Hey Fatty – Why don't You Have Another cheeseburger!?!

“Is she fat? Her favorite food is seconds” (Joan Rivers)

We all know that it used to be the case that smoking was socially acceptable; like 10 or so years ago. Before that, in the 60s or 70s, smoking was even considered cool. (Gaw!) But that no longer the case; now it's a social taboo. And one of the main reasons it's fallen out of favor is because of the harm it causes – not only to the smoker herself, but also to those around the smoker. It's to the point now that if your friend lights up you might say something like: “What the fuck are you doing man? That's a filthy habit and it's bad for you!” The funniest part about this is that the smoker will often reply: “Ya, dude, I know. Sorry. I totally gotta quit one of these days.” While it's her individual choice to smoke, it's not politically incorrect for the rest of us to chastise her for smoking; we're socially allowed to berate her for this lifestyle choice she's made.

But, oddly enough, it remains politically incorrect for us to single out and scold other harmful lifestyle choices people make; like being fat and unhealthy. I mean, if you see a 300 lbs woman walking away from the McDonald's counter with 3 Big Macs and an extra large coke (obviously all just for her), it's considered not okay for you say “Jesus, what are you doing lady?!? Are you looking to die of diabetes?”

The unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to obesity, or even just being overweight, are harmful. But (like smoking) these lifestyle choices are also harmful to the rest of us. The health problems that come with obesity strain our health cares systems; our comfort is taxed when having to squeeze in to a seat next to a fat person on a plane or bus; and (if you'll let me be a lil crass) our field of vision is polluted by their lumbering size.

At the end of the day the problem with fat people stems, in large part, from the overindulgence culture of our contemporary western society – where quantity is valued over quality. And our social inability to address this problem is rooted in the trouble with political correctness – the idea that I'm not okay, and you're not okay; but we're okay, because it's okay for us to not be okay. Sorry, but that's bullshit. We should be held to the expectation to excel and be the best we can be (in all regards); not to resign ourselves to be content with our own mediocrity. We shouldn't be allowed to be crappy; by that I mean, political correctness shouldn't protect these kinds of decisions.

Sure, the tub lovers will pipe up with things like “some fattys can't help it, man, they're just big boned or it's in their genes.” And I don't contest that. But at the end of the day the fact that someone is big is a good indicator that they just aren't living a sufficiently healthy lifestyles. While this is an inductive inference, but it's a justifiable one. At the core my point is that they (as well as all of us, of course) should live active and healthy lifestyles. If someone looks big despite being appropriately healthy and active, that's okay (but unfortunate for him or her).

So, when you distill it, this post is less about what's wrong with fat people and more about what's wrong with poor lifestyle choices and the hypocrisy of considering some such choices acceptable (e.g. being unhealthy) while considering other to be not acceptable (e.g. smoking). We shouldn't be condemned for condemning the unhealthy people for being fat. I could say more, but I think that’s enough for now. This is just my spur-of-the-moment thoughts on the subject. I could be wrong. After all, what do I know.