An utterly fatuous point, in my personal opinion, though, since you're not comparing like with like. There is sometimes a genetic predisposition to obesity. There is always a genetic predisposition to race. There is never a genetic predisposition to religion (although many religious organisations would have you believe otherwise).

Just my opinion, though, I'm just disagreeing with you, I'm not disparaging your opinion.

edit: But with a little more disparagement.

I just think she stole this from here: b3ta.com/questions/imagechallenge/post1180582

There is sometimes a genetic predisposition to obesity cake and pies.

Then I could roll out of my house and be within scoffing range of a cake in a few minutes with minimal effort.

I suggest we repurpose the pavement travelators into cake conveyor belts that all lead to my tummy.

but linear, and with cake.

Maybe there should be a general cull of all people other than me and cake chefs.

Via some kind of horrific gaping wound?

Frankly, trying to eat it at that rate would present a serious choking hazard. I've thought about it you see.

I'm going to buy a shop in town.
Stop running it as a shop and just live there, but have a large display of cakes in the window.
Whenever anyone walks in, hoping to purchase a cake, I'll tell them to get the fuck out of my house.

Maybe I didn't want my escalator over-clocked anyway.

fun for all the family.

There's nothing like the satisfaction you get from being stuck behind someone on one of those travelators, then overtaking them by walking the next section beside the travelator, and rejoining the section after that in front of them.

That really freaks those jet-setters out.

Escalators should move people at ~20mph. Good idea / bad idea?

The only reason to make escalators move at ~20mph is to speed the procurement of cake.

big-boneduous

I had to double-check what fatuous meant. I thought it meant something else.

Attacking fat people is exactly as bad as racism, ageism, sexism and all the other isms (apart from prisms which are cool).

Age, race, sex, sexuality are not matters of choice.

As long as they brought it upon themselves then they're fair game? I'm no hippie but can't we be a bit more civilised than that?

Essentially disliking someone who is different to you.

Perhaps one thing you might consider is this - 99% of fat people desperately want to be slim and healthy. Society increasingly derides them for being fat. The message to be slim is pronounced and yet these people are still unable to control their weight problems despite all the misery they will endure. This alone should tell you that it isn't the childlike explanation that you gave - attributing their condition to basic greed.

Anyway, I don't feel like arguing tonight, you're free to hate whoever you like based on whatever arbitrary characteristic you choose.

But thanks for the permission anyway.

Like Mr Humphries.

which implies that that is why I am free to do it.

Anyway, I usually avoid debating with people online as it is often a monumental waste of time. Both sides are so intractable.

I will rephrase and say that we are all entitled to our own views. And finally... I must turn in because it's an early start for me tomorrow.

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2171311.ece

And. Yes, I know.

Fuck, this is exactly like the AV thing again. I'm largely on your side, but your argument sucks.

But the only way to get fat is to take in more calories than you burn off, ie more than you need.

as desires are not something people can control, and some people have far more desire to eat than others, with hunger being far harder for them to satiate than for other people.

I personally would struggle not to eat when I am hungry if food is available.

edit: Point being that it's not a level playing field, and so not necessarily fair to say "I eat well, why can't you?"

Edit: I would be interested to see how many fatties gleefully contributed to the Gingers challenge.

I am aware that my statement was badly paraphrasing stuff I'd read ages ago, so I am likely to use terms wrongly.

edit: this is what I was trying to say:



(from Nature via Nurture by Matt Ridley)

While it's true that these desires are biologically based, in that they are semi-automatic impulses, they are not solely genetically determined. To summarise, the genotype sets the raw framework for development, where as the phenotype is the expression of the combination of the genotype and environmental factors (in the case of the brain: learning, diet, general health, etc). So, people's desire for food may possibly be genetically predisposed to eat more than another person, this doesn't necessarily mean that it is written in stone... so a child's experience in relation to food, their education etc can influence whether they'll be fat.

Basically, I'm saying that not only are fatties to blame for being fat, so are their parents.

Not really, there are many influences, though parents should exert a measure of control over their overeating kids which may help them to achieve a balance in future...

Sorry if this is gobbledygook, I'm tired.

Edit: yes, I would mostly agree with Mr. Ridley, but wanting something is not the same as doing something. I walk past Greggs often and everytime I do, I want ALL of the pies. However, my control over my own primal impulses prevents me from eating all of the pies and groping the lovely 18 year old girl who gave me all the pies.

I largely agree with you.
But I'm fed up with this discussion now.
I wasn't expecting people to make such a meal of it.

you gorgeous people

enough of this fatuousness

It really is that simple.

Oh, and I exercise.

You cannot realistically apply your own standards, desires, motivations, restraint, etc. to everyone else on the planet. We are not all the same.

however, weight loss and lifestyle alteration requires effort, which may therefore leave fat people open to criticism that they are lazy etc. although it's obviously not always that simple.

erm... what was my point... oh yes, the internet is v. srs bzns this week. I look forward to the b3ta challenges where all of the world's citizens are protected from offence.

but there are far more obese people in the developed/decadent west than the rest of the world.
I would argue that most of them got that way by eating too much.
I'm not really sure what your point is.

That is, undoubtedly, the vital factor. There are other contributing factors though.

There are far more people alive in the developed/decadent west who would not be alive in the rest of the world. Age is one thing which predisposes a lot of people to obesity. They use less energy, they take in the same amount, they get fatter as they get older. Hell, it'll probably happen to me, you, and everyone else in this thread. I guess we should all just instinctively know how much less we should eat?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree that sedentary lifestyles which encourage obseity are a huge problem, both for the individuals concerned and (speaking from professional experience) for a publicly funded health service. I just think that saying ZOMG THEY'RE FAT BECAUSE THEY'RE GREEDY LOL is not particularly helpful.

I wasn't trying to be 'helpful', I was trying to argue that the fatty challenge wasn't similar to racism or sexism.
Of course I understand that lots of factors contribute to someone becoming overweight, I was being slightly flippant.
But whatever the reasons are (depression, trauma, cake amnesia) behind the over-eating and lack of exercise, these are still the cause of obesity.
Unless, of course, your kidneys are fucked or something like Sandettie mentions below.

The people in the third world are not obese because there is often a shortage of food,

You cannot, realistically, apply your own standards, desires, motivations, restraint, etc. to everyone else on the planet. We are not all the same.

So, by your argument, you cannot apply your ideas to llort.

I don't see how this is obtuse.

I was having a discussion with him.

You cannot, realistically, apply your own standards, desires, motivations, restraint, etc. to everyone else on the planet. We are not all the same.

And no. You were expecting everyone to conform to your prejudices on a public forum.

if you had knackered kidneys from sort of hereditary kidney disease whereby you need to have dialysis 4 times a week by the time you turn 40?

Not that I've made any. I don't think it's the best compo idea.

If somebody weighs 20 stone in an iron lung, it's hardly his fault.

Stephen Hawking manages to stay trim somehow, though.

I know this, for I was once a fat cunt. I am no longer a fat cunt.

I'm a marginally overweight cunt.

where is imchoked when he's needed.

cf. Fat people

cystic fibrosis?

meaning "consult"

(used incorrectly here, really)

...what about fat black people?

But it's waffer thin...

Ones'

Edit: maybe I spoke too soon.

fuck it, time for bed.
g'night all!

Fat people don't get terrorised by gangs of skinheads. There aren't articles in the gutter press saying fat people are the cause of crime and unemployment and should fuck off back to fatland. There aren't mad far-right parties contesting elections on the anti-fat ticket...

Don't play down racism by comparing it to a handful of fattie jokes.
EDIT: Unless you're being sarcastic or something, in which case just ignore this.

Is a channel somewhere in the upper reaches of the EPG I think

have you seen that film Seven? or Se7en as it's also known as.
I saw a fat man die in that just because he was fat.

I mean what is the world coming to? Shame on us.

I agree with you though as far as that racism and the problems faced by those who haven't got white privilege is much more serious than the abuse faced by people who are lardy, and racism is a whole different planet to the anti-fat brigade.

I'd say that it's not a "whole different planet". What you're describing is knee-jerk prejudice based on nothing more than appearance, which makes it pretty much the same planet.

In no way does this contradict what I said up there, this is a subtly different kettle of fish.

so, instead of lacking enthusiasm for porky fucks with comedy potential, i'll be lacking enthusiasm for posh fucks with comedy potential.
might as well have a ten day wank.

Sadface.

because i love horses. www.deagostini.com.au/ilovehorses/

If served with the appropriate sauce.

they can be made into soap. so why not all the other people you mention huh? huh?

fat people are fat cos they overeat. i saw recently that the fattest man in the UK had lost something liek 20 stone, so all those fatties who say they can't lose weight are just lying

It's not that simple. I refer you to my comment above about kidney problems.