, planes, buses, beds, most everything that holds our weight and our mass. Those in the SA crowd call this "thin privilege". First off, labeling everyone who's not obese as "thin" is a gross generalization. People come in all shapes and sizes, some a bit bigger, some smaller, but they fall into the range of average. Second, many places in America are already very accommodating even to people who would be considered overweight, the problem lies in the area of morbid obesity. In areas such as planes, those who are morbidly obese pose a problem to airline companies. They take up more than one seat, yet they pay for one. Solution? Make them pay for two seats. Of course this sparks outrage among the SA crowd, they cry fat shaming, and say things like "why not just make bigger seats?"Unfortunately the majority of people don't need 6 feet of elbow room. It's a fact that they don't see people that size every day, and the majority of people have no problem fitting in the seats. If you can't fit in coach, spring for first class, if you can't fit in those seats, then pay for two, simple as that. Is it fair to the airline who is trying to run a business for a morbidly obese person to take up a seat for free that could have held another passenger? Is it fair that they lose out on money from that ticket? Once again the SA people prove that they're rather self centered and really only see the world in terms of "Why is the world so unfair to ME? Don't they see that I'M suffering here? I am being discriminated against!!"
In conclusion. The world is a tough place, and you have to be tougher if you don't want to get trampled on. While it's not OK to disrespect someone based on appearances, it's also rather unbecoming to walk around with a victim complex. It is very obvious that there wouldn't be such a fuss if deep down, these people didn't loathe themselves. If you're happy with yourself, you don't crave approval from the outside world. The very fact that it's called Size ACCEPTANCE implies that they wish to force everyone to give them asspats and treat them with kiddie gloves. No one gets off that easy, even us "thin" people the SA people seem to be torn with jealousy and hatred over. Also, how about some food for thought, there are many in the world who would do anything just for a few crumbs of food to keep from perishing, even in developed countries in the western world. Now who's the world unfair to?
