a very shallow pool of thought

[humvee2800]

Why is it that one who eats large amounts but is skinny due too genetics is treated normally while one who eats normally and is fat would be constantly harassed in the same situation. Now personally I am not in bad shape though ive been large before and know what it is like.

[Father Jack]

I think it may be due to the fact that humanity has a natural dislike of anything looking unaesthetic and unnatural. Being of a slimmer build is what the majority of humans are physically like. So when someone is not of that particular common build humanity tends to treat that person differently and often with a degree of hostility.

There can also be other factors such as, bigger person = they may eat more food = that person is greedy. Its obviously unfair to judge someone like that without knowing their dietry habits or genetics but alas its human nature to immediately judge.

[Winter]

People unconsciously fear what is different from them, what they don't understand. That fear is portrayed as agression and hate in some people.

This reminds me of the character Piggy in Lord of the Flies. He is ridiculed by the boys on the island because he is fat and he cries and is weak, even though he is the smartest out of all of them.

And yes, this should be in the Ethos.

[fatsheep]

Why is it that one who eats large amounts but is skinny due too genetics is treated normally while one who eats normally and is fat would be constantly harassed in the same situation. Now personally I am not in bad shape though ive been large before and know what it is like.

Well people who are going to harass someone for being fat probably aren't going to bother learning about their genetics. These people probably wouldn't care how much someone eats, they'll just poke fun at the end result.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

To the Ethos!

[Romulus_A]

Modern society has created a bad impression of overweight people. So when someone sees an overweight person, they immediately look at the surface and assume that the person has bad eating habits, which can be true in some cases, but not all the time. Whereas, when someone sees a skinny person they take no notice, because this is the accepted weight of society.

Also, some people have better metabolism than others (myself included), which gives them a crutch for being skinny, but by no means in blood pressure, and other things that don't show up. If you were fat and you eat normally, but at least you wouldn't have to worry as much about getting a heart attack unlike the skinny person who gorges on sweets.

[Ulazlo the Warmonger]

i wouldn't say they go that easy on us genetically skinny people. My metabolism is off the charts and i play quite a few sports so all in all i never gain any weight and i always burn off any muscle i could build. So even though i can work out and lift the same weight as anyone else, because i am skinny i get the toothpick leg namecalls as such.

as to the topic, i would say because most of us just assume that the fat person eats more than he should (which does happen a fair amount of times) so its our first impression and until we actually know the person we're not liable to change our ideas.

[humvee2800]

I only have two beefs with fat people.

First there is the ones who not only overeat but are sloppy eaters, that pisses me of.

Also there are the ones who act lethargic, like just because one is fat does not mean they can't play a game of basketball or something.

That said I am still against name calling and ridicule.

[Ramashan]

I'm in the camp with Ulazlo, I've never had to monitor my diet because I simply never gain weight except in my belly which rarely goes about two waist sizes before I reign it in. But because I'm always the skinny kid, you can't imagine how much grief I've gotten in life except if you've ever been the skinny kid.

But as for giving grief to fat people, because of my experiences I would never make someone's life more difficult. How ever, I do believe that there is a difference between fat and obese. I know its not easy to lose weight cause I have a few friends that are heavy guys and girls, but I also think people sometimes use the 'genetics' card as an excuse to not even try.

So, although I'll never say anything to you, if your eating a huge greasy burger at the local Fat Burger my internal thoughts are going to be that you don't care about your weight or health and are a fat slob. Especially if I'm stuck on a plane crammed next to a heavy person who is invading my space due to size. Sort of why I think I should pay less for plane tickets since I am sort of giving away free weight to those who are over weight.