Has Society accepted Obesity?

[Cap]

I was at a party on Saturday night and a friend who is a smoker complained that it seems to be completely acceptable for anyone (even strangers) to tell him off for smoking, yet when people see a grossly over weight person its almost taboo to talk about weight at all, let alone tell them off

Is it time for the graphic adverts like the ones about smoking to be put on television to show the problems associated with obesity? Or should we be laying off smokers?


(hope this is the relevant board a topic like this should be posted on)

 

[Qsaint]

The 'accept your bodysize message' has gone a bit far, it was a fair enough message especially amoungst teenage girls to combat bulimia etc, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise and not eat alot of highly processed foods like McDonalds. Fair enough the Public health system should spend on preventative messages now to stop the damage and expense for hospitals later, just like smoking.

 

[TheBloods]

I was at a party on Saturday night and a friend who is a smoker complained that it seems to be completely acceptable for anyone (even strangers) to tell him off for smoking, yet when people see a grossly over weight person its almost taboo to talk about weight at all, let alone tell them off

It depends on the context. If someone is complaining about a smoker due to smell and the impact on other people, that is not quite the same thing as saying you should give up because it's bad for you.

 

[Contra Mundum]

There is no such thing as "side stream calories"!

 

[Qsaint]

It depends on the context. If someone is complaining about a smoker due to smell and the impact on other people, that is not quite the same thing as saying you should give up because it's bad for you.

But even saying to someone that smoking is bad for you is more socially accepted than calling someone fat. Calling someone Fat can end you up in court, where as I never heard of someone ending up in court because they told someone to stop smoking.

 

[bunsen burner]

A person's eating habits have no negative effects on anyone else.

 

[Cap]

But even saying to someone that smoking is bad for you is more socially accepted than calling someone fat. Calling someone Fat can end you up in court, where as I never heard of someone ending up in court because they told someone to stop smoking.

which i find strange, while i find smoking repulsive I find grossy obese people more so - what I find more astonishing that employers have to make changes to the way a business is setup (eg deifferent chairs and access)etc to assist people who are obese (its not a disability ) when really they should have the power to tell an employee to lose the pounds and stop eating so much and get some bloody excercise !

 

[TheBloods]

But even saying to someone that smoking is bad for you is more socially accepted than calling someone fat. Calling someone Fat can end you up in court, where as I never heard of someone ending up in court because they told someone to stop smoking.

No, but saying someone is fat is much the same as saying someone stinks and their teeth are yellow.

I don't think the two are necessarily quite so comparable.

By saying that someone should lose weight you are saying that they look too fat. Whether they are or not, this will always be taken as an insult.

That doesn't mean that I don't think obese people shouldn't be warned of the dangers. Then again, if I smoked and someone told me I should stop, depending on circumstances I would tell them to bugger off (particularly strangers unless my smoke was disturbing them).

It all depends on the particular circumstances.

 

[Cap]

A person's eating habits have no negative effects on anyone else.

yes it does - even things as small as getting squished on the bus when they sit next to you, also they cost more to me as a tax payer keeping them alive when they go to hospital

 

[bunsen burner]

yes it does - even things as small as getting squished on the bus when they sit next to you, also they cost more to me as a tax payer keeping them alive when they go to hospital

You agree with Mantis on this one. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Clark Kent]

Yes, they can. When a mother cannot, or will not, control her eating, becomes obese, suffers from depression and low self-esteem, for instance (as mine did), then the children can suffer.

Speaking from personal experience.

A person's eating habits have no negative effects on anyone else.

 

[understudy]

A person's eating habits have no negative effects on anyone else.

Incorrect, with medicare we all pay for deteriorations in peoples health.

If there was no public health system and the private health system was unregulated you would be correct.

 

[Cap]

also you could say that an obese parent probably cant teach their children correct and healthy eating habits.

I think any child under 12 that is obese (and doesn't have any actual medical problem which causes it) has suffered child abuse and the parents should be spoken to !

 

[Blues_Man]

being fat can't affect other peoples health (unless they happen to fall on them) if you or the idiot with the ciggy in his gob can't see the difference then all the years of anti tobacco advertising have been a waste of money

 

[bunsen burner]

Yes, they can. When a mother cannot, or will not, control her eating, becomes obese, suffers from depression and low self-esteem, for instance (as mine did), then the children can suffer.

Speaking from personal experience.

What has this got to do with someone walking up to someone and calling them fat? If it doesn't affect them then it's not their business.

 

[bunsen burner]

Incorrect, with medicare we all pay for deteriorations in peoples health.

If there was no public health system and the private health system was unregulated you would be correct.

So is getting drunk, jaywalking, playing sport etc etc. Where do we draw the line? There's quite a gap between negative externality from someone being over weight and someone smoking. That's the point.

The negative impact of someone being overweight is minimal. Smoking is different. You can't compare the two.

 

[Clark Kent]

I never said it did have anything to do with it. Just responding to a stupid statement - yours.

What has this got to do with someone walking up to someone and calling them fat? If it doesn't affect them then it's not their business.

 

[Mikes4]

Great topic. Well look at it this way. Australia (ok not all Aus) voted their Australian Idol to be a grossly overweight, smoking, 16 y/o girl, effectively telling people....it's ok, as long as you have a good spirit.

 

[bunsen burner]

I never said it did have anything to do with it. Just responding to a stupid statement - yours.

It's not a stupid statement. Technically incorrect, but it doesn't take Einstein to work out it was referring to the difference between effects smoking and over eating have on others.

If you want to talk stupid, go attack the OP. If someone can't work out the sizeable difference between smoking and over eating......

 

[Qsaint]

A person's eating habits have no negative effects on anyone else.

Yes if the complaint is about passive smoking 100% correct. Although smoking and obesity do cost us all through the medical system. But neither cost as much as the last year or two of our life, (although these may be caused by smoking or obesity). Someone in QLD health told me that something like 70% of the public health cost, including palative care etc is spent on individuals in the population in the last 12 to maybe 24 months, if he reversed that to the young, we would perhaps save many more young lives. But where not really ready to 'pull the plug' as we need to be.

 

[Qsaint]

Great topic. Well look at it this way. Australia (ok not all Aus) voted their Australian Idol to be a grossly overweight, smoking, 16 y/o girl, effectively telling people....it's ok, as long as you have a good spirit.

But the Record buying public and the record company prefer Anthony C. We are a bit two faced about accepting obesity, good on her for winning but we don't find her attractive/good enough to buy her reccords.

 

[understudy]

There would be a lot of advantages in scrapping the public health system to get people to take responsibility and provide for their own health and go some way to address the many problems alluded to in this thread ...

Time for people to take responsibility for their own actions and the health consequences of them.

 

[bunsen burner]

There would be a lot of advantages in scrapping the public health system to get people to take responsibility and provide for their own health and go some way to address the many problems alluded to in this thread ...

Time for people to take responsibility for their own actions and the health consequences of them.

Idiot post of the year award.

1. There would be more disadvantages than advantages
2. Would do little to stop people over eating or smoking.

 

[understudy]

Idiot post of the year award.

1. There would be more disadvantages than advantages
2. Would do little to stop people over eating or smoking.

1. Maybe/maybe not, from whose perspective/way of looking at it?
2. Maybe/maybe not, worst case scenario they pay for their actions instead of the community subsiding/underwriting their ill-discipline ...

 

[Cap]

The negative impact of someone being overweight is minimal. Smoking is different. You can't compare the two.

we are talking obese ! you can be overwieght and be fine (to a point)

Obesity is just as bad for your health as Smoking its just not as publicised because its taboo to call and obese person a fat lazy bastard who should get some excercise (assuming that they dont have a medical problem which causes them to become obese),