Is Christie's weight fair game?

[Renew Deal]

***I am asking on behalf of myself, not the moderators.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Christie's an officerholder with policies that hurt the majority of the residents of NJ.

That's bad enough. Bringing his weight into the debate is spacious.

[11 Bravo]

If that's a pun, it is world class and I salute you!

If, however, you meant "specious" I'll be disappointed, but will soldier on.

[no_hypocrisy]

85. Freudian slip?

[immoderate]

34. New Jersey's vast waistband!

I acknowledge that personal attacks should have no place in serious political discourse. But we are more complex than that. And Christie provides such a big target! :)


--imm

[southernyankeebelle]

80. He is extremely rude and crude. That is why I wouldn't vote for him. Not his weight.

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

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[Overseas]

2. He can win sympathy votes if he's attacked for being fat.

I think that is factored in by his campaign team-- the "everyman" quality it gives him to be fat in an overweight nation like ours.

Edited to add--

the distraction of talking about his fatness and attacks on the fatness can provide a wonderful distraction from talking about his policies and what their effects have been.

[Renew Deal]

19. I agree

I think people might say "he looks like me", and people that don't look like him sometimes feel like they do. :blush:

[Overseas]

42. Yep. I think that's part of his political team's calculations. Millions of dieters.

And they can always find a new very insulting fat joke to stir up media attention if any news story about Christie's actual record gets too much attention.

[totodeinhere]

107. If Christie did run and get the nomination you better believe that the Obama campaign wouldn't

touch the weight issue with a ten foot pole. There might be whispers about it in private but they wouldn't dare bring it up in public.

[nadinbrzezinski]

His policies are the problem

And as much as I know he is morbidly obese...it really should have no bearing...of course in our beautiful people culture that will turn people off.

[Johonny]

36. but it is fair game

A few years back our district has a terrible campaign with the Democratic candidates weight became a huge issue that the Republicans pushed. There is no doubt physical appearance will be used to attack you in a campaign and no candidate should enter a campaign if they feel it will magically not be an issue. In the end does it really matter? Obese people do get elected, so no it doesn't necessarily destroy a candidate. Of course what a person looks like shouldn't matter as much as policy, but that isn't how campaigns are actually run.

[Ineeda]

3. Wasn't McCain's a valid concern?

Or was that just because of the half-term governor?

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. It wasn't weight

It was age. Regardless people should always consider the veep as well.

Even the healthiest of POTUS can drop dead.

[Ineeda]

12. It was also that McCain had cancer.

Obesity is a big health risk.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Just as big as smoking

[Renew Deal]

27. Smoking is fair game.

Because it's a choice.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. My point is that if this is fair for chrisi, so is for Obama.

My point is that fat jokes or targeting that is stoopid. There is plenty to chew on bad policies.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Just as big as smoking

[Renew Deal]

26. I think age is fair game for the presidency or vice presidency.

It's a very stressful job. I know Reagan was able to do it, but the job has changed a lot on 30 years. Now the president is fully connected to the world. Technology changes faster. Events need immediate response. And honestly, none of us wants to live through a presidents passing.

[mopinko]

104. the people who put st ronnie up kept him propped up

in spite of clear evidence of his alzheimers. it should have been more of an issue than it was.

[Name removed]

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[calendargirl]

5. Was Obama's smoking as big of an issue, since health is of such great concern? nt

[11 Bravo]

9. Golly, I don't know. How many times did FauxNews, The Wall Street Journal ...

the Washington Times, and the rest of the right-wing echo chamber bring it up?

[calendargirl]

33. Probably not as much as health conscious DUers bring up Christie's weight. nt

[livetohike]

10. President Obama works out, despite his smoking/not smoking

I'm not aware President Obama has any breathing problems. Are you?

I do know that Christie has asthma and has been hospitalized for it. I also know that the man can't walk 100 yards, probably due to his asthma and other factors. So that is a concern, yes.

[LanternWaste]

14. Smoking issues are more than simply breathing. Many of they remain hidden until it's too late.

Smoking issues are more than simply breathing. Many of they remain hidden until it's too late.

[livetohike]

38. Agreed. But for the four to eight years that the President

holds office, I doubt they will be an issue and therefore not a "concern" for fitness to serve as President. In Christie's case, he has been hospitalized for an asthma attack and who knows what else. It may, or may not be related to his weight issues.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Some hidden issues from smoking

Constriction of blood vessels, increased blood pressure

Cardiac issues

And as you said, lung issues

Smoking is a good predictor of early death, as much as obesity.

So if we are going to make an iuuse of that...

[livetohike]

35. And all of those issues could take years to develop/years to

have any noticeable effect. Christie's issues are noticeable. The man apparently has difficulty breathing and walking. I doubt he could withstand the rigors of a national campaign.

[LanternWaste]

39. it's little more than speculation

"The man apparently has difficulty breathing and walking...."

I imagine many of us would like to believe that, but it's little more than speculation. I imagine that in due course, relevant and pertinent health records will be released if it comes to that.



And yet... by these standards, FDR and Kennedy should never have taken the oath. Wonderful readings about FDRs 4th campaign tours, and the agonies he went through seem very apropos in your worst case scenario.

[livetohike]

58. Good points

:-)

Difficulty breathing is not speculation. If one has asthma, one has difficulty breathing. As far as walking, the clip that was shown a couple of months ago where Christie took a limo from the helicopter to his son's baseball field are evidence to me that he can't walk that distance. Or else it's the height of laziness.

[LanternWaste]

63. I imagine FDR wouldn't have been able to walk that distance either...

I imagine FDR wouldn't have been able to walk that distance either... :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

110. Depends on how severe is the asthma

speaking as one with it... mild, controlled and rarely have problems with it

[Name removed]

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[HappyMe]

8. No.

Plenty of other things to go after the guy for.

[petronius]

11. Fat jokes are fat jokes - unacceptable no matter who they're aimed at

And I think it's disingenuous and borderline discriminatory to try and cloak it as a health issue...

[laundry_queen]

20. I agree.

That's what I always hear from family "We're concerned about your health" yeah, well my cholesterol and blood pressure are actually on the low side and they know that. Then they turn around and point to someone who is obese and say, "ew, what a cow"

I'm so sure they concerned about my health.

I see the same dynamic here and it's discrimination, period.

[Logical]

95. +1000.....people here who make fun of weight are rude

[Aerows]

13. I don't think so

It's still bigotry. We don't make fun of people for their gender, skin color, religion or sexual orientation, why are we picking on someone for something so personal?

Frankly, I dislike it nearly as much as I dislike Christie. There are plenty of reasons to dislike him on a political basis - we don't need to make it personal.

[GoCubsGo]

25. Exactly right.

Mocking people for their physical appearance is something republicans do. Why stoop to their level, especially when there are real reasons to oppose this jerk?

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Only if it works. n/t

[KamaAina]

16. What if Jerry Nadler were running?

the cool fat guy whio represents Manhattan's West Side in Congress.

Rightly or wrongly, the RW noise machine would be all over it. :eyes:

[Renew Deal]

21. I agree

[LanternWaste]

17. If I am reduced to focusing on a person's appearanc...

If I am reduced to focusing on a person's appearance or any other non-factor, it means I am lack relevant issue-oriented arguments.

I would imagine it says much more about my own lack of character than on diagnosing a possible health risk enjoyed by millions of other people...

[pintobean]

18. No - Gander

Goose

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Faux pas]

31. His weight doesn't bother me. Michael Moore was

on Joy Behar last night and he said most of America looks like Christie (and himself) and that might just be Christie's hook.

I think Christie looks like a mob guy myself.

[booley]

32. if he had ryan Gosling's body

he'd still be a jerk.

Going on about his weight just makes his critics seem petty and distracts from the crappy stuff this guy has done. (not counting the one decent thing he did calling out the Islamaphobes)

[chrisa]

37. It's sad to see so many people think it is.

and still buy the dumb myth that everybody can control their weight 100% of the time. I've seen people eat everything junky to imagine and not gain a pound, while others eat a carrot stick and gain 5 pounds (/hyperbole).

It's a sad personal attack. It's lame and mean-spirited.

[madinmaryland]

43. Shouldn't we as voters have the right to know the extent of his health, as he is classified

as "morbidly obese"??

If his doctors show that he is still in good physical condition, otherwise, then let it be known.

[chrisa]

52. No. It's none of our business.

Why would there be a need to dig into any candidate's medical history? This has less to do with his health, and more to do with purposefully exploiting the negative imagery and stereotypes of fat people to our advantage. That would be childish and pathetic.

[madinmaryland]

53. No. That's not my point. Whether someone has early on-set alzheimers, heart disease,

depression, etc. are all things that could effect the candidate's ability to govern. Shouldn't we have the right to know at least the general health of the candidate. I don't think that is a "childish" or "pathetic" request.

[Union Scribe]

119. ...you really think that's what's on people's minds when they

talk shit about fat people? Concern for their health?

[closeupready]

40. Yes.

Absolutely. If this man fails to lose weight, he is going to have severe health problems.

[madinmaryland]

41. I believe that his health is a valid concern for people voting for him.

Obviously fat jokes do no good, just as "man-coulter" comments do us no good.

[LynneSin]

44. Was Obama's smoking made a big deal - that can have health impact on a president

Hell my father was dead at age 41 from smoking - who knows what's up with OBama's lungs?

[seabeyond]

45. of course it isnt. imagine my shock as i glimpse these words

exiting off the page. i actually had to come back into the page to make sure i was reading this correctly.

and every person that says yes... he is a repug, is an hypocrite. so might as well embrace all the other 'isms cause you are not an iota better.

[MrDiaz]

46. if

His weight is all we can talk about, that is not good. His weight has nothing to do with his political party and views pick one of those to talk about.

[RaleighNCDUer]

47. There is an interesting assumption here that talking about a candidate's weight

is equivalent to 'mocking' him for his weight.

And no, it is not the same as smoking, as smoking is usually a long-term killer, so a smoker who is otherwise in good health is very likely to be able to serve a full two terms; for someone who is morbidly obese, it is far more difficult to make that assumption.

Fat jokes are unacceptable, but consideration over weight is only reasonable. That said, if a morbidly obese strong progressive were to run, I'd vote for him/her in an instant.

[alfredo]

48. It could be a sign of a lack of self control, or some other

emotional issues. If his parents were overweight, they may have passed on their eating habits and body image to him.

[dembotoz]

49. the teas and the repugs will use anything against us

turn about becomes fair play.

I still get over a dozen racist obama emails a week from "friends"

i monitor to see if they would get sick of sending them

they have not.

[Raine]

56. Yup they even use Obama's name against him. nt

[moondust]

50. Health is always part of the Prez race.

Due to the rigors of the job.

That does not mean cheap shots and childish ridicule are okay.

[hlthe2b]

51. Only as far as health is concerned. There is no place for derisional comments...

[GreenStormCloud]

54. Are we going to purge the Democratic Party of all of our fat officials?

I don't know what our count is but I am sure that we have a bunch of them.

[Balbus]

55. It's a sign of weakness, so absolutely.

[TaupeDem]

57. Knocking someone based on physical appearance is discriminating no matter how people

try to justify it. It makes me furious when women are treated horribly for their looks, and I was furious when people laughed at Hillary's cankles, and it's just as wrong to do this to men or people who are overweight. Fat bigotry seems to be the last acceptable form of discrimination and bullying left, and if people condone it they should be ashamed of themselves and have no right to call themselves progressives.

[Vinca]

59. Absolutely. The man looks like an advertisement for heart attacks.

Editing to add that I, too, have a weight problem so this is not "fat discrimination." It's the idea the most powerful person on the planet should be as healthy as they can possibly be.

[Missy Vixen]

87. Then the current President should not be in the White House, no?

>It's the idea the most powerful person on the planet should be as healthy as they can possibly be.<

Hasn't President Obama smoked cigarettes for the better part of three decades? How can a three-decades smoker claim to be "healthy"? Considering the fact my father died of a massive heart attack caused by his two-pack-a-day habit at 46, the insistence there is any such thing as a "healthy smoker" is disingenuous at best.

[Vinca]

98. I don't know . . . I'm not a doctor.

But, in contrast to Christie, he appears to be the picture of health. Imagine Chris Christie shooting hoops. It would be less than 30 minutes before they'd have to plan the state funeral.

[Cali_Democrat]

60. POTUS is a very stressful job

Health should be an issue and morbidly obese people tend to have more health issues/concerns.

Yes.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

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[TaupeDem]

62. Shameful poll results so far, I guess the only office DU would let me run for would be an Officer in

Chubby Chasers, other than that I should cover up in a muumuu when going out in public and should expect to be jeered if I dare tried to run for public office. Just throw us chubbies in a corner and throw a tablecloth over us or according to the results a tarp, we shouldn't be seen or heard.

[Name removed]

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[pipi_k]

73. Same here...results so far

are disgraceful.


In my case, let's bypass the tarp completely and go straight for the circus tent. Maybe the stripes will keep people from actually mistaking me for one of the elephants.


All the justifications (but he's a PUBLIC figure!!! He's running for OFFICE!!!) for focusing on his weight are bullshit.

[hlthe2b]

91. I'm overweight as well and fight the urge to be overly sensitive...

I am reasonably active, however and believe that I am healthy.

Anyone who has experienced society's worst (and seemingly last "acceptable") bigotry, ridicule, mockery, arguably have good reason to be overly sensitive. That said, there is healthy, yet overweight and very unhealthy and overweight. Because there is a strong correlation between the upper levels of obesity and serious health issues, I can appreciate that the nation's (perhaps the world's) HIGHEST office would require candidates be willing to address this concern. That said, size alone is not the issue. I'd have no problem whatsoever voting for a very obese person into office that was otherwise healthy and "fit" for the job. This job requires a level of stamina and resistance to physical/mental stress that quite exceeds other positions. Many very overweight, yet active persons may be more than able to handle that. We've already shown a willingness to accept serious health issues in a Vice President. I do, however, think the Presidency is different.

More to the point, I don't think most people who are NOT voting to say discussion of his weight reflects bigotry, mean to say that they approve of petty, mean, mocking ridicule of the obese (though I've certainly seen enough of THOSE comments to last a lifetime and believe we need to root them out from DU). I think most are saying that there is increased risk of serious health issues that is heavily correlated with Governor Christie's level of obesity that raises reasonable concern that requires address.

My opinion...everyone has one...:shrug:

[seabeyond]

93. not to mention there are UNhealthy slim and genetically inclined UNhealthy healthy.

yet another reason i have issues with this thread.

i am not overweight. genetically, my people are healthy until old. no one in either my husbands or my family are overweight. but some of us smoke. yet no one has died young from smoking.

then there are those healthy, active, health conscious that keel over at 40.

one never knows.

[hlthe2b]

97. Yes, of course...

But, just as McCain's age and well publicized (and physically obvious) brush with facial cancer required him to address his health sooner and to, perhaps, a greater degree than younger, slimmer, athletic Barak Obama, so too would Christie, given his recent asthma emergency hospitalization and degree of obesity. Might Obama's seeming slim athletic body and youth been hiding severe hypertension and associated severe renal disease-- or other very serious, potentially life threatening condition, for example? Sure... But, statistically, less likely than for an elderly individual with history of stage IIA (B?) melanoma-- or a very obese, physically inactive individual with history of asthma.

It is an issue.

[sabrina 1]

64. Absolutely not!

What is in his head is fair game, his policies, I can't believe people are voting yes on this question.

If he was a Democrat would it matter? By saying 'yes' to this question you are eliminating from office the next Democrat with a brilliant, progressive mind, from ever reaching the WH.

I don't care one bit what a politician looks like, in fact I would love it if we stopped making it an issue at all. How shallow the left really is. I really thought we were smarter than this.

[laundry_queen]

68. ^^^^This

It's sad really.

[postatomic]

65. I think Christie Alley's weight should be fair game

She has made it an issue so why shouldn't anyone else.

[sabrina 1]

70. Do you think a president smoking should be an issue? The left

has made it an issue, so why shouldn't everyone else?

[postatomic]

75. The President tokes?

Kewl I'd love to share a bowl with him.
:smoke:

The internetz moves very very fast. Read. Think.

[sabrina 1]

79. I have no problem with him smoking. But the 'left' has a problem with

other people who smoke. I have no problem with Christie's weight either, and up to now, the left always claimed it was wrong to make an issue of people's personal attributes.

How about addressing the issue itself. Is it okay for the left to do what the right does and attack people based on physical attributes and personal habits? I thought the left had the moral high ground on this. What do you think?

[postatomic]

82. I think Christie Alley was funny on Cheers

:P

[sabrina 1]

84. Is she a Democrat or a Republican?

I need to know before I can agree or disagree with that!

[postatomic]

89. Definitely a Democrat

:)

It's much easier for some people to just attack physical attributes. I don't agree with it but there isn't much I can do to change it. Eventually some will learn. But most will not. Such is life.

[Politicalboi]

67. Brains and good health

Should be a requirement for President. They should also be drug tested, and MUST control their liquor. It's not fat jokes, it's his health that is the problem. And it should be an issue. This is the office of the President, not some Senator, or Congressperson.

[Lyric]

69. Considering how many Americans are overweight, attacking him for his weight would be INCREDIBLY dumb

Overweight people who otherwise might NOT identify with him could easily become sympathetic if we go down that road. At this point the majority of America is overweight. Just leave his weight out of it and focus on his policies. We do NOT want people to look at him and empathize with the hell he's catching because he's fat.

[Douglas Carpenter]

71. The results of this pull and some of the comments are a disgrace. Some people need to take some time

off and sit down and be ashamed of themselves for awhile.

There are plenty of things to attack Cristi over. There is no need for this.

Call me old fashion and square. But I think that discussion about campaigns should be based around:

1. Their positions on issues. What does their record actually say and what is their actual officially stated positron? There is a temptation to project onto candidates what one wants to hear.

2. Whether or not they are competent, smart and do they know what they are talking about.

3. Whether they hold an authoritarian or a libertine view of the world. I don't want either a left-wing puritan telling me what to do in my private life or a right-wing demagogue sticking their nose into my personal business.

4. Are they electable or at least how does their campaign affect the political culture and range of discussion.

5. What are their political alliances and who is financing them?

There are plenty of things to talk about when it comes to candidates - both the candidates we like and the ones we disdain. Nastiness about personal matters like weight or what they wear is of no concern and only deeply damages the political culture and the country and only makes society all the more shallow, ignorant and nasty.

[Chorophyll]

72. No. There's plenty of other things wrong with Christie.

I really think we at DU should be above body-snarking. It's unbecoming to a progressive.

Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of people here who aren't Mr. or Ms. America.

[slackmaster]

74. It's fair game only if Michael Moore's weight is fair game for his critics

Personally, I worry about the health of anyone who has gained a lot of weight, and avoid criticizing others for their personal traits.

[Catherine Vincent]

76. I just don't like him even though I don't know him

He looks to be a bit of an ahole.

[librechik]

77. was Clinton's sex life fair game?

apparently yes. So Christie gets the same treatment on his personal life.

[Name removed]

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[JustABozoOnThisBus]

83. We should avoid criticizing, or even noticing ...

UNTIL he's the Republican candidate. THEN have at it.

Christie's weight is far more relevant than the supposed foreign birthplace and forged birth certificate of BHO.

:hi:

[BlueIris]

86. No, bigotry, and supposed to be forbidden on this site.

Truth be told, I do not love people who need to get healthier and won't, especially when they are doing work that requires they be held to some kind of fitness standard. But bashing, insulting or criticizing people on the basis of weight or size is criticism based on physical characteristics, which is quite vile.

[JoePhilly]

88. Yes, and if his VP choice was Bachmann, it would be a HUGE issue.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

90. The only way his weight should be made an issue --

if he were implementing something via government like mandatory weight loss but refusing to participate himself - that would be hypocritical and therefore fair game.

[eridani]

92. Great, get all the low income white people (much more likely than average

--to be obese) to identify personally with an overpaid whore for the 1%.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

94. Similarly as John Kerry's long face and W's beady eyes

Plus I'm sure the fat cat reference will be appropriate

[Dragonbreathp9d]

96. Similarly as John Kerry's long face and W's beady eyes

Plus I'm sure the fat cat reference will be appropriate

[B2G]

99. Sure! And let's also attack people for the color of their skin

their sexual orienation, their religious identity, their disabilities...let's go all out!! Why stop with their weight?

[Balbus]

101. People can't control the color of their skin.

How fat you are, on the other hand, is entirely upon the individual.

[pipi_k]

102. I beg to differ

Michael Jackson had control over the color of HIS skin for quite some time, didn't he...

He also had control over what he did to his face via plastic surgery. Maybe that would be fair game? Let's all laugh at the black guy who turned his skin to white and then messed up his nose. Never mind that, like weight gain, there might be an emotional cause behind what he did.

People don't gain weight because it's FUN.

Some women gain weight because they're dealing with unresolved sexual abuse issues. But hey...who cares why, right? It's not bad enough they were abused as children, let's all pile on them for being FAT too. Nice.

Some people gain lots of weight from antidepressants. Yep...all under their control. Their choice...they can take the meds and gain weight but have a halfway decent life...or they can stop the meds, possibly lose the weight, and then commit suicide. But hey...at least they'll be nice, thin corpses, right?

Things aren't always as simple as some like to pretend they are.

[Shagbark Hickory]

100. Below the belt.

I'm not overweight yet I still find a lot of the remarks on here about Christie and The Huckster's weight offensive.

This is a medical issue. Just the same as you don't make fun of people for health problems, this is no different.

[Firebrand Gary]

103. NEWS FLASH, that was the final straw that lost Corzine the governorship.

[Iggo]

105. If we're talking about how fat he is, yes.

If we're talking about how good a governor he is, no.

[totodeinhere]

106. It's only fair game if we would treat an overweight progressive Democrat the same way.

If there are legitimate concerns for his health that's one thing. But if we are using his weight as an excuse to bash him because he happens to be a Republican that we don't like then that's another matter.

[KamaAina]

108. Jeff Christie's is

:P

[Withywindle]

109. No, I think it's a petty and childish thing to make fun of.

There's plenty in his policies and opinions to mock and insult, why go for the cheap shot that winds up hurting lots of other people, who aren't mean-spirited blowhards like Christie.


When you make a fat joke at the expense of someone who's fat and an asshole, it has a negative effect on ALL fat people, most of whom are much better people than Christie. It contributes to the hostile environment in the wider society. Same reason I hate to see nasty gendered insults used on the likes of Palin and Bachmann - it has a wider effect on millions of people who don't deserve it.

[Major Hogwash]

111. Name one thing that ISN'T "fair game"! Go ahead, I dares ya, com'on, com'on.

Religion -- check
Skin color -- check
Place of birth -- check
Sex -- check
Hair -- check
Age -- check
Height -- check
Weight -- check
Sexual identity -- check
Married status -- check
Divorced record -- check
Size of nose -- check
Size of ears -- check
Size of mouth -- check
Skin blotches -- check
Birthmarks -- check

Limbs missing -- uhh, I will never forgive Ann Coulter for what she said about Senator Max Cleland of Georgia. You can condemn me to hell right here and now for it if you want to, but there is no way I will ever forgive her for what she said about Senator Cleland.

May Gawd have mercy on her soul . . because I won't!

[Cats Against Frist]

112. Those who say yes can fuck off

I'm an obese white woman who has a graduate degree from the best school in the country in my field, makes $80k, has two bright and talented kids in school, is impeccably coiffed dressed and car-ed and housed and bon vivanted, is happily married to a gorgeous man, is well-spoken, nice looking, very kind and up on the events of the day -- and I've worked damn hard to get here. I also do yoga everyday and walk the kids to school and while I eat brie and $4 cupcakes, I maintain a fairly healthy diet packed with whole grains and vegetables.

And yet, every quivering asshole with low self-esteem, from the "pretty parents," to carloads of yelling teens and just about everybody in between, treats me like a second-class citizen. My son gets made fun of at school for having a "fat mom," I still have to listen to lectures from people about losing weight and people snicker at me in restaurants.

And then, this "tolerant" liberal forum, who saints anyone from any other victimized group, votes -- of course -- to demonize fat people.

Everybody has problems -- I just can't see yours.

If you want to be against Chris Christie -- do it on the merits. Fat doesn't correlate with any morality, just as homosexuality and race doesn't.

Thanks for listening.

[Cats Against Frist]

113. Oh &

I'm young -- 37 -- , but my triglycerides are 138, HDL 50, glucose 80 -- the only bad thing is LDL, which could be hereditary, but if you believe the inflammatory hypothesis, I'm sound as a pound.

[nolabear]

114. Preach it, Sister! I feel your rage.

I am a middle aged overweight healthy white woman with a graduate degree, two successful, creative but sedentary professions, grown kids who are happy and successfully launching into life, a 27 year marriage to a professional man that I love, an extremely healthy diet (those "just give up the sodas" diet tips make me scream...I haven't had a soda in years and Mom&Pop fast food maybe twice a year), a taste for a glass of wine with dinner and a deep appreciation for people of all kinds...except the ones who think I'm a fine target for their snide, self-serving, ill informed, smarmy jibes.

I tell myself I'm a better (almost said "bigger" but was afraid of leaving myself open for more abuse...isn't that sad?) person for not just going off on people, but I hate the fact that I suspect even people who wouldn't openly say anything think I'm less intelligent and less disciplined than I am because I cannot make myself weight 120 lbs. I suspect this because I once, with stunning effort, over many months' time, lost to that weight and even those who loved me treated me differently. I also acted and saw myself differently, which is the saddest thing of all.

[Cats Against Frist]

128. That's exactly right

When I was 25, I lost 165 lbs. through extreme exercise rituals and starvation. That discipline had emptied out everything else that was interesting about me -- I was a political science scholar, activist, writer -- all gone -- and in her place was a dyed-blonde beauty queen who was drinking to excess about four times a week, trying desperately to get approval from men, and otherwise rotting her brain out on obsession and her teeth out on bulimia. I stood at the trail head every day, before I was to run the FIRST 5k of the day, telling myself that "this was the day I was going to run out in front of the bus."

That, for the very reason you mentioned -- that those who loved me treated me differently, that the whole world treated me differently and I treated myself differently. If you want to get at the core reasons for why everything is fucked up in this world from Wall St. to the Holocaust -- it was right there. Dehumanization.

I have been passed over TWICE for life-changing career promotions for the blonde girlfriends of the boss in charge, when I was CLEARLY the better candidate -- and lived for a year off the hush money, too. My dad told me when I was 14 that no one would ever love me. Good stuff.

Luckily, I'm mostly over it. Still pissed off, but the affluence and education are at least a buffer. In some ways, though, it's worse, I think, because you're anomaly in a socioeconomic bracket where most people are thin. I deal with it, though. :)

[Motown_Johnny]

117. so you have a fairly healthy diet and do yoga everyday as well as walking the kids

to school everyday, yet you are obese.


Sorry but this isn't adding up for me.



Either your diet isn't as healthy as you think it is or you need to increase your activity level, or both.

A bit overweight is one thing. Being obese is something else.

Sorry but Christie's weight is just as fair as Obama's ears or Gore's voice. The man choose to enter public life. A private citizen is different. Anyone who decides to attack you just for existing does have a problem and I agree that you don't deserve that. If Christie was just some stranger I was standing behind in line at the supermarket I wouldn't think twice about his weight either. Unfortunately he isn't. He put himself out there and if he has a problem with being ridiculed for his obesity then he might want to try and lose some weight.

[Union Scribe]

120. "Christie's weight is just as fair as Obama's ears or Gore's voice"

You think those should have been fair game? Do you have any standards at all?

[Cats Against Frist]

127. That's just the thing, MJ

It doesn't add up. It's not good enough for me to do these things -- in order to be thin I would have to adopt an extreme lifestyle change that goes far beyond the normal level of responsibility. I didn't say my diet was extremely healthy -- it's just not anywhere near the caricature of what people believe fat people eat. I eat about the same as my thin friends.

My grandmother topped out at 500 lbs., my dad weighs 400 lbs. and I have 3-4 aunts who weigh 300+. Every single moment of my life since I was NINE has been a struggle against this terrible genetic fate. I was put on a diet at that age by a stupid doctor, which translated to my parents feeding me 1/2 of a pop tart instead of a whole one, which translated into a lifetime of disproportionate muscle loss. A healthy lifestyle isn't going to do anything for a setpoint that has been raised over 37 years and a ribcage that developed to accommodate my girth that could stop a tank.

It doesn't add up -- and if you don't like someone, don't like them for their policies -- but it doesn't necessarily mean that they lack self-control or discipline or whatever. This is important to deal with as any other victimized group.

[Lucian]

124. I'm so glad that you pointed out that you're better than us.

:eyes:

I'll remember your $4 cupcakes and brie the next time I'm eating ramen for supper.

:eyes:

[Cats Against Frist]

126. I'm just trying to point out that outwardly

I'm solidly upper middle class -- and I don't think that that's necessarily better -- I'm just ruling out all the reasons for the harsh looks from the "approval" class.

The overweight (women especially) are discriminated against every bit as much as other victimized classes, including the poor. That's the point I'm trying to make -- you can be pretty awesome -- but none of it matters if you're fat.

[Motown_Johnny]

115. Are Obama's ears? Was Gore's voice?

If you are going to enter public life you better have a pretty thick skin.

If he can't take the heat he should get out of the kitchen. Ya know, from the looks of him he should try to get out of the kitchen more even if he can take the heat.

[Umbral]

116. Fat, skinny or something in between, he's still an asshole of whale-size proportion. nt

[Strelnikov_]

118. Had to vote "No, it's bigotry". OTOH being from the same State as Snooki and The Situation . .

now that's fair game.

[MerryBlooms]

121. If it's a general concern about health and stresses

related to the office of the presidency, then I suppose 'yes'. I suspect by 'fair game', that means dehumanizing, snark, etc... then a definite NO.

[bemildred]

122. This is US politics, everything is fair game.

I'm not saying that is how it ought to be, but that is the way it is.

[jmowreader]

123. I'm vastly more worried about the havoc he could wreak as president

Considering the devastation he is capable of causing, if he became president the best thing he could do for the country is to die in office.

[Lucian]

125. Absolutely it's fair game.

He could have heart issues or diabetic issues due to his obese stature that could affect him being president.

[Shandris]

129. No.

The 'health' angle is just a canard because not a one of us actually gives a shit about his health. Don't be disingenuous.

Imagine if John Edwards had won the Presidency, and the Republicans began to make 'quips' about his wife's health under the pretense of being concerned about John's 'Mental State' (as in how distraught he would be if/when something happened to her). We'd be up in arms, and rightfully so. (Sorry, first example to come to mind, I'm not really up to date on the health of many politicians, so please take the example in the respectful manner it is intended.)

[Douglas Carpenter]

130. exactly, it is disingenuous to pretend this is concern about his health

Anymore then kids teasing and bullying the neighborhood fat kid are motivated by concerns about health. Disingenuous is putting it mildly and the public is not so stupid that they cannot see through it.

Furthermore, it is not even a wise strategy. How many millions of Americans would be offended? - particularly swing voters who might tend to vote Democratic - but are already a bit suspicious of this tone of arrogant cultural elitism that frequently emanates from elements of the latte liberal left. If the Democrats lose a major portions of the countries large-sized swing voters and those who empathize with them - they will certainly lose the election.