With all that we know about the human mind, and all the empathy and understanding we're capable of...

Why do we still joke about obesity?

Ten years ago I weighed 300lbs and lost half of it. I was destroyed emotionally and never taught how to take care of myself. My parents self destructed in their 60's. Even though I'm in good shape now and make consistently good choices, there's a big girl inside me that only feels empathy. It was really hard to overcome the cycle of overeating because I was sad then being sad because I overate.

I guess I just don't think it's funny. People are people and everyone is struggling with something.

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BrandNewMan · M

Amen.

Being over weight makes you a target for derision. Yet in reality, it is often a symptom of mental health issues or addictive type behaviour as much as with drugs, alcohol or gambling. If food is your drug of choice, you still have to eat to live yet it is treated far differently by society than other afflictions.

ScreamingFox

@BrandNewMan when someone is an alcoholic you have an intervention. When someone is overweight you call them names? Yeap, not fair. Especially when your fix is also necessary for survival, it's much easier to justify. Just like with any other addiction I'm always mindful I don't slip back into those habits.