We don't protest it because, I think, we (some of us) believe it to some extent. I mean, this is what we are *surrounded with* from childhood--fat is bad and ugly and etc., etc. It gets ingrained. That kind of thinking is *really* hard to shake if you are still being surrounded by it. Part of it is because, for all our "sticks and stones" mentality, insults still *sting* and chip away at the ol' self-esteem; it takes a lot of conviction to stand up for something so hated. That's not to say it's impossible, or not being done, or any of that. I just think it's really hard for someone that innundates themselves with popular society's views on fat to quickly and suddenly reject those views and stand up for being fat.

Just my two cents. Back to lurking.

I'd like to preface this comment by stating that I'm an absolute moron who has nothing better to do on a Monday evening but type the search phrase "fat people not cool" into google and write really idiotic hateful comments on whatever site that leads me to.

My IP address is 66.41.98.203, and my e-mail address (if I'm telling the truth) is chanson@yahoo.com. Please send me lots of p0rn.

Of course you believe it. It is true, fat people DO suck. They are sickening to look at, they are usually boring people because all they do is eat and sit on their assess. Further, fatness is not something you are born with, it is a lifestyle choice, if the choice did not affect everyone else I would not have a problem with it. However, obesity does affect the rest of the united states in the form of taxes that go to pay for the health expenses rung up because some fat fart couldn't get off his ass and excercise. I am tired of fat people whining about skinny people in the media. The reason that they are in the media is because they look good and they have worked hard to stay in shape so as not to look like slobs.

Quit WHINING!!

Is this some kind of sneaky spam trick? Like if you email that address you get on a list and they send you diet ads?

no...er, sorry. I should have made this more clear. That comment was edited by me.

Hey, good for you!

I am a large woman working on losing weight, but not for any of the reasons listed above. Being fat is unhealthy and that is the long and short of it, or should I say the fat and skinny of it. I do agree fat people should not be maligned. We are not lazy, just ask any of my thin friends who can't keep up with me because they don't have my energy level. But in the end it is better to be thin healthwise.

Bonnie, I totally disagree. I don't believe that fat people are necessarily less healthy than thin people. Some are, but many are NOT. I don't think there is a predictable correlation between health and weight. Which is why I object to people presenting their opinion that thin=healthy as fact.

I would not presume to say that FAT=healthy, but I certainly don't believe that FAT=unhealthy. I'm simply saying that someone's size in and of itself is not a clear indication of that person's health.

I can post some sources for you if you wish to do more research on the subject, but I don't have time to do that right now.

Oh, and thanks for maligning me at Karl's blog. It's so nice when someone says I need "mental help" elsewhere...and then comes over here and acts all pleasant, and no doubt expects a pleasant interaction with me. Yay! Let's go visit the crazy woman's blog! Obviously, it will be easy for you to discredit whatever I say with your amateur pop-psychological analysis of me.

Come on, people...if you don't like me, and "can't make heads or tails" of my psychotic "ramblings" PLEASE don't bother to waste my time pretending to desire respectful dialog with me.

I hear ya, really I do, but thank you for bringing it up. First thing, Anna Nicole *was* a fat, ugly slob. Now she's just an ugly slob.

2nd, "thin" people or, what I refer to as 'normal weight folks' have to suffer, and are supposed to LIKE, being called crappy terms like twig [aka, DEAD BRANCH], waif [look it up... www.m-w.com, if you think that's a compliment], and skinny [aka, emanciated]. These are insults, not compliments. It's sad that the overweight people in our society can think of nothing else to call thin, normal people in order to make themselves feel better. Check this out - it HURTS. If you are opening calling your thin friends these terms, I suggest you stop. I does NOT feel good. Just to let you know. Cheers. :)

Erm...I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone maligning thin people here. Unless saying fat people are the majority is an insult to skinny people, who are not, as you put it, "normal weight folks". If you define "fat" according to what's portrayed in the media, most people are fat. If you define "fat" according to the guidelines put out by our government that say what a "normal" weight is, well, most people are still fat. In other words, "fat" = normal.

In case you're thinking about accusing me of being a bigoted fat person, just so you know, I am a fairly medium-weight person (I'm too fat to be star in a TV show or whatever, but that's not saying much) who used to be really really skinny when I was younger. I got called "anorexic" and all the other stupid names you mentioned.

(Though I never got it from people who were actually fat. I think for the most part they knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of such comments. I got it from people who were actually pretty thin, but who thought of themselves as overweight because of our twisted standards, and took it out on a scrawny teenager.)

This comment kind of reminds me of the commenter on this blog recently who got offended because dru said that her ex-husband treated her in an abusive manner. He seemed to think this implied that all men are abusive, or men are never abused, or any number of other irrelevant things. Just because someone says that fat-phobia is wrong and fat people aren't necessarily less healthy than thin people, doesn't mean they hate thin people or think it's OK to tease them.

And I can say from experience that although it sucks being teased for being skinny, thinness also certainly has its privileges, and though a few people may assume you have an eating disorder, they don't assume you are lazy or have psychological issues or any number of other stupid things people tend to think about fat people. I don't think there's nearly the same level of systematic prejudice and discrimination as what fat people face.