I am very well aware that not all fat people eat huge amounts of food all the time and that generally speaking it takes the same amount of calories to maintain a stable weight whether you are fat or thin. This is why I think the only real solution is technological. When food is cheap, designed to be instinctively appealing, and available conviently in unlimited quantities lots of people are going to eat too much of it.

"If you eat enough to maintain 50 pounds of extra fat on you you are pig, period"

No, not necessarily.

This is anecdotal, and I don't claim to know what makes all fat people fat. I have a (white female) friend who's seriously obese.

One fall break, I spent a long weekend with her and her parents. Both of her parents are also seriously fat. Practically round. So it's not in a genetic vaccuum that she ended up fat.

We cooked several meals together...one I remember was a slim salmon fillet, asparagus, and corn bread. I was barely even full. In fact, I was hungry nearly the entire 4-day weekend. They just didn't eat that much. *Nowhere* near enough to sustain me for any extended length of time. And I've always been thin--at the time, I was on the low end of normal weight for my height.

Obviously I don't know the whole family's health history and genetic profile, but it's sure not how they eat that makes them fat.

There are plenty of fat people who got that way by being unwilling to control their eating. But it is *far* from true for everyone--it's unfair and unfounded to insult and accuse people whose health background you're really in no position to know.

I'm sorry that you've been so maltreated by people whose obesity was clearly a matter of serious dysfunction. But what you experienced doesn't make what you think true for everyone.

when you have a person who hangs around for years disabled by obesity and unable to take care of themsleves that person is much more likely to be a woman than a man.

Well luckily in real life your opinion counts for shit. Now tell us all about your traumatic experiences growing up. You have some bizarre thoughts in your head.

If they receive any medical treatment, disability or income maintenance, or any other communally supported benefit to deal with a problem which is in any way related to obesity then yes, it definitely should be mandatory.

I know how most of my friends regard overweight. They panic about it. They fear the loss of their jobs, their husbands and lovers. They are not much fun to be around, especially at mealtimes. I can't be bothered. I'll settle for being big, strong, and in superb health. And if the guys don't like it, they can go you know what themselves.

It all reached its pinnacle with that popeyed hag Nancy Reagan.

the only way the problem is going to be solved is if an effective way is found to chemically alter people in such a way that...they CANNOT without extreme psychic and physical discomfort eat too much

And I'm sure that under your watch this would be mandatory, eh? Sounds kinda Nazi-esque to me. I'm sure you'd find a way to justify it, anyway.

You seem disproportionately angry, Fat Family Anonymous. Why all the rage? (I'm not being sarcastic, either. You really sound rather frightening.) Try to separate your own weird family issues from the discussion we're having here.

I heard this on a radio program once. The subject was homosexuality. Some guy called in to question why the term "gay" was used for homosexuals, since the gay people he ran across were never happy or "gay."

A bunch of people called in afterwards saying that most likely, no one was ever in a good mood in his presence.

So maybe that apparent self hate is really something else...

the only way the problem is going to be solved is if an effective way is found to chemically alter people in such a way that not only CAN they control themselves if they want to, (this is true now) but that they CANNOT without extreme psychic and physical discomfort eat too much. This will never happen though if the fat acceptance campaign is successfully, so until we can chemically remove the desire to be a pig we should keep pressuring people not to be pigs. (If you eat enough to maintain 50 pounds of extra fat on you you are pig, period) (and could we please top pretending that the fact that body builders have a high BMI has ANTYHING TO DO with FAT people?)

is again completely speculating. Some overweight women hate themselves. Many, many don't. It is grossly unfounded to say that even if you hate yourself, you can't perform some job. And I'm sure that many many thin women are completely insecure...Look at all these Hollywood marriages that are breaking up constantly...emotionally stunted, insecure, unhappy and unsatisfied people--but hey, they're nice to look at!

You're merely trying to justify your own prejudices with statements like that.

If you want to see an overweight woman who is beautiful, outspoken and feels good in her own skin, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA

and continuing to make the choices that make you fat raise eyebrows about your decision-making skills and emotional health. This is legitimate.

It is rare that I have met an obese white woman who was perfectly comfortable in her own skin, had a balanced life, and did not wish to lose weight. Typically, obese white women want to be thinner, are full of self-hatred and hatred for people who don't 'accept them for who they are' - though they themselves don't! It's difficult to argue that someone who has put themselves in such a tough psychological corner is able to perform optimally as an employee.

You're Fat Family Anonymous, aren't you? You have obviously been traumatized by your family, and there's some weird dynamic going on there. Whatever.

There are degrees, and if someone is 400 lbs and bedridden, making demands on other people, that is quite different from someone who is 20-30 lbs. overweight, exercises regularly, etc. (Believe it or not, you can be overweight and live a healthy lifestyle. Once your body metabolism reaches a set point, it will maintain it at the same caloric intake of a thin person. It's not usually impossible to lose *some* weight, but some people are genetically predisposed to being overweight...not 400 lbs, but they will never be lean.)

I'm all for morbidly obese people losing weight, but whatever cultural shaming is going on here, it is NOT WORKING.

So, Fat Family Anonymous, what do you suggest we do?