Fatness

Oh yes, I see. Thank you. First point. Friends jumping of cliff. No my point is, just because everybody else is doing it, does not make it normal. There are also logical arguments as to why being fat is not 'normal': If you count our natural state, the one we have evolved into, the one that 99.99+ of humans and their evolutionary ancestors have lived by since the beginnings of life-then being fat is not 'normal'. So your argument that 'normal' is set by the majority actually supports my argument and your point that this would even make it okay, because it was 'normal,' is flawed because of the obvious examples of Nazi Germany, Slavery and many more. The analogy "friends jump of a cliff" was just a light hearted comment as it was completely relevant, however simplistic. You say "They are fat, however they are still much more in shape than a majority of the population." Yes but your missing the point. What are these, three men that are fat but healthy? rugby players are not fat! you cannot run fast if you are fat! there is not such thing as a healthy fat person. Muscular people may look 'fat' but I assure you, no professional sportsman that relies on speed (apart from maybe sumo wrestlers, boxers maybe one or two more) is fat. These ones that are on occasion such as boxers are not the most healthy people, weightlifters may be strong but the more 'fat' ones are not healthy in terms of a long life. Life expectancy of boxers for example is 4 years below average, you would expect a professional sportsman to be above average (1). You say: "Therefore we are technically designed to be fat." Well yes, but in the same way we are designed to get cancer, it doesn't mean you should fight it. You say: "However we see that this is a reasonably good problem to have compared to ones that we could be facing. Not only is it a strong part of American ideology to being accepting but if we really crack down on fitness such as like in the Soviet Union and soon possibly Russia much worse problems will spawn from it." Are you saying that you think, that if we try to improve our citizens health its the first step towards becoming a Stalinist, authoritarian state? I don't think this is likely. You say: "I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Colorado is the healthiest state and the springs one of the healthiest cities in Colorado" Yes you have it good, I am pleased to know there are places out there like this. For America doesn't work like the UK and you have far more diversity, but America is the most unhealthy country in the world and the rest of you are living fat! You also say: "Personally I started seriously working out because I saw the fit media people " This is my point exactly! If fat people where over-glamorised and then this effect will be lessened. People need healthy role-models. (just for the record I despise most of the media so it does sicken me speaking about them is such a way, but my point is that a movement towards glamorising fatness in the media, is not a step forward. It is not a step backwards either, more a step diagonally forward.) (being light hearted, please don't scrutinize me on the simplicity of that remark). You say: "As stated above I do not think that society encourages fatness, I think it discourages it" Yes but this is the argument. I believe this too be true at the moment, but I see a movement towards making fat beautiful in the left wingers, I am arguing that such a movement is not a great way forward. I want to argue with someone who believes that we should carry out this movement. You give the example of your friend, I think people can make time. I don't know how eating unhealthily is always quicker either. I think its a lame excuse to say you don't have the time. Apart from the fact that you will have plenty more time if do it (life) its worth it for just your everyday moods and sense of well-being and happiness. People do not work 16 hours a day 7 days a week anymore we don't live in 1920's anymore. Also, the VAST majority of fat people have plenty of time to make healthy meals. Its not their fault they don't know how, on an individual level they could be blamed, but generally they cannot, the society they live in encourages is massively. And I don't mean this simplistically, on the surface we are against fat, but our culture and our way of life make it so much easier to get addicted. Like you don't have to tell your child to get addicted to cocaine, but if you leave it around and expose it to them enough, don't be surprised if they start taking it. Your summary: "Being fat is a much better problem to have than many others" Well so is every other problem, apart from the top 10. Also its not that much better, for it kills more people than anything in our societies so its our societies biggest killer. Can't be much things that are 'much better' than that. You say: "Society is encouraging itself to become more and more fit but it is important that we respect the decisions and rights of others and accept their actions" I agree with this, but I want to argue with someone who believes that the right way forward is to glamorize fat. I am by no means saying that we should actively discriminate fatness anymore than it is naturally stigmatized, indeed there is far too much glamour in the media. You say: "We are far from glamorizing fatness and I do not see any future of which fatness is glamorized. Media stars are getting more and more fit not getting fatter." This argument wasn't about the legitimacy of the existence of a movement to glamourize fat, it was an attack on such a movement. So my argument is that we should not attempt to actively try and make fatness attractive. I am not saying we should treat actors and comedians, musicians etc. who are fat, any different. (1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...