Skinny v Fat

[NewAdventuresInWiFi]

Why anyone is an alcoholic and wouldn't stop drinking, a smoker and wouldn't stop smoking, a drug addict and wouldn't stop drugs etc. etc. etc. The root of all these issues is some form of irrationality imo. Judging people for it is stupid - because everyone shows similar irrationalities at some times.

Football (club) addiction.

Non football fans quite often quite rightly laugh at football supporters for what we put ourselves through.

If you distance yourself afar from it you can kind of understand why.

 

[dom]

Why is it socially acceptable to shame people for being skinny but not fat?

Get some meat on your bones, need to build some muscle, eat more etc is seen as acceptable.
Yet tell a fatty to eat less or hit the gym isn't.

Is it though!

 

[haway]

I understand where you're coming from. But I think a little will power would work, if they really did want to stop. Do you think they'd carry on if the doc told them they were going to die if they continued? Just screams of a defeatist attitude.

The evidence suggests that many people who abuse food seriously would. I'm not talking here about people who are slightly overweight e.g. a BMI from 25 to 32 or something, but I think once you get beyond that level there are many people who would eat regardless of what was said. There seem quite a few cases of people 'eating themselves to death' that suggest this. I agree will power would resolve the issue (as it would in the case of other addictions) but will power is sadly lacking in many people in these situations and simply telling people to get it doesn't seem to be the solution.

It's a very tricky area because no doubt there are many people who eat too much and it is not because of any pathology, but I also think we need to be nuanced in any analysis of obesity and realise that there certainly appear to be a large subset of very overweight people who wish more than anything they weren't, and this is due to some mental health problem or addictive behaviour. It's tricky - but characterising them as having some lack of motivation or will doesn't necessarily do justice to they way we should regard these conditions, imo.

 

[dom]

The evidence suggests that many people who abuse food seriously would. I'm not talking here about people who are slightly overweight e.g. a BMI from 25 to 32 or something, but I think once you get beyond that level there are many people who would eat regardless of what was said. There seem quite a few cases of people 'eating themselves to death' that suggest this. I agree will power would resolve the issue (as it would in the case of other addictions) but will power is sadly lacking in many people in these situations and simply telling people to get it doesn't seem to be the solution.

It's a very tricky area because no doubt there are many people who eat too much and it is not because of any pathology, but I also think we need to be nuanced in any analysis of obesity and realise that there certainly appear to be a large subset of very overweight people who wish more than anything they weren't, and this is due to some mental health problem or addictive behaviour. It's tricky - but characterising them as having some lack of motivation or will doesn't necessarily do justice to they way we should regard these conditions, imo.

BMI is shit though, if you're not happy with your weight either way, try to do something about it but it's not easy!

 

[haway]

Football (club) addiction.

Non football fans quite often quite rightly laugh at football supporters for what we put ourselves through.

If you distance yourself afar from it you can kind of understand why.

I would be inclined to think that you could write up a spectrum that goes from (PERECT RATIONALITY <---> SEVERE DELUSIONS) [and this is something my previous posts have touched on] which would see steps along the way e.g. perfect rationality -> confirmation biases -> football clubs, religion etc. -> racism -> extreme conspiracy theories -> addictions -> severe social anxiety / paranoia -> minor delusions -> severe delusions. (I've completely made up those examples, and the order is almost certainly wrong), but the point is that these issues are relative and to some extent (even if to a minor degree) the type of irrationality you see in extreme cases exists in most people, just usually to a lesser extent.

 

[LondonMackem]

The evidence suggests that many people who abuse food seriously would. I'm not talking here about people who are slightly overweight e.g. a BMI from 25 to 32 or something, but I think once you get beyond that level there are many people who would eat regardless of what was said. There seem quite a few cases of people 'eating themselves to death' that suggest this. I agree will power would resolve the issue (as it would in the case of other addictions) but will power is sadly lacking in many people in these situations and simply telling people to get it doesn't seem to be the solution.

It's a very tricky area because no doubt there are many people who eat too much and it is not because of any pathology, but I also think we need to be nuanced in any analysis of obesity and realise that there certainly appear to be a large subset of very overweight people who wish more than anything they weren't, and this is due to some mental health problem or addictive behaviour. It's tricky - but characterising them as having some lack of motivation or will doesn't necessarily do justice to they way we should regard these conditions, imo.

I get what you're saying, it's a grey area. Everyone's situation's different.

 

[haway]

BMI is shit though, if you're not happy with your weight either way, try to do something about it but it's not easy!

And if you're not happy about your drug use, do something about it etc. I don't dispute this. My only claim would be that there seem to be some people who are unhappy with their situation but due to some psychological block, or however you want to characterise it, are unable to do something about it. And that is why society often seems to need to help out. I don't want to remove personal responsibility from these cases, because it's important, but I would also be loathed to say 'sort it out yourself' or something because it does seem like people often can't.

I get what you're saying, it's a grey area. Everyone's situation's different.

Yes. That is what it comes down to IMO.

 

[dom]

The Government are deliberately making people unhappy to control us!
Discuss!

 

[ouro]

The Government are deliberately making people unhappy to control us!
Discuss!

As long as I can stay in the pink with ciggies and drink I can muddle through.

 

[Pseudonym Number 1]

The Government are deliberately making people unhappy to control us!
Discuss!

In what way and to what end?