Being FAT is NOT a handicap.

[Jethro]

So I pull into McDonalds today to get a healthy lunch. As pull in a big-ass Cadillac pulls into the handicapped spot a few spaces down. Out of the big-ass Cadillac in the handicapped parking spot comes this big-ass lady. I mean, she is grossly overweight--she makes Rosie (any of the Rosies) look anorexic.

She isn't limping or walking with a cane or anything like that. She is just fat. She gets in line, orders 2 double quarter-pounders, a large fry, a large pop and a shake.

And for this she gets to be considered a freakin handicap and get special parking privileges.

I have nothing against fat people in general. I consider most of them to be jolly and nice. But this one bugged me. She needs to quit eating like a pig and get some exercise. But then she would lose her handicap parking sticker.

[Unitik908]

I totally agree with you but some people are gonna post sayin how do you know she wasnt handicapped or somthing like that... but i agree with you that just kind abugs me.

Chase

[Jethro]

^Yeah, I know. And then inevitably someone is going to tell me it is glandular, so I'll just go ahead and say "bullsh!t" ahead of time.

[JJuggle]

Her real handicap is emotional and/or psychological. Give her a break, shut up, and go back to your salad.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by JJuggle
Her real handicap is emotional and/or psychological. Give her a break, shut up, and go back to your salad.

No her real problem is she has been around too many cold-hearted (unlike yours truly) people who enabled her laziness and lack of self-esteem by not kicking her very large butt into shape.

[DigitalDave]

Most likely the sticker isn't hers.

I heard of people who fraudulently get them.

[James_Potter]

Another possible explanation would be that she has a relative who's handicapped, and is cheating by using their permit. I know my parent's have done that before. ;)
But if not, then I agree with you. Fat people are using their weight as an excuse for, like, stuff. Like this. Yeah. But I do find it hard to believe that someone would actually give this person a handicapped permit just because s/he's overweight.

[musketman]

yea i cant stand fat people like that that eat and eat and eat and know there fat and have to stop.I think they should not get a special handicap privalage because there fat asses.Our goverment should round up all the fatties in the u.s. and and whip them into shape litterally!!;)

[Borges]

Being overweight can cause all sorts of back problems, knee problems etc. (and vice versa btw.), so she might need the handicap spaces. It does seem ironical though to grant overweight people easier access to fastfood.

[s7ev0]

Sorry to threadjack, but having just noticed it on this thread, I have to say that DigitalDave's current avatar is now my all time favourite.

Simple, old skool, mesmeric and, of course, digital!

Ahh, the nostalgia of it all!


Back on thread - I tend to lean towards the idea that fat people need some "tough love". However the fast food and processed food industries have a case to answer for pushing their wares aggressively, and at young people in particular.

[yobaroba]

fat people who are fat because they are just hungry buggers should be made to be less fat, if you can get a handicap sign for just being a fat heffer with no other handicaps thats stupid. why make then walk a short distance when you could put the handicaped parking 5 miles from the shop and make them walk into shape.

yoba

[James_Potter]

Originally posted by s7ev0
Sorry to threadjack, but having just noticed it on this thread, I have to say that DigitalDave's current avatar is now my all time favourite.

<threadjack cont.>
It's crazy, just a week ago I was planning on making an avatar more or less exactly like that one. too late now.... it is brilliant though.
</threadjack>

[Jethro]

Originally posted by s7ev0
Sorry to threadjack, but having just noticed it on this thread, I have to say that DigitalDave's current avatar is now my all time favourite.

And I am sitting here watching it, stuffing my face with Girl Scout cookies, waiting for the score to change. If I get fat because of this, he's paying for my damn handicap parking sticker.

[weeble]

Originally posted by James_Potter
<threadjack cont.>
It's crazy, just a week ago I was planning on making an avatar more or less exactly like that one. too late now.... it is brilliant though.
</threadjack>

Even crazier, I actually DID make one almost exactly like that, but never used it here. It's less smooth and only 60x60 though...

[yoopers]

But the real issue behind the issue is that, if she is indeed not deserving of the status of handicapped, she is stealing the opportunity to use the space as it was intended from a legitimately handicapped person. I am not handicapped or physically challenged so I can only claim to imagine the struggles some of these folks go through on a daily basis.

B

[caw89]

Poeple like that need the red handicaped sticker. One in which you have to park in one of the preserved spots in the back of the lot, in order for them to get mote exersize. Any one of these people caught not in their parking spots must pay a fine.

The only way to avoid not getting one of these red sticker is to not apply for a normal handicap permit.;)

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
No her real problem is she has been around too many cold-hearted (unlike yours truly) people who enabled her laziness and lack of self-esteem by not kicking her very large butt into shape. Well, it's your thread so if you say so, it must be.

Did you do the honors?

[Jethro]

JJuggle, after having read your replies in this thread, I am forced to draw one of two conclusions. Either:

1) You are hazing the newbie

or

2) You were the fat woman in McDonalds.


Do you drive a Cadillac?

[johnfoss]

I missed the part where anybody did some research to find out if this woman had any severe arthritis, joint problems (which could have pre-dated her fatness), artificial limbs, neck problems (like my step-mom, who does not appear disabled; bad neck + bad arthritis qualifies her), or any number of things that might earn her a legit handicap sticker.

She could be using someone else's, but apparently none of us knows that.

Along with the shoulds:
- She should park at the far end of the parking lot (of a different eatery)
- She should eat better (and possibly just less)
- She should drive a more fuel-efficient car
- Many of the people posting here should learn not to discriminate against fatness, especially if they don't know the particular cause.

There are many possible causes. For example, a friend of mine. He was a big soccer player many years ago, fit and healthy. Then he developed a knee injury and had to give up soccer. He switched to golf, which was not a good exercise replacement. Apparently he also started to suffer from depression, which slowed him down. He became very fat. His fault, but mitigating circumstances. Exercising is more difficult for him due to the bad knee, and the depression, and the liver problem he later developed, totally un-connected to any of the other stuff. Now he's kind of screwed. If he can't get motivated to figure out a better way to take care of himself, he may die. We and professionals have done what we can, but it's really up to him.

I have never been fat. Have you? I know many people who are or were, and have dealt with many of the self-motivation, emotional, and social issues that go along with it. Once deep in, it can be very psychologically hard to get out.

I'd rather dis smokers, which have a hard time quitting due to the strong chemical addiction. A fat person is not going to give me lung cancer...

[Jethro]

Originally posted by johnfoss
I'd rather dis smokers, which have a hard time quitting due to the strong chemical addiction. [/B]

We can do that, too. But let's try to be done with it by midweek. I want to start in on dissing professional bass fisherman by Wednesday at the latest.

[uni57]

Originally posted by Jethro
JJuggle, after having read your replies in this thread ...Raphael just likes being feisty. I think he is making an aggressive reply that is in proportion to the level of insensitivity you have shown to fat people who eat like pigs.

He was thinking what John Foss wrote, but to save time, he wrote a much shorter reply. :) Just a guess on my part.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by uni57
Raphael just likes being feisty. I think he is making an aggressive reply that is in proportion to the level of insensitivity you have shown to fat people who eat like pigs.

He was thinking what John Foss wrote, but to save time, he wrote a much shorter reply. :) Just a guess on my part.

Well, ok...but I still prefer to think he was the fat lady at McDonalds.

[john_childs]

Originally posted by uni57
Raphael just likes being feisty. I think he is making an aggressive reply that is in proportion to the level of insensitivity you have shown to fat people who eat like pigs.
I don't want you diss'n on pigs here. Pigs don't naturally overeat. If you give a pig a constant and always available supply of good food (grain) you do not end up with a fat pig. Now give an animal like a dog an unlimited and constant supply of good food (dog food) and you get a fat dog. If that lady was a pig she would not be fat.

It's when pigs are fed bad food (things like human food, treats, etc) that you end up with a fat pig. But that's the fault of the owner and not the pig. If you have a pet pot bellied pig and you spoil it with extra food you are going to end up with a fat pot bellied pig. Feed it pig food and it won't get fat.

I raised pigs (swine) in 4-H. None of my pigs were fat and I never saw a fat pig at a farm or fair.

[johnfoss]

Don't mess with pigs when John Childs is around!

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
[b]1) You are hazing the newbieJethro, in all honesty, guilty as charged.

I am often wrong about such things but I have my suspicions about who or what you are. Your first post here was, as far as I can tell, "I have lots of questions" on the same day that you registered on Unicyclist.com. You've made some brief comments about your family unicycling but beyond that we know very little about you except that you are clever and post here mostly "tongue in cheek". Almost to a man, woman, and child, we all started here in RSU with real questions and comments about unicycling. You don't seem to have taken that route but rather show up right off as a smart aleck.

Now mind you, this is the Internet and you can do whatever you like and, frankly I enjoy your banter. So don't take it personally.

And yeah, what John Foss said (that Dave Lowell is starting to piss me off with how perceptive he is). I don't normally read self help books but a friend was adament about the Covey book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". I only made it about 20 or 25 pages. But he talks about a man on the subway and how his kids were running amok being loud and a nuisance to all the other passengers. One confronted the man about controlling his kids. He said that yeah he should but as they'd just come from the hospital where their mother had just died, he didn't feel up to it. Covey, of course, said something about not judging although at more length and somewhat more eloquently.

Now I believe this post, like some that I start, was done to get people riled up and talking. So, there, that's my take.

[Jethro]

Thanks for the well-thought out reply, JJuggle.

Unicycling is a form of recreation for me. I have an interest in it, but not a lot of questions. I learned to unicycle at 42 (less than a year ago). I am not particuclarly adept at it and don't have a lot of natural talent. I will never have the skills to do muni or trials or tricks. My main goal is to be able to ride well enough to do some distance trips with my family. When I get a little better, I may have some questions about crusiers or cokers, but for now, I read the threads and learn.

As for the smart aleck part, I plead no contest. This message board is a form of recreation for me--not in a troll way. Just in a kick back and let my hair down kind of way. I have a high-stress, high-commitment job (I have left enough hints around that you can figure out what it is, but it is not in my best interest to broadcast it at the moment). I come here to unwind and let the less serious side of me get some exercise.

And you were spot on about the motivation behind this thread. Plus, I figure I am a lot safer dissing fat people on a unicycle forum than say, on a weight watchers forum.

[johnfoss]

Originally posted by JJuggle
Almost to a man, woman, and child, we all started here in RSU with real questions and comments about unicycling. You don't seem to have taken that route but rather show up right off as a smart aleck.The difference is, Jethro's label shows he is from Minneapolis, MN. He doesn't need to ask *us* questions because he is probably surrounded by more "live" unicyclists than he can shake a stick at! I expect the Twin Cities people to come in with more unicycling background to start with...

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
Thanks for the well-thought out reply, JJuggle.

Unicycling is a form of recreation for me. I have an interest in it, but not a lot of questions. I learned to unicycle at 42 (less than a year ago). I am not particuclarly adept at it and don't have a lot of natural talent. I will never have the skills to do muni or trials or tricks. My main goal is to be able to ride well enough to do some distance trips with my family. When I get a little better, I may have some questions about crusiers or cokers, but for now, I read the threads and learn.

As for the smart aleck part, I plead no contest. This message board is a form of recreation for me--not in a troll way. Just in a kick back and let my hair down kind of way. I have a high-stress, high-commitment job (I have left enough hints around that you can figure out what it is, but it is not in my best interest to broadcast it at the moment). I come here to unwind and let the less serious side of me get some exercise.

And you were spot on about the motivation behind this thread. Plus, I figure I am a lot safer dissing fat people on a unicycle forum than say, on a weight watchers forum. Welcome to the forum, Jethro (if that really is your name.) We share much in common with respect to our unicycling. I look forward to more banter and sparring with you.

Cheers

[Ed Hansen]

Originally posted by Jethro

And for this she gets to be considered a freakin handicap and get special parking privileges.

I have nothing against fat people in general. I consider most of them to be jolly and nice. But this one bugged me. She needs to quit eating like a pig and get some exercise. But then she would lose her handicap parking sticker.

Being fat may not qualify you for the handicap parking permit, but physical ailments that go along with it could: back problems, knee problems, foot problems, breathing problems, heart problems.

My aunt was shorter than 5 feet tall and weighed close to 300 lbs at her worse. She had the handicap parking pass due to those problems I listed and others. She also had diabetes which didn't help with her weight problem. ---You may have noticed that I refer to her in the past tense. One more reason to stay in shape.

[UniBrier]

Originally posted by john_childs
Now give an animal like a dog an unlimited and constant supply of good food (dog food) and you get a fat dog. Not always true! We had a Standard Poodle (OK some may argue Poodles are not dogs but he was 45 lbs) that was a grazer. Always had food, never got fat. My Golden retriever was the same way. Now my Lab is a different story. She will eat and eat and eat. When we had both dogs we had to keep the Lab away from the Golden's food.


On topic, unless you're cheating, you need to get a doctor to sign off on a temporary or permanent sticker. I had one when I broke my heel.

[Orange]

Originally posted by JJuggle
Her real handicap is emotional and/or psychological. Give her a break, shut up, and go back to your salad.

I have no words, but if you saw my face after reading those lines JJuggle you would've seen that I agree. ;)

[cheech]

Jethro, perhaps she has a heart condition!

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by johnfoss
The difference is, Jethro's label shows he is from Minneapolis, MN. He doesn't need to ask *us* questions because he is probably surrounded by more "live" unicyclists than he can shake a stick at! I expect the Twin Cities people to come in with more unicycling background to start with... John, this very well may be true. And though I'm sure I'd be surprised by the answer, how many people make their first post on a newsgroup a wise crack on the off-topic area? (Though if truth be known, Jethros' first thread here falls into the category, for me at least, of wish I'd thought of that).

[pdc]

Shocked and dismayed. :p The faithful advocates for the less fortunate are strangely silent on this subject. (except Mr. Foss)

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by pdc
Shocked and dismayed. :p The faithful advocates for the less fortunate are strangely silent on this subject. (except Mr. Foss) Ha, I read this post before you edited it and you used the term PC in its disparaging context.

Well, since this thread was started to bait those who would cruelly disparage the overweight and since it succeeded in that capacity early on, we "faithful advocates for the less fortunate" were wise enough not to take the counter bait. ;)

[chosen]

Originally posted by Jethro
a large pop

its been a while since i heard that actually used. in the south we say drink. its broad but it works.

[pdc]

Ha, I read this post before you edited it and you used the term PC in its disparaging context.
The only thing I changed was adding the smile face.

The PC zealots are annoying. Respect and consideration are all that's needed.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by pdc
The PC zealots are annoying. Respect and consideration are all that's needed. I agree. If respect and consideration were universal attributes there would be no PC zealots.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by JJuggle
Ha, I read this post before you edited it and you used the term PC in its disparaging context. PDC has assured me in a private communication that I am mistaken. I would like to retract this comment.

[johnfoss]

Back in the general direction of the topic:

Last night Jacquie and I watched the movie Supersize Me. Wow! I'd heard it was good but it didn't sound very interesting. The guy keeps it pretty interesting, and it's much more objective than the movie it has been wrongly compared to, Farenheit 911.

After 30 days of eating nothing but what's on the menu at McDonalds, the guy has put on 24.5 pounds (almost a pound a day), turned his live to "pate" to quote one of the doctors that monitored him, and shot his cholesterol and other levels through the roof.

So that fat lade at McDonalds should start by watching this movie. Ew.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by JJuggle
Welcome to the forum, Jethro (if that really is your name.) We share much in common with respect to our unicycling. I look forward to more banter and sparring with you.

Cheers

Thanks for the welcome. My name is Bill, but I have been Jethro or Jethro Elvis online since my first day online. It is a lot more interesting than just plain "Bill."

John Foss, I do have a world of people in Minneapolis, including weebles and Gilby from this place, who have been incredibly helpful to me and my kids during this process of learning to unicycle. My oldest child, age 9, plays unicycle hockey with Gilby and a group of others every Friday night. He (my 9 year old) is about ready to pass level 5 and can almost hold is own with them riding-wise, but they are all quite aware of the fact that he is 9 and weighs 100 pounds less than most of them, and are kind enough to take it into account when they play.

[harper]

Porkers are easy to catch AND edible. I wonder why there are so many.

[pdc]

That's what I like, a little non - PC levity. Hope none o dem "porkers" are readin' dis.

[Jim_Rob]

Now for some un-levity. I'm sure Mr Harper, as a Libertarian, might appreciate these principals;

People are entitled to their own experience of life, which includes the choices they make.

The flip-side is that a person is responsible for what that is, and the consequences of it.

Problems come in when institutions remove the connection between the consequences from the actions.

Now, I would think that being obese isn't much fun, and a handicap parking sticker isn't going to make up for that, so what harm has been done here? Do you need the handicap spot more?

BTW, Greg, are you going to be at Moab, I don't want to feel like an old man.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by Jim_Rob
The flip-side is that a person is responsible for what that is, and the consequences of it.

Since you have so cruelly and dastardly moved this thread away from levity, let me pick up on the whole idea of consequences. Some of the consequences are perhaps too obvious to be mentioned (but why should I let that stop me)--like the fact there are others for whom that handicap parking spot would have been much more of a necessity.

But there are other consequences that are more subtle. As we as a nation become less healthy, health insurance rates go up--and not just for the porkers, but even for people with girlish figures like mine.

I eat somewhat healthily. I get a decent amount of exercise. I have a desire to lead a healthy life. If someone else wants to lead an unhealthy life, that is certainly their choice, but I don't care to have Blue Cross sticking their fingers in my pocket to fund it.

[harper]

Originally posted by Jim_Rob
I'm sure Mr Harper, as a Libertarian, might appreciate these principals;

.....

BTW, Greg, are you going to be at Moab, I don't want to feel like an old man.

Principals run schools and I don't appreciate them.

I'm going to a wedding instead of Moab this year because I have no principles. I'm pretty sure Rolf is older than you so you don't have to feel like an old man. You ARE an old man.

The Iron Horse Trail awaits your return. It will be ridden on International Harper Day, Sunday, 28 August 2005 this year. Bring a Coker, not a MUni this time.

[TheObieOne3226]

Originally posted by Jim_Rob
People are entitled to their own experience of life, which includes the choices they make.

The flip-side is that a person is responsible for what that is, and the consequences of it.

Problems come in when institutions remove the connection between the consequences from the actions.



Perfectly sums up my feelings.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
But there are other consequences that are more subtle. As we as a nation become less healthy, health insurance rates go up--and not just for the porkers, but even for people with girlish figures like mine.

I eat somewhat healthily. I get a decent amount of exercise. I have a desire to lead a healthy life. If someone else wants to lead an unhealthy life, that is certainly their choice, but I don't care to have Blue Cross sticking their fingers in my pocket to fund it. Personally I don't think that's all that subtle.

How about some Moab rider doing one of those fancy hopping numbers by the edge of cliff falls over and miraculously hangs on. Should we pay for the rescue or bill them directly? S/he made the choice.

Or just to keep the levity in it, how about my wife and I decide to liven things up with large fruits and vegetables and something gets horribly stuck. You want I should have to pay completely out of pocket for the emergency room visit?

But people are getting fatter and less healthy while the fast food companies deluge us with advertising and do everything in their power to get their foods into our schools hooking kids early, but we, as a society don't want to pay for the medical bills for what is clearly a choice we have made as a nation.

I think the higher medical costs are a just a sympton. The problem is much deeper.

Any produce suggestions, people?

[Jethro]

Originally posted by JJuggle
How about some Moab rider doing one of those fancy hopping numbers by the edge of cliff falls over and miraculously hangs on. Should we pay for the rescue or bill them directly? S/he made the choice.
That depends on the Moab rider, doesn't it? I mean, if he is fine, upstanding citizen, we could probably help out there. But what if he is one of those long hair hippie types that has fried his brain listening to rock music? Who wants to pay for that.

Or just to keep the levity in it, how about my wife and I decide to liven things up with large fruits and vegetables and something gets horribly stuck. You want I should have to pay completely out of pocket for the emergency room visit?
Nah. Just go over to Harper's house and let him take it out.

But people are getting fatter and less healthy while the fast food companies deluge us with advertising and do everything in their power to get their foods into our schools hooking kids early, but we, as a society don't want to pay for the medical bills for what is clearly a choice we have made as a nation.

I think the higher medical costs are a just a sympton. The problem is much deeper.
This is a valid point. But the burden still rests upon the individual consumer to make wise choices. If McDonald's makes its way into my kid's school, I still have the choice to pack his lunch. Sure, McDonald's can do their advertising and make my kids think they really need the stuff and the nice little toy that comes with it, but if my word becomes less important to my kids than Ronald McDonald's word, then I have a bigger problem than obesity.

Any produce suggestions, people?
Watermelon. If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly.

[Gilby]

Originally posted by Jethro
but even for people with girlish figures like mine.

:confused:

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
This is a valid point.Now you're just patronizing me. ;) Consistent with what you say below what makes it a valid point to you?
But the burden still rests upon the individual consumer to make wise choices. If McDonald's makes its way into my kid's school, I still have the choice to pack his lunch. Sure, McDonald's can do their advertising and make my kids think they really need the stuff and the nice little toy that comes with it, but if my word becomes less important to my kids than Ronald McDonald's word, then I have a bigger problem than obesity.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by Gilby
:confused:
What are you insinuating? That I don't have a girlish figure? Next time I will wear a tighter shirt so you can see my boobs.

Originally posted by JJuggle
Now you're just patronizing me. ;) Consistent with what you say below what makes it a valid point to you?

Your vaild point was this:I think the higher medical costs are a just a sympton. The problem is much deeper.
I think that the problem is indeed deeper than just America's rising health care costs or growing obesity, but I can't quite come to any substantial conclusions as to what it is. I would like to blame it on Martha Stewart, but I need some more time to tie my argument together. But I have to warn you, if it starts to involve too much work, I am going to give up and blame it on George Bush.

[Jim_Rob]

Principals run schools and I don't appreciate them.

OOH - SNAP! Actually, I caught that right after I hit 'Submit Reply'.

The whole discussion on what responsibility means and how does it get shifted around by societal institutions is the crux of the biscuit. And I don't have any sage advice on that except "do your own work". We have such an externalized experience in our culture that it's hard to tune into one's internal life, but I think that is where the wisdom is.

I'm pretty sure Rolf is older than you so you don't have to feel like an old man. You ARE an old man.

Rolf is younger than me, yes, OK I am an old man.

The Iron Horse Trail awaits your return. It will be ridden on International Harper Day, Sunday, 28 August 2005 this year. Bring a Coker, not a MUni this time.

I really want to make it this year. My step-daughter is starting at UW in Sept, so there may be hope. Also Annie, her mom, bought me a Coker wheek set for my birthday so I'm set.

[DigitalDave]

Blame it on Julia Childs or the Galloping Gourmet :D

Afterall ,, McDonald is a clown.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Jethro
blame it on George Bush. I am definitely up for that. I'll blame him for wherever that watermelon gets stuck, too.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by Jethro
I think that the problem is indeed deeper than just America's rising health care costs or growing obesity, but I can't quite come to any substantial conclusions as to what it is. I would like to blame it on Martha Stewart, but I need some more time to tie my argument together. But I have to warn you, if it starts to involve too much work, I am going to give up and blame it on George Bush.

I probably should have given this a more serious reply to go along with my tongue in cheek one, and it appears that this board has a very short edit window, so I will post a more serious reply here.

I believe that there are many factors at work, and I don't pretend to have a handle on anywhere near all of them. But if this were just a human nature problem, then the percentage of obese people would be more or less constant throughout history. Instead, we have seen an exponential rise in obesity that conveniently correlates with the expansion of the fast food industry.

It would be too big a coincidence if the two were unrelated.

Again, I think this is only one of many factors. I will leave the rest of it to those smarter than I.

[bugman]

I think the problem is sugar tastes better than broccoli. If you can make broccoli taste better than a donut, then you could get Raphael to ride to Dunkin Brocoli, instead of Dunkin Donuts. Since we all know that Raphael is the trend setter, it will only be a matter of time before the whole country is eating broccoli instead of donuts.

[Gilby]

Originally posted by Jethro
What are you insinuating? That I don't have a girlish figure? Next time I will wear a tighter shirt so you can see my boobs.

I guess we have different definitions of girlish figure. I was thinking the entire figure... not just the boobs. You definitely don't fit the entire girlish figure I was thinking of.

[James_Potter]

Originally posted by bugman
I think the problem is sugar tastes better than broccoli.

I'd agree with that. and I've also come up with a solution! I personally don't eat less, I just run around more. and eating a lot and then running around a lot makes me throw up, and I don't like to throw up. so this has taught me to eat less before I go run around, which results in me just eating less in general. see how this works, people??!?

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by bugman
I think the problem is sugar tastes better than broccoli. If you can make broccoli taste better than a donut, then you could get Raphael to ride to Dunkin Brocoli, instead of Dunkin Donuts. Since we all know that Raphael is the trend setter, it will only be a matter of time before the whole country is eating broccoli instead of donuts. Chad, you went back a ways for that one. But this clearly is something we can blame on Bush. Bush the First, that is.

Bush: Don't Pass the Broccoli, Please

130 words
17 March 1990
The Associated Press
English
(Copyright 1990. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush reportedly has banned broccoli from a diet known to include pork rinds doused in hot sauce and candy bars crumbled over cereal.

"I do not like broccoli, and I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it," Bush declared Thursday.

"And I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."

[JJuggle]

Apropos from The Onion. Despite Bad Press, Calorie Industry Projects Record-Breaking Year (http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4111&n=1).

[BraveSirStupid]

Originally posted by Jethro
I believe that there are many factors at work, and I don't pretend to have a handle on anywhere near all of them. But if this were just a human nature problem

My often-thought-about short list of the contributory causes to America's obesity epidemic. (From memory, while i'm hopped up on coffee)


Passive Entertainment (Television/Internet/Video Games)
Automation/Offshoring of Mfring jobs (Americans don't physically "work" for a living)
Suburban sprawl (increases car transport, decreases walking/cycling)
Processed foods (the stuff in the grocery. In general, the more processed, the higher caloric/fat/carb density)
Portion Creep. (In the US bigger== better, which includes our serving size. compare cookware and dishes from 1950 to what's at your local Bed Bath & Beyond. I'm serious. Percieved single serving size has gone up a lot.
Laziness. People eat at McDonalds and other places because they're too lazy to cook at home or prepare something to take with them. This also speaks to some of the other issues above.


Notice that i don't directly implicate McDonalds. It's ultimately the entire generally accepted/defined American Lifestyle, and that makes it simultaneously the collective and individual fault of pretty much everyone who buys into it. Of course, all of these risk factors boil down to calories in vs. calories expended, which is really really simple to understand.

Excepting people with medical/psych conditions, i don't see a lot of room for excuses. I daringly opine that the parents of today's fat young kids -- overwhelmingly the most obese generation in American history (the numbers are truly scary, and will haunt us for the next 60 years)-- deserve a SuperSized serving of approbrium and shame.

I'll also suggest that the fat acceptance movement is not entirely helpful to people's health, and that sometimes people should feel bad about them selves. The avoidance of pain and disapproval can be powerful motivators, and similarly, unchallenged comfort does not always motivate one to act in one's best interest.

Which therefore suggests that someday opportunities for excercise will be highly prized in transportation and work. (Which goes a long way towards explaining why i was riding my bike 8.5 miles to work at 11 p.m. in -20 temps through an 8 inch snowfall a couple of months ago.)

.max
master of the tautology.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by Gilby
I guess we have different definitions of girlish figure. I was thinking the entire figure... not just the boobs. You definitely don't fit the entire girlish figure I was thinking of.

You were probably just thinking of a different girl. When you thought "girlish figure," you were probably thinking of one of those actress/model types.

I, on the other hand, was thinking of Janet Reno.

:D


Max, you are one of the great philosophers of the age.

[BillyTheMountain]

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan04/weighing.html

Not all unicyclists are bigoted against fat people, but woulN you know it from these posts. Don't feel bad about being bigots, though. The above link indicates that even therapists are bigoted against fat people.

Then again, not all handicaps are visible, and her taking that spot may have had nothing to do with her weight....

Article here: Weighing in on fat bias
Many therapists and health professionals hold hidden biases toward their obese patients, studies find.

BY MELISSA DITTMANN
Monitor staff
Print version: page 60

Size does matter, according to recent research that shows therapists' perceptions and prognoses for their obese clients may be swayed by body-size stereotypes.

In fact, studies have shown that therapists expect less positive treatment outcomes for such clients and perceive them as more symptomatic and self-conscious as well as less physically attractive and engaged in treatment than more slender clients.

The biases are a product of a weight-obsessed culture, says Kristen Davis-Coelho, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nev., who has studied the topic. But Davis-Coelho says she hopes that through therapists' self-assessment and education on their size prejudices, the field can become more "fat-friendly."

Hidden bias

Particularly alarming are findings that even specialists in obesity fall prey to negative associations when working with obese patients. For example, a recent study found that even health professionals--including psychologists--who specialize in obesity often used words such as "lazy," "stupid" and "worthless" to describe obese people they come into contact with in their personal and professional lives, according to a September 2003 study published in Obesity Research (Vol. 11, No. 9) by Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD, Heather O'Neal Chambliss, PhD, Kelly Brownell, PhD, Steven N. Blair and Charles Billington, MD. The researchers used a self-report questionnaire and the Implicit Associations Test--a timed measure to test automatic biases--to assess the attitudes of clinicians and researchers who work with obese patients. MORE!

[BraveSirStupid]

Originally posted by BillyTheMountain
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan04/weighing.html

Not all unicyclists are bigoted against fat people, but woulN you know it from these posts. Don't feel bad about being bigots, though..

You may be overreaching in equating reasoned disapproval of obesity in general to bigotry. I would also note that there are underlying equivocative assumptions in the article you quoted, for example:

Davis-Coelho says she hopes that through therapists' self-assessment and education on their size prejudices, the field can become more "fat-friendly."

Obesity kills. Substitute smoking-friendly in the quote above and contrast.

.max

[john_childs]

Here's a health news story that's just hitting the newspapers:

Study: Obesity will lessen life span (http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsfat0317,0,3920473.story?coll=ny-top-headlines)
Study: Without Action on Child Obesity, U.S. Life Span To Get Shorter (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/102/106604.htm)

You can find more links to the story by searching Google News (http://news.google.com/).

[bugman]

Originally posted by BillyTheMountain
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan04/weighing.html

Hidden bias

Particularly alarming are findings that even specialists in obesity fall prey to negative associations when working with obese patients. For example, a recent study found that even health professionals--including psychologists--who specialize in obesity often used words such as "lazy," "stupid" and "worthless" to describe obese people they come into contact with in their personal and professional lives, according to a September 2003 study published in Obesity Research (Vol. 11, No. 9) by Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD, Heather O'Neal Chambliss, PhD, Kelly Brownell, PhD, Steven N. Blair and Charles Billington, MD. The researchers used a self-report questionnaire and the Implicit Associations Test--a timed measure to test automatic biases--to assess the attitudes of clinicians and researchers who work with obese patients. MORE!

Sounds like one group of health professionals that know what they are talking about. They shouldn't be criticized for their professional opinions, they should be listened to.

[BillyTheMountain]

Originally posted by BraveSirStupid
You may be overreaching in equating reasoned disapproval of obesity in general to bigotry. I would also note that there are underlying equivocative assumptions in the article you quoted, for example:



Obesity kills. Substitute smoking-friendly in the quote above and contrast.

.max

Hate the sin, not the sinner. --Jesus Christ

[JJuggle]

I can soooooooo relate to this guy (http://www.theonion.com/opinion/index.php?issue=4124&o=1).

[uni57]

Originally posted by JJuggle
I can soooooooo relate to this guy (http://www.theonion.com/opinion/index.php?issue=4124&o=1). Amazingly, I managed to read this ENTIRE article before looking at where it came from. I was reading with jaw-dropping disbelief this guy's utter lack of self-responsibility. But sadly, there are probably many, many people* who actually think his way, to some degree.






* - but not Raphael. He's kidding. Um, right?

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by uni57
* - but not Raphael. He's kidding. Um, right? I'm getting a chair called a La-Z-Boy (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41002&highlight=curtain+rod). You tell me.