• Fatties: Doctors "discriminate" against us
    128 replies, posted
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/health/16essa.html?ref=science[/url] [quote]As a woman whose height and weight put me in the obese category on the body-mass-index chart, I cringed when Michelle Obama recently spoke of putting her daughters on a diet. While I’m sure the first lady’s intentions are good, I’m also sure that her comments about childhood obesity will add yet another layer to the stigma of being overweight in America. Last August, Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, a cardiac surgeon and chief executive of the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, told a columnist for The New York Times that if he could get away with it legally, he would refuse to hire anyone who is obese. He probably could get away with it, actually, because no federal legislation protects the civil rights of fat workers, and only one state, Michigan, bans discrimination on the basis of weight. Dr. Cosgrove may be unusually blunt, but he is far from alone. Public attitudes about fat have never been more judgmental; stigmatizing fat people has become not just acceptable but, in some circles, de rigueur. I’ve sat in meetings with colleagues who wouldn’t dream of disparaging anyone’s color, sex, economic status or general attractiveness, yet feel free to comment witheringly on a person’s weight. Over the last few years, fat people have become scapegoats for all manner of cultural ills. “There’s an atmosphere now where it’s O.K. to blame everything on weight,” said Dr. Linda Bacon, a nutrition researcher and the author of “Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight” (Benbella, 2008). “If we’re worried about climate change, someone comes out with an article about how heavier people weigh more, so they require more fuel, and they blame the climate change crisis on fatter people. We have this strong belief system that it’s their fault, that it’s all about gluttony or lack of exercise.” ... Dr. Puhl said she was especially disturbed at how openly the doctors expressed their biases. “If I was trying to study gender or racial bias, I couldn’t use the assessment tools I’m using, because people wouldn’t be truthful,” she said. “They’d want to be more politically correct.” Despite the abundance of research showing that most people are unable to make significant long-term changes in their weight, it’s clear that doctors tend to view obesity as a matter of personal responsibility. Perhaps they see shame and stigma as a health care strategy. If so, is it working? Not very well. Many fat people sidestep such judgments by simply avoiding doctor visits, whether for routine checkups, preventive screenings or urgent health problems.[/quote] Goddamn, fat people just need some self-control. It's simple: put down the donuts, go outside, and take a walk. It might be hard, but it's not like you were born destined to weigh 300 pounds.
Actually, some people [b](SOME)[/b] are born fat and can't help it. But yeah, physical fitness isn't exactly an unfair way to judge somebody. Besides, do you really expect people to just drop the old stigma of obesity? Pfft. [i]Fat chance.[/i]
BMI is a horrible way of measuring weight anyway.
[QUOTE=markg06;20776576]BMI is a horrible way of measuring weight anyway.[/QUOTE] It's fine if muscle isn't significantly involved.
Silly fat people. Honestly though, I see nothing wrong with not hiring fat people as a doctor, it would almost be hypocritical to be a doctor and be fat. If fat people don't like being blamed for things and such, then they can just lose weight, it's as simple as that.
That just takes the biscuit.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;20776592]It's fine if muscle isn't significantly involved.[/QUOTE] Then it's never fine because all people have muscle. Face it, BMI is the worst way to measure body weight/fitness. There are muscle bound men that range in the area that most people call obese because it doesn't take into account anything but height and weight. It's the fucking worst way of going about health/fitness from that perspective.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;20776627]Then it's never fine because all people have muscle. Face it, BMI is the worst way to measure body weight.[/QUOTE] No, it is a useful weight severity tool for people who don't have a significant amount of muscle.
[QUOTE=Jallen;20776636]No, it is a useful weight severity tool for people who don't have a significant amount of muscle.[/QUOTE] No, it's not a good tool at all. There are better ones I assure you. "LOLOLOL SOMEONES FAT! NO MUSCLE AT ALL ON DEM! DEY IS FAT RITE"
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;20776640]No, it's not a good tool at all. There are better ones I assure you. "LOLOLOL SOMEONES FAT! NO MUSCLE AT ALL ON DEM! DEY IS FAT RITE"[/QUOTE] No. In general it is a useful and simple tool in finding whether someone is overweight or not. You can calculate BMI very quickly and it gives you a rough idea of how overweight / underweight the person is. Variation in body type is minimal to the extent that it doesn't sway the BMI massively and means that the BMI still gives a reasonable result give or take a bit. As for muscle, if the person does no weight training or manual labour, then the BMI is still a perfectly fine tool. You need to stop seeing things as black and white. The BMI is extremely convenient because of how easy it is to measure and works well for the majority of people. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Body_mass_index_chart.svg[/url] The boundaries for weights are large enough that no body type variations should massively effect where your BMI sits. As for muscle, like I said, unless you train or do manual labour, then it's pretty much irrelevant.
My BMI is 17.7 :smug:
[QUOTE=Ori Child;20776700]My BMI is 17.7 :smug:[/QUOTE] Jesus Christ! Put on some muscle.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;20776705]Jesus Christ! Put on some muscle.[/QUOTE] And fat...
Its been way lower than that before... i think i was at 16.5-ish about 5 years ago. I forget, but i remember the doctor being very concerned, and my school got in a specialist nurse.
[QUOTE=Ori Child;20776717]Its been way lower than that before... i think i was at 16.5-ish about 5 years ago. I forget, but i remember the doctor being very concerned, and my school got in a specialist nurse [highlight]lol[/highlight][/QUOTE] Yes, I've always seen malnutrition as a laughing matter myself, too. /sarcasm.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;20776592]It's fine if muscle isn't significantly involved.[/QUOTE] Actually, what if they have broad shoulders, and naturally thicker bones than the average.
[QUOTE=Ori Child;20776717]Its been way lower than that before... i think i was at 16.5-ish about 5 years ago. I forget, but i remember the doctor being very concerned, and my school got in a specialist nurse lol[/QUOTE] I prescribe you Doritos. [img]http://videomaker.com/community/blogs/videonews/files/2008/10/doritos.jpg[/img] Fuck, now I want some Doritos.
[QUOTE=teeheeV2;20776728]Actually, what if they have broad shoulders, and naturally thicker bones than the average.[/QUOTE] Like I said before, these things do not sway the BMI significantly enough to even be worth considering. Furthermore, these things are most likely accomanied by height, which is taken into consideration anyway.
[QUOTE=Jallen;20776727]Yes, I've always seen malnutrition as a laughing matter myself, too. /sarcasm.[/QUOTE] It wasn't malnutrition at all, i was getting what i needed... but barely. Besides, the stomach aches you end up with make you want to be fat. That's why i find it amusing now. But if it makes you happy i will change it to a full stop. [editline]11:29AM[/editline] [QUOTE=PrismatexV8;20776729]I prescribe you Doritos. [img]http://videomaker.com/community/blogs/videonews/files/2008/10/doritos.jpg[/img] Fuck, now I want some Doritos.[/QUOTE] [img]http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object3/231/17/n150630294827_2755.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Jallen;20776673]No. In general it is a useful and simple tool in finding whether someone is overweight or not. You can calculate BMI very quickly and it gives you a rough idea of how overweight / underweight the person is. Variation in body type is minimal to the extent that it doesn't sway the BMI massively and means that the BMI still gives a reasonable result give or take a bit. As for muscle, if the person does no weight training or manual labour, then the BMI is still a perfectly fine tool. You need to stop seeing things as black and white. The BMI is extremely convenient because of how easy it is to measure and works well for the majority of people. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Body_mass_index_chart.svg[/url] The boundaries for weights are large enough that no body type variations should massively effect where your BMI sits. As for muscle, like I said, unless you train or do manual labour, then it's pretty much irrelevant.[/QUOTE] Except it tells you nothing if the person doesn't ascribe to the "lack of muscle" factor. I'm a heavily muscled gent, it's in my genes, I've large muscles over most of my body. I'm also a big guy, 6'1, 190lbs. The BMI says i'm overweight. While, I am overweight in terms of body fat by a few pounds, my muscle mass throws off the entire reading. It only works for stick skinnies, and super fatties with no muscle mass.
hur dur fat peple r fat
discriminate against fat people until they decide to stop eating and start working out!!!
[QUOTE=OrionChronicles;20776870]discriminate against fat people until they decide to stop eating and start working out!!![/QUOTE] Because discrimination is like a tool to be used!
[QUOTE=markg06;20776576]BMI is a horrible way of measuring weight anyway.[/QUOTE] This is what you say if you are fat and just trying to make an excuse for having a really high BMI :v:
If they have a high BMI, then they are probably fat. You will know if it is because they are muscle bound. [editline]01:19PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Sams Brume;20776799]hur dur fat peple r fat[/QUOTE] I never thought of it this way, thank you for changing my life!
I can see why doctors are pissed at fat people, it's like if you're a plasterer and some twat is coming along behind you with a hammer taking chips out of the wall you just finished. I don't mind fat people much though, unless you're too fat to walk properly and have to waddle instead, I don't really want to have to look at that.
I don't see why that woman is complaining about "The stigma of being overweight". There's a reason why people don't think being fat is a good thing. It's bad for you.
There are too many fat people in the world and every one of them are lazy! They aren't doing anything to help their society, hell if they ate just as much as a healthy sized person there would be less demand for food and more to go around. It isn't hard to not be fat people.
Facepunch proves the article correct on a daily basis.
[QUOTE=laurencedgreat;20778659]I don't see why that woman is complaining about "The stigma of being overweight". There's a reason why people don't think being fat is a good thing. It's bad for you.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Jurikuer;20778684]There are too many fat people in the world and every one of them are lazy! They aren't doing anything to help their society, hell if they ate just as much as a healthy sized person there would be less demand for food and more to go around. It isn't hard to not be fat people.[/QUOTE] I agree with the above statements. It's simple: Eat less, be more active. Is it really so fucking hard to do? *facepalm* Next time I see some fatass asking for equal rights, I'll reply with "OH SO WHAT ABOUT MY RIGHTS, WITH YOUR FAT ASS CLOGGING BUSES AND TRAINS?!" :argh:
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