"Fat is the new gay"

Clandestine

I've noticed somewhat of a large upsurge in support for something known as "fat acceptance" on the internet. Its essentially a movement by obese people to "destroy thin privilege", "end discrimination of fat people" (which includes such things as jokes) as they are fat "because of genetics" and other dubious causes.

Its pretty obvious causes such as these should be taken with a pinch of salt, but I saw something today that just stunned me:
http://bitchmagazine.org/article/sized-up-fat-feminist-queer-disability

I mean... wow... I thought I had seen some sh!t but this takes the cake. I can't believe some people can be as mentally deficient as to make claims such as these. Some stuff I see on tumblr and other blog sites is just as inane.

What do you make of this AH? Do you think fat acceptance is a good thing and will it become a norm in society in the future?

alph

i started reading that article then scrolled down and realised it was more of a book so I stopped.

I'll never get those 3 minutes back ....

discus

It goes hand in hand with people being happy at an 'average' weight, not realising that just because its average, does not mean its not overweight?!

My name is URL

Clandestine wrote: »

I mean... wow... I thought I had seen some sh!t but this takes the cake

http://www.hiyoooo.com/

1ZRed

You callin me fat, OP?!

irish bloke

I REALLY hate links in threads....
Especially explaining the post..

Hownowcow

I like fat people. You can say anything you like to them. They'll never catch you.

The Backwards Man

I think that's total bollocks.

I will say one thing though. The absolute vitriolic hatred that some people have for those that are overweight, which will no doubt come out in this thread, puzzles me.

orestes

B!tch magazine - sized-up-fat-feminist-queer-disability

And before anyone tries to kill me, that's actually the url of the article in the link, I sh!t you not. Journalism at it's finest.

1ZRed

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

pharmaton

1ZRed wrote: »

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

I know a load of fat people and I've nothing against them but...

...just kidding.

Although the fact that it's equated with being gay is interesting as in my experience anyway, a lot of gay people tend to endure similar problems with accepting themselves and I'd be inclined to think they both stem from self esteem issues. Thought that much was obvious anyway. Its not so much about how they are perceived as to how they perceive themselves and the struggles with society that results in.

kowloon

1ZRed wrote: »

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

It is in Uganda.

jam_mac_jam

Oh its time for the fat people are bad again...

Do we not already have a thread about fat people today? Oh that's girls, oh I wonder are we going to talk about fat girls again?

Links234

Clandestine wrote: »

Some stuff I see on tumblr...

there's your problem right there

orestes

1ZRed wrote: »

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

That's the point they're trying to make, that being obese is not bad for you and society is just picking on obese people the same way that they used to pick on gay people. And before you try and use any of those fatphobic facts about diet and exercise (or anything at all that suggests that being obese is unnatural or unhealthy or in any way not awesome) they point out that they're all part of the conspiracy, so they don't count as counter-arguements. Handy eh?

1ZRed

kowloon wrote: »

It is in Uganda.

Is that baileys I see you drinking there?? >_>

mfceiling

Can't wait til my wife's companies christmas party when i explain this theory to her fat, gay work colleague.

The Backwards Man

1ZRed wrote: »

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

I think the connection they are trying to make 1Z, is that 50 years ago it was acceptable to hate someone for being gay. Nowadays it is acceptable to hate someone for being overweight. In fairness they have a bit of a point, but to compare a lifestyle choice to a sexual orientation is a bit mad.

Handsome Bob

Am I the only one with a strong case of deja vu?

kowloon

1ZRed wrote: »

Is that baileys I see you drinking there?? >_>

Fu<k, rumbled! :eek:

orestes

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I think the connection they are trying to make 1Z, is that 50 years ago it was acceptable to hate someone for being gay. Nowadays it is acceptable to hate someone for being overweight. In fairness they have a bit of a point, but to compare a lifestyle choice to a sexual orientation is a bit mad.

One of the main premises of their arguement is that being obese is no less of a lifestyle choice than being homosexual, therefore fatphobia is just as evil as homophobia.

From the article:

Nor is fatness, as conservatives often claim about homosexuality, a “lifestyle.” Body size is determined primarily by genetics, and while diets and exercise programs may produce short-term weight loss, they have a 95 percent failure rate over the long term. Yet like queer people living with hiv or aids, fat people are stigmatized for a condition that is imagined to be their fault.

BBDBB

Fat Pride would be a good parade to watch..........and a hell of a good buffet too

1ZRed

pharmaton wrote: »

I know a load of fat people and I've nothing against them but...

...just kidding.

Although the fact that it's equated with being gay is interesting as in my experience anyway, a lot of gay people tend to endure similar problems with accepting themselves and I'd be inclined to think they both stem from self esteem issues. Thought that much was obvious anyway. Its not so much about how they are perceived as to how they perceive themselves and the struggles with society that results in.

WHOLE other reasons for not accepting ourselves. It is not self esteem it's the fact that we are generally not liked or welcomed. Nobody wants a gay son, many don't want a gay friend or even have a gay person around them. That kind of mentality.

It's not like being fat and feeling unattractive, it's being looked down on and made to be lesser a lot of the time.

Being overweight and gay are poles apart.

pharmaton

1ZRed wrote: »

WHOLE other reasons for not accepting ourselves. It is not self esteem it's the fact that we are generally not liked or welcomed. Nobody wants a gay son, many don't want a gay friend or even have a gay person around them. That kind of mentality.

It's not like being fat and feeling unattractive, it's being looked down on and made to be lesser a lot of the time.

Being overweight and gay are poles apart.

you're preaching to the choir.

anyway, tldr and no interest in getting involved in another gay politics thread in AH.

The Backwards Man

orestes wrote: »

One of the main premises of their arguement is that being obese is no less of a lifestyle choice than being homosexual, therefore fatphobia is just as evil as homophobia.

From the article:

Ah, so they are homophobics masquerading as obese activists? That would make more sense alright.

Czarcasm

I'll premise this by saying I'm a guy who finds fat <insert your own euphemism here> girls sexually appealing, so for me it's rather simple-

The difference between being fat or being gay is that you can choose not to be fat; you can't choose not to be gay.

Zebra3

BBDBB wrote: »

Fat Pride would be a good parade to watch

Might take a while though.

Gummy Panda

1ZRed wrote: »

In serious though that the hell is the connection between being fat and gay? Being overweight or obese is actually bad for you, being gay is not.

But it can be a pain in the ass if you're a guy!












Ba dum tish. Thank you I'm here all week.

OneArt

Screw fat pride, I'm going to start smoker's pride.

At least we're hotter.

orestes

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Ah, so they are homophobics masquerading as obese activists? That would make more sense alright.

Nope, the woman who wrote the article is apparently a lesbian, and is a thin woman who is engaged to a fat woman (her words, directly from the article). There's some weird conjecture about race toward the end of the article too, using the example of a black, fat lesbian activist (again, from the article, I'm really not trying to be a bastard here).

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I think that's total bollocks.

I will say one thing though. The absolute vitriolic hatred that some people have for those that are overweight, which will no doubt come out in this thread, puzzles me.

Yeah, feckin fat people, taking our jobs but not our women

You think this is new? We've been bombarded with this "Guys hate skinny girls anyway! They like girls with more meat on their bones" since teen mags in the 90s. When I get called a stick insect and get told to eat a burger, I just nod. When I was overweight for a year or so, my (mostly overweight) friends would say "You're finally healthy, stay that way now, no no no don't go jogging! You don't need to!"

I never call fat people fat, I'm sick of having to just take the derogatory comments about my small frame and slim build. Oddly, I never had a man insult my figure. Only other women.

1ZRed

pharmaton wrote: »

you're preaching to the choir.

anyway, tldr and no interest in getting involved in another gay politics thread in AH.

Grand, I've no interest in one either.


The thing that is stupid is that it's likened to being the same as gay. If you're overweight you can help that, you can't help your sexuality. Though I see their point, I just don't think it's a very valid comparison.

I don't hate people who are overweight, but I don't like how it's being more normalised these days to the point where people forget the health risks to being overweight, and it's showing as our population is becoming more and more obese because people don't see what constitutes being overweight as easily as they used to.

I remember some poster here a few months back saying that the average weight for a 5'10 man was 14 stone. That is 194lbs and obese. For comparison, I'm nearly 6'1 and 180lbs while having an athletic build. What more was the post got a fair few thanks and people of the same weight were justifying their weight, eventhough it was far above a normal and more healthy weight which they thought.

It's the fact that these days people are less in tune with what is actually a healthy weight is what's a bit worrying, and although I do not condone hostility towards people who are overweight I think it shouldn't be so embraced because it is unhealthy. That's really where I see the cut off point with the comparison to sexuality.

Toshi101

didn't south park do an episode on this?

The Backwards Man

orestes wrote: »

Nope, the woman who wrote the article is apparently a lesbian, and is a thin woman who is engaged to a fat woman (her words, directly from the article). There's some weird conjecture about race toward the end of the article too, using the example of a black, fat lesbian activist (again, from the article, I'm really not trying to be a bastard here).

Riiight. It's a bit like watching The Matrix for the first time isn't it?

Prodigious

Clandestine wrote: »

I mean... wow... I thought I had seen some sh!t but this takes the cake. I

I see what you did there.

1ZRed

OneArt wrote: »

Screw fat pride, I'm going to start smoker's pride.

At least we're hotter.

I don't see the difference. There's going to be plenty of fags there too

Karl Stein

Clandestine wrote: »

this takes the cake.

.

RebelSoul

You never see really old fat people

1ZRed

Gummy Panda wrote: »

But it can be a pain in the ass if you're a guy!












Ba dum tish. Thank you I'm here all week.

Silly pandas have no lube

OneArt

1ZRed wrote: »

I don't see the difference. There's going to be plenty of fags there too

Yes but at least they're not fat.

david75

After hours.. Home of the knuckle draggers

NuckingFacker

david75 wrote: »

After hours.. Home of the knuckle draggers

doors thattaway <====> and it's not locked you know.:)

orestes

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Riiight. It's a bit like watching The Matrix for the first time isn't it?

Not really, it's pretty straight-forward stuff and it's an interesting idea. The idea that society needs a common enemy or "other" is hardly new and if obesity is genetic to a certain degree then it is an interesting arguement, but the problem with their approach is arguing that obesity is not unhealthy or a disease and completey disregarding the overwhelming science that shows it is and then comparing it to old ideas of homosexuality that weren't backed up by scientific evidence at all.

Basically: We used to think being gay was a disease and was bad for you and could be cured and we were wrong, now we say the same thing about being obese, so we are wrong about that too.

It's the disregard for science that is the problem with the arguement, not the comparison to social-stigma of race or sexuality.

The Backwards Man

david75 wrote: »

After hours.. Home of the knuckle draggers

Takes one to know one .:p

The Backwards Man

orestes wrote: »

Not really, it's pretty straight-forward stuff and it's an interesting idea. The idea that society needs a common enemy or "other" is hardly new and if obesity is genetic to a certain degree then it is an interesting arguement, but the problem with their approach is arguing that obesity is not unhealthy or a disease and completey disregarding the overwhelming science that shows it is and then comparing it to old ideas of homosexuality that weren't backed up by scientific evidence at all.

Basically: We used to think being gay was a disease and was bad for you and could be cured and we were wrong, now we say the same thing about being obese, so we are wrong about that too.

It's the disregard for science that is the problem with the arguement, not the comparison to social-stigma of race or sexuality.

I get it now I, I think.

It's a good job nobody hates us stupid people, otherwise I'd be fcuked!

orestes

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I get it now I, I think.

It's a good job nobody hates us stupid people, otherwise I'd be fcuked!

You could just actually read the article :P

dickwod1

I knew I was fat from an early age and when I finally got the courage to come out and tell my friends and family that I was fat they said "we always knew you were fat"

Czarcasm

david75 wrote: »

After hours.. Home of the knuckle draggers

My knuckles weigh much less than my ass, but thankfully neither are dragging off the ground just yet.

The Backwards Man

orestes wrote: »

You could just actually read the article :P

My mother used to say

'play dumb and people tell you all you want to know'

You've explained to me a lot better than if I actually read it myself.

AnonoBoy

Their Pride March is gonna take AGES to get through the city. :mad:


Has anybody said that yet?