My Funny Picture

Why do people believe that it is OK to make fun of fat people?

Its a form of discrimination, but its very socially acceptable. If someone were to yell out the n-word over a high school parking lot, I'm sure people would be in shock, but if someone were to yell "FAT ASS!", you'd probably hear more giggles than anything. Obesity, like anorexia, is considered a disease, both involving unhealthy relationships with food. Why then, would someone feel sorry for someone anorexic, but blame someone obese for their problem, calling them lazy or disgusting? If you don't believe me, just checkout some of the "Am I pretty" questions here on answers. Just today I've seen a few where the asker was a bit on the heavier side (not even obese) and some of the first answers were "Lose weight" or "God no, you're fat". Funny, there was a question last night asking if one of the girls in a picture was too thin. Health wise, she probably was, but many people were complementing her on her thinness and those that didn't got shot down and told they were "just jealous". So, when someone obese is walking down the street minding their own business and accidentally bumps into a complete and total stranger and hears "Watch it, fat ass" it's only because that stranger is so concerned about their unhealthiness that they feel the need to take it upon themselves to motivate that person into loosing weight by insulting them? So, when someone obese is walking down the street minding their own business and accidentally bumps into a complete and total stranger and hears "Watch it, fat ass" it's only because that stranger is so concerned about their unhealthiness that they feel the need to take it upon themselves to motivate that person into loosing weight by insulting them? Huh, strange.

Public Comments

1. its a 'who is left?' thing. i mean, if you cant make fun of the overweight... who is left? Martin Mull? <edit> WHAT? I get three Thumbs-Down? You guys LIKE Martin Mull?
2. Well unlike being black you can change being fat. Being fat is unhealthy much like smoking cigarettes. I believe such crude insults help to motivate the individual to take steps to lose weight. If people told you "hey look at you! Did you gain 20 lbs? Good for you & keep it up" would you think that is a very positive message?
3. People who insult larger folks usually have nothing better to do with their time than look for faults in others, without ever once considering their own character flaws. Ignore them. Under-bred cretins who yell stuff like that don't deserve your attention. EDIT: Take "Y-Not", for example: He assumes that if fat people ate less, others would automatically be blessed with more food. The tons of annual food waste generated by grocery stores, restaurants, and skinny folks who don't eat their left-overs would disappear as well, and so too would jock itch and Athlete's Foot. He then goes on to claim that fat people deserve special ridicule, even above thin people who throw out enough food in one day to feed a starving African family, for no other reason than that the excess is visible. In other words, he judges people by how they look - a mark of poor training in his youth. He has my pity, and he should have yours too; because fat people can lose weight, but stupid is forever.
4. It's not okay to make fun of ANYONE. But do I think that we should all feel sorry for fat people. Absolutely not. They can always change being fat by not eating burgers and other unhealthy junk. People with eating disorders perform their unhealthy habits because they are trying to conform to the demand for perfection that the media and society places on them. But how are fat people pressured into their unhealthy habits by our society. No one encourages it; they just enjoy eating like pigs or sitting around on their butts all day.
5. Its not ok, its never ok. alot of ppl are big for reasons, some are big because they overeat, others could be big from an illness, or taking meds. and some of these answers you got, or just sad, some people really need help asap. Yea, but people who do that hate themselves . Anorexia a disease hmmmmmmm ,I don't think it is. I would be big than be 5'7 and 56 pounds.