Laughing at fat people

[Hyena Dandy]

I really don't like mocking fat people. Even more so, I don't even UNDERSTAND it. It's like... They're fat people. Ha?

These people have a higher-than-normal BMI ratio? There's a chance they may be unhealthy? They could have several medical conditions?

I at least UNDERSTAND people who assume fat people are all lazy or love overeating. That's untrue, but I understand that. What I don't understand is what's inherently funny about someone having a large amount of body fat.

Can someone explain what the joke is?

It just doesn't make sense to me. And I am putting this here, because we don't have a section for "Things that utterly confuse me on every level."

[Gravekeeper]

Its not specifically fat. See, the reason you don't understand is because you don't have a dedicated prick gland in your frontal lobe that allows you to find humour in physical flaws. While yes, many children are born with this gland, but for most people it eventually becomes relatively useless as an adult. Much like an appendix.

However, some adults still suffer from acute prickicitis but modern science does not yet have the technology to safely remove the prick gland through surgical means. If acute prickicitis goes on too long, the gland may burst. Leading to wide spread prick infection through out the entire body. At which point, the condition is chronic and typically untreatable.

[siead_lietrathua]

it's the same as mocking anyone for any physical trait that deviated from the norm, a childish and childhood reaction to diffrences and "otherness". only making fun of fat people is seen as more socially acceptable than, say, mocking someone with a physical deformation so many people don't grow out of it. fat people are the bullying allowance in the world, because it's their own fault for being fat**, so that makes abusing them perfectly fine.

what i don't get is that some people are obese from medical conditions and many others used food as a coping, or even a self harming method. eating to fill a void, or to bury emotions. mocking those with medical problems is a jackass thing to do. and for the harmers, ragging on them for being fat is about as helpful as mocking a cutter for their scars. all it does is make the person feel worse and is more likely to make them self-harm more.

** i don't belive this, it's the rational i've heard from bullies.

[Tanasi]

I attribute it to what we in the south call "lack of home learnin." When they were little and pointed out either fat or handicapped folks their parents didn't correct them. I also attribute it to not being taught "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
I'm a big guy and the last time I was at the doctors office a little boy was staring at me and I heard him say to himself "Now he is fat..." I replied to him "I certain am fat and do you know what my favorite food is???" She shook his head no. "I like to roast little boys over a fire and eat'em like hotdogs." and then gave his momma a dirty look.

BTW picking on fat folks can get you hurt, it takes strength to lug all that extra weight around and if they're big enough they might just be big enough to stop the fight by holding the aggressor down. I could easily shift my weight onto someone that I had down and stop their breathing, heck I could easily crush small people.

[anakhouri]

Amazingly, my 3-year-old has never pointed out someone's flaws in public. I don't know if he doesn't notice or just doesn't care as long as he can chatter away to them (he loves to talk to anyone).

One thing I have noticed in reading older children's books is that 'fat' comes up as an adjective (Eric Carle and Richard Scarry, and probably others). It's not used in a demeaning way, it's just used to describe a character (Pickles Pig is fat because he eats to much pie/He was a big fat caterpillar). My son some times describes chaacters in his own play as 'fat', but without any malice, its just an adjective. I am trying to let him know it's not OK to call other real people fat, but it's OK in his stories.

One thing that drives me nuts is when people make fun of overweight people who are exercising. For God's sake, they are trying to get healthy!

[LadyBarbossa]

I have a friend who is extremely large and she attracts some odd and judgmental looks at times. Pretty much everyone is conscious of their weight, so trust me folks, fat people KNOW they're fat. They are more aware of it than they like to think about. I'm overweight and I don't like for it to be pointed out.

And people are teaching their kids less and less tact anymore. While I was out at a restaurant with said large friend, she got upset because a kid that was at least 7 (old enough to know better) turned to her mother as friend walked by their table and went "WOW, Mommy, that girl is FAT! Really fat!" 'Mommy' of course didn't correct or even shush her. Nice.

[Bright Star]

People see in others what they don't like in themselves & as a result they bully said person to somehow make themselves feel better. It doesn't make sense, it's not right but it happens all the time.