Aquajock
Cathlete
Catwoman, you took the words right out of my keyboard, both the far more subtle but no less pernicious discrimination against lean fit people in the workplace (not to mention social circles) AND the "crab in the barrel" metaphor.
Most overfat sedentary people absolutely cannot stand to be around their leaner counterparts. I think at some level they are aware that they are the authors of their own physiques and health profiles, and seeing people who put the effort needed into taking care of themselves - which shows visually in a leaner body - jars their sense of denial. And never underestimate the sullenness of someone who has their denial ripped away right in front of their eyes.
My mother and older sister, each of whom had overfat conditions of their own, badgered me relentlessly for my overweight when I was a teen, a time which was also characterized by a galloping bulimia condition. Now the tables have been turned, and my mother, who topped out at 325 pounds about four years ago, and my sister, who is still significantly overfat, have only shut up in the past couple of years or so from the "you're too thin" mantra.
I think lean people are an embattled minority. In fact, a doctor who had recently lost about 100 pounds and began treating a patient who weighed about 1,000 pounds (that is not a typo) characterized lean people as "them" and obese people as "us". Kinda gives you a sinking feeling about the future of the obesity epidemic, when we have doctors profiled who bring their own baggage with them in the name of science.
A-Jock
Most overfat sedentary people absolutely cannot stand to be around their leaner counterparts. I think at some level they are aware that they are the authors of their own physiques and health profiles, and seeing people who put the effort needed into taking care of themselves - which shows visually in a leaner body - jars their sense of denial. And never underestimate the sullenness of someone who has their denial ripped away right in front of their eyes.
My mother and older sister, each of whom had overfat conditions of their own, badgered me relentlessly for my overweight when I was a teen, a time which was also characterized by a galloping bulimia condition. Now the tables have been turned, and my mother, who topped out at 325 pounds about four years ago, and my sister, who is still significantly overfat, have only shut up in the past couple of years or so from the "you're too thin" mantra.
I think lean people are an embattled minority. In fact, a doctor who had recently lost about 100 pounds and began treating a patient who weighed about 1,000 pounds (that is not a typo) characterized lean people as "them" and obese people as "us". Kinda gives you a sinking feeling about the future of the obesity epidemic, when we have doctors profiled who bring their own baggage with them in the name of science.
A-Jock
