The Ultimate FAT Debate
06:00 PM: Watched today’s installment of Dr. Phil, which was part two of yesterday’s episode, titled: The Ultimate FAT Debate. Like twenty-four hours earlier, tempers heated up on this show as well; perhaps even more. Primarily, the heavy argued with the thin panelists over the degree of the role in thinness that personal choice plays, and how negatively judgmental people generally regard the heavy. They also discussed discrimination against the fat, and the current controversial business of airlines forcing larger people to purchase two airline seats when one small seat cannot contain them; else they deny them passage.
My take? I’m frustrated hearing some heavy folks defending their (scientifically shown to be unhealthy) body status, as though it should be regarded as equaly as idealstic and aspirational as thinness. Then, they refer to those who refuse to see it like that as shallow, judgmental, and mean-spirited. But the fact is: Being heavy is not healthy, and carrying lots of excess weight will never be healthy anytime in the near future centuries. I’ve been heavier myself by twenty pounds, and observed firsthand the debilitating effects that just a few hundreds of extra ounces has on blood pressure, blood values like cholesterol and triglycerides, ability to sleep well, and overall feelings about living in general.
That said, the thin proponents on the show nonetheless went too far today; blaming the heavy for their obesity way too much, and refusing to acknowledge factors such as genetics, body chemistry, and parental upbringing; things that make maintaining a healthy weight impossible for some, and downright dangerous for others. Some of them also claimed too much credit for themselves for their ability to keep thin. Then, they ridiculed the heavy who had not chosen to be thin as they had. In fact, one skinny fellow on the panel wore a black tee shirt that said No Chubbies in white letters across his chest. Not good. In my eyes, his choice to wear that inflammatory clothing completely undermined his credibility in his support for thinness; though I agreed with some of his other assertions; namely that there’s no such thing as a healthy, fat person.
While I do wish that there were more thin women around to date, the thin should nonetheless avoid so harshly judging of the heavy in areas of business and friendship. It is true for me that the thinner ladies excite me the most romantically on deep physical levels that cannot be decided with the will. That is to say that I cannot force myself to find the heavy physically attractive. However, this would be no reason for ridiculing and discriminating against the heavy. Such behavior will not solve this fast-growing obesity epidemic. While I can’t will myself to be attracted physically to the heavy, they do not deserve the mean treatment they get either from other, more insistent people than myself. They need not be thin for me to consider them a good friend or business partner; though I must admit that I probably wouldn’t date someone with a BMI in the overweight range.