What's the skinny on being fat?

Discussion in 'Science & Society' started by Why?, Sep 4, 2007.

  1. Exploradora Registered Senior Member

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    It may offend some people. The word black offends some people. It is more likely to offend people who are not of the culture that it originated in.


    I don't find it offensive because my friends and my mentors who are, collectively, of african american, indian, phillipino, and latin american. My sociology teacher uses the term frequently, and she is from india. They use the term, I use the term, and I honestly believed it was a common term worldwide. My brothers are latino and my cousins are african american. I nanny for two little latino boys, an african american girl, and occasionally a phillipino little girl. But yes, I am pale as paper.

    I said that because you did not do any research on the term and you are talking about a cultural term from a part of the world you do not live in. You are repeatedly attacking everything I say without actually understanding what I say.
     
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  3. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    Which would make you, most probably, American.
    Since when was "colored people" accepted here?
     
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  5. Oniw17 ascetic, sage, diogenes, bum? Valued Senior Member

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    Has nobody heard of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People? Are they racist?
     
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  7. Exploradora Registered Senior Member

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    Colored people and people of color are two seperate terms. Colored people was used for a bit to describe african american people. The only organisation I can think of that still uses it is the NAACP. Coloured people is used in south africa to describe people who are multi racial, ie: not black enough to be called black. People of color is a much newer term, and it is used instead of minority. It describes anyone in the U.S. who is not caucasian or white, generally people who do not have "white privledge". It is inclusive of people of mixed race. I most frequently encounter the term in spoken word/art circles and in sociology classes/texts.

    It is an american term, and a fairly new one. Colored people is also an american term, but it is not used and is seen as derogatory for many reasons, some that I have already stated.
     
  8. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    People of color then. I don't see that used, and with my job I know all the PC terms. I've only come across it in one woman's studies textbook and I do think the author was a bit funny in the head anyway.

    Plus, this may come as a surprise to Your Mighty Whiteness who can Dictate to the Foolish Colored Masses, but it does sound a bit offensive, and if he finds it to be so, your place isn't to tell him how he should and should not think.

    I's sorry if I stepped out of place, Missus. I'll go back to listening to what the white people say now.
     
  9. Nutter Shake it loose, baby! Registered Senior Member

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    452

    Not all of us have been brainwashed into thinking that Caucasians aren't colored. Caucasians are just as colored as non-Caucasians. People just have different colors.

    "Colored people" and "people of color" are indeed derogatory terms when excluding Caucasians.
     
  10. EmptyForceOfChi Banned Banned

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    10,848

    personaly i dont see the difference between the 2, "people of colour" and "coloured people", would somebody point out the actual worded difference?. if the term coloured people is offensive and you choose not to use it for that reason. then why would you use people of colour?. they sound the same to me.

    and why are everybody but white people called people of colour?, europeans are light brown if you actualy go outside of your house and get some sun. we are all differend shades of brown, some darker and some lighter. and black people are not actualy black, they are dark brown. we just call them black for some reason. indian people get offended when white people call them black, they say its racist because they are brown. well so are black people. but we have drilled it into the heads of black people so much, that they accept that as what they are nowdays.

    and why would i have to do research on a term to know if its offensive or not?. when i have a black person sitting next to me right now telling me "hey thats kind of racist and offensive". all i am doing is telling you that some people obviously dont like being called that. and since you said it in these terms it was even more offensive "people of colour are usualy fatter, especialy women of colour". so your basicaly saying, everybody who is not white. seeing as the term people of colour means anybody not european.

    and at the end of the day, arent we all african?

    peace.
     
  11. amishmafia Registered Member

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    true there are health concerns, but what's wrong with being fat? I mean if that's what floats your boat...
     
  12. amishmafia Registered Member

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    I think I may have gotten the wrong thread. as I posted above. lol
    but I couldn't agree with Nutter more
     
  13. shichimenshyo Caught in the machine Registered Senior Member

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    Honestly I dont find fat people to be appealing but thats jsut my opinion, if you want to be fat and it makes you happy go for it I guess, but dont complain about how you hate being fate while wolfing dowen a big mac and a diet coke.
     
  14. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

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    And don't complain when people make fun of you either.
     
  15. Nutter Shake it loose, baby! Registered Senior Member

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    Appealing in what way(s)? Art thou jesting?
     
  16. shichimenshyo Caught in the machine Registered Senior Member

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    Attractive, but thats not everything. I have overweight friends, i just would never be attracted to them, but thats just my opinion, and I have no problem with people making fun of me, it doesnt bother me at all.
     
  17. Roman Banned Banned

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    Set down the shitty beer, fatty, get off your huge ass, and do some push ups.
     
  18. Nickelodeon Banned Banned

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    Sure thing, blubberbutt.
     
  19. Nickelodeon Banned Banned

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    Shouldn't you be kicking a kitten somewhere?
     
  20. John99 Banned Banned

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    People are fat for one reason, they love to eat.
     
  21. peta9 Registered Senior Member

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    i don't believe these claims of mistreatment of fat people. i've always seen more fat people than skinny and i've never seen them treated differently.
     
  22. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    So you are saying that the "skinny gene" is in fact a "not-get-fat gene" ? Or is it really a "get-skinnier-than-average gene" ?
     
  23. Pandaemoni Valued Senior Member

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    I've certainly seen them treated differently. Skinny women get free drinks from men, fat women don't. Skinny people don't get taunted by teenagers simply for being skinny, I saw some kids harassing a morbidly obese guy on the street a few weeks ago. I was once walking down the boardwalk with my girlfriend, and a sweat drenched, huffing and puffing man (though it was not that hot, about 80 degrees) who I'd guess weighed at least 400 pounds was walking—I'd even say "waddling"—in the opposite direction. I instinctively moved my girlfriend to the other side of me, to put myself between him and her. I didn't think about it, it was just instinctive given his somewhat grotesque appearance. I felt a little silly and bad about it later, but that was my honest reaction at the time.

    I don't think it can be summed up with "eat less and have some willpower" though. I think the problem is a bit deeper than that. It would be like telling someone who cuts herself, "Well ... there's your problem. Stop cutting yourself and show some willpower" and expecting that would cure them, or "Hey, you socially maladjusted wallflower, you should be more gregarious and confident, then you'll get a girlfriend!" Plus, I know fat people who have decent willpower in certain areas, just not when it comes to eating.

    Physical problems that might also lead to obesity aside, I think there are deep psychological issues that lead to most fat people voluntarily eating themselves to death. Deep enough that you can't just assume that all fat people are just "weak" in any event.
     

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