To think Prejudice against fat people is NOT as bad as racism.

[goodnessgracious]

To think the article in the Times today claiming that prejudice against fat people is as bad as racism and that it is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice is ridiculous.

Firstly, obesity is normally caused by an addiction and has health implications for the obese person and further implications on society as whole. How can this be compared to racism in any way?

Also, it is not the last socially acceptable form of prejudice because I believe society is just as (if not more) prejudiced against smokers, alcoholics and gamblers and all people with addictions which have costs toward society.

AIBU to think that although it is not right to be prejudice against obese people it is ridiculous to compare it to racism.

Copied article extract below...

"Prejudice against fat people as bad as racism, say scientists "Dr Jackson said that prejudice against overweight people pervaded society and needed to be challenged. “People think it’s one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice. You just have to look at the comments section on media reports on obesity to see that obese people are subjected to labelling and even abuse and attack.”

I really wish all the sneery "perfect life" posts would stop.

How does not being overweight become having a perfect life? Seriously?

So is it fat-shaming to point out that obesity is generally dangerous to health, Kitten?

do sometimes wonder at these people who have, up to now, perfect lives with their perfect figures and perfect mental health and so on ad nauseam

I haven't got a perfect life, a perfect figure or perfect mental health and I still don't think that sizeism is equivocal to racism. For very valid reasons the two can never be comparable.

Title of the OP is that one is not as bad as the other. Which kinda gave me the idea that OP thinks there is an acceptable level of prejudice in some cases but not others.

Several posters have gone to great to lengths to explain how fat people can change so thats more Ok than black/beige/funny eyed people who can't.

The whole topic is about how one is more or less acceptable than another.

It isn't acceptable to discriminate against people for any reason when the thing you are discriminating about isn't relevant. Height, hair, skin colour, eye colour, size, shape, sex, language, accent, age, sexual orientation etc.

All ridiculous reasons to be rude or discriminate.

And discussing how we could live more healthily as a society both individually and collectively is not helped by trying to have some kind of hierarchy of acceptable prejudice.

So OK to shout "Fat bitch" but not "Black bitch" at a fat black woman?

If neither is OK then say that neither is OK, not - "well one is not OK but one is a bit OK because she could lose some weight if she really tried"

Intolerance and treated members of society as "other" for whatever reason breeds the idea that some people are worth more than others.

In my mind thats never OK.

Kitten
And not all smokers will cause someone to have an asthma attack but you decided to mention it!

Why is OK for you to agree that smoking costs society money but deny that obesity does?

Kewcucumber
"Title of the OP is that one is not as bad as the other. confused Which kinda gave me the idea that OP thinks there is an acceptable level of prejudice in some cases but not others."

I clearly stated that I didn't in my OP.

I have paid enormous amounts of tax in my time for other people children to be born on the NHS, to go to school I've also paid for several skiing friends ot have their broken bones treated on the NHS (the bastards).

That we undoubtedly have a major problem with diet, exercise and obesity is undeniable and needs sensible discussion. Doesn't give me the right to be rude or discriminate against overweight people anymore than it does people with children or skiers - as long as they don't sit on my lap or flick their food at me.

As a society we need to be able to talk about obesity without fear as we have a generation of overweight children (very few with underlying health problems). Again fat shaming is abusive and should be dealt with but we need to be talk about the dangers of obesity without fear of being labeled.

Kitten

So you say a smoker has a choice not to smoke but many would say they find it near on impossible to stop. Do you not think addiction is not easy whether it is over eating, smoking or anything really?

Goodnessgracious, I didn't ask you to acknowledge that overeating is an addiction, and difficult to stop.
I asked you to acknowledge that it is not simple by any stretch and to acknowledge that Sometimes illness is the cause of obesity, not the other way round.

Not all fat people overeat.

My weight problem is nothing to do with food addiction; I did not overeat to get fat - one week I put on half a stone whilst nil-by-mouth in hospital.
It was the steroids drip, glucose drip and being laid up in a hospital bed that made me fat.
A far cry from the previous me who did circuits, swimming, running, x training and cycling almost every day.
There are thousands like me out there.

Maybe fat people do not fear someone else taking their life due to their size, but lots are close to taking their own because of their self loathing.

Why compare fat to race in the first place? They are not comparable.
Of course people will tell the fatties to get over it, they do not have it as bad, you can change your size etc - it is a statement that will always put one person as lesser than another, which is wrong.

(And I was not seriously suggesting a discrimination league table earlier, I was being sarcastic)

This is nowhere near as bad as "Thin Privilege" which I believe to be entirely the work of trolls with too much time on their hands, because the alternative is petrifying to think about.

Look up "This is Thin Privilege" it's a completely serious blog about how fat people are discriminated against everyday and how thing people are privileged. It's enough to make you want to irrationally bang your head on a desk.

Title of the OP is that one is not as bad as the other. confused Which kinda gave me the idea that OP thinks there is an acceptable level of prejudice in some cases but not others.

Twisting your ankle hurts. We can all agree with that. But we can't compare it to a broken ankle either and say it's just as bad. They both hurt, but one is worse than the other for several reasons. We have not systematically oppressed fat people the same way we have systematically oppressed People of Color.

Well it's not unquantifiable: according to the Dept of Health in 2013, the cost of health problems associated with being overweight or obese is £5bn a year. I don't think it's fat-shaming to talk about how we as a society might begin to address that.

you said it was ridiculous to compare it to racism and lots of people agreed with you because people who are overweight cost the NHS money and they could lose weight if they tried.

How is that not saying that one type of prejudice is worse than another?

I don't see how treating someone badly for any reason can be argued as more acceptable than another.

If you'd care to argue that fat'ism (if there is such a thing) has not had such a major affect on peoples prospects of having a good life as racism has historically then I wouldn't argue with you.

But if we don't believe that all people should be treated fairly without regard to how they look or sound then we are on a slippery slope. And valuing people by how much they cost the health service which seems to be the implication by some, seems a tad distasteful.

Can I just say I've retreated in tears from quite a few MN threads about fat and weight? There are lot of posters who really dislike fat women, along with older women. I recoil, in shame and horror, consumed with self-hatred.

I am, incidentally, a short size 10.

"I asked you to acknowledge that it is not simple by any stretch and to acknowledge that Sometimes illness is the cause of obesity, not the other way round."

I did state that sometimes it was an addiction, meaning (obviously) sometimes it is not.

I agree we need to be able to talk about the obesity problem we have sensibly.

But as long as fat people are never allowed to "eat" but instead are described as "gorging" or "cramming" food, it will be difficult. Look at the media or MN threads - its rife. And not helpful.

Kitten, clearly I wasn't saying the existence of fat people 'isn't ok'. What I am saying, however, is that it is absurd to pretend that being unhealthily overweight is a 'valid and acceptable life choice'. It is like saying that a heavy smoker shouldn't be helped or encouraged to stop/cut down. No one would suggest that, but somehow everyone has to tread on egg shells around the subject of weight. No one should be treated badly or rudely for being overweight (or indeed being a smoker), but there will be an element of judgement for the reason explained above.

No-one's got the right to be predjudiced against anyone. Okay I'm fat but I aint and wont take no shit from anyone. I don't talk to people like they crawled out from under a stone so I wont take from other people