In our weight-obsessed culture, most people's lists of politically incorrect behavior don't include making the fat the butt of our jokes. And fat kids especially are singled out. Studies have shown that as early as nursery school, kids have learned to view fat children negatively, rating them with less approval, for example, than kids with physical disabilities. Fat kids are among the most likely victims of school violence, according to student surveys conducted by the Minnesota Attorney General's office. And it's not just other kids who dish out ridicule.
Many fat kids say adults, including teachers and parents, join in.
For fat students, the school experience is one of ongoing prejudice, unnoticed discrimination and almost constant harassment,'' according to a report by the National Education Association. It was every second of every day I was getting bombarded with it,'' said Matthew Anderson. School is absolutely the last place a fat kid wants to be because it's not safe at all,'' said Anderson, who graduated from high school last summer. I got beat up on a daily basis. They would tell me I was a fat pig, and they would find that an acceptable reason for physical violence.