ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
SimonMoon5 said:
This is an outstanding point. I've seen this happen, and had it happen to me when I was younger. The suburbs are definitely anti-walking.
[OT] Why are so many Americans "overweight"
- Thread starter The Forsaken One
- Start date
This is an outstanding point. I've seen this happen, and had it happen to me when I was younger. The suburbs are definitely anti-walking.
By watching US television, you would naturally assume that Americans are fit, beautiful, mildly tan, etc. Even the "normal" people on television are much fitter and better looking than average. Compare any TV show to a visit to the DMV to get your driver's license, or a trip to the amusement park in the summer. Real people aren't pretty.
Americans are dramatically heavier than they were a generation ago, and they're dramatically heavier than Europeans and Brazilians. They notice that American tourists are fat, and American tourists notice that the locals overseas are thin.
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
mmadsen said:
Are you forgetting the news? Our news goes around the world and is widely watched. Anything from CNN to large local stations. There is something on the news almost everyday about how fat Americans are. Or does that not count for some reason?
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
mmadsen said:
I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I'd like to see the statistics.
And how often does any given person ever see a tourist? I still think impressions are made more often by viewing the media.
The Forsaken One
Explorer
Well crime in the states is bad... very bad.. at least in the larger cities (of which there are alot) in the States it's rediculous compared to other western countries. And especially the worse kinda crimes as rape, murder, armed robbery and stuff.
Statistics tell it, and friends of mine in the states and people I know on the boards veery well and who live there tell me.
And another thing, in europe having a real weapon is almost unheard of. Even walking across the streets with a knife is not done. Exept maybe in some bad parts of larger cities as Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.
But overal weapons are just not done and unheard of.. that is one of the main causes IMO... America is gun and weapon crazy and as I've been told to walk in the larger citiesespecially out of the city core is just plain dangerous and an invitation to get robbed or something worse.
Just from things I read, hear people say and again from my own experience in the States where some towns and large parts of cities are really really discouraged to go to and you are warned about them as tourist.
---------
And Personally I don't fancy very slim girls or the "want to be perfect" types. Girls got to have some "meat-Flesh" on them... nice B-hind and nice legs on which there has to be some good portion of flesh. Just my taste in women
I think the "perfect" types are just to overdone and largely are obessed with their appearance... In my own surroundings that kinda people seem to focus on in my opinion unimportant things and are very incapable of having a good relationship because they haven't eveer had the need to devellop certain.. "skills" and experience in some things.
I like normal people and I don't care about a bit of overweight at all. I think to slim is worse to look at as a bit overweight.
But the fact someone put about about who fat people fancy and who they don't kinda caught me. That point knocked me over.. curious of that is really true if anyone likes to confirm it.. Since I haven't got any personal experience with it. Except that a friend of mine of 1.97 meters and weighing 110 kilos is severely overweight but he has it spread out over his body, not just in the gut or something. And I know he does have a nice girlfriend (A very cute girl to look at and yes I'm jealous
) and this isn't the first. So here overweighted people aren't outcasts or somthing like your media seems to do according to a statement made earlier this thread. And are just accepted exept for the few people who are almost... euhh.... round and if pushed they will start rolling down the hill until they hit a tree. But those are rare occasions and the most often have a severe social or personal problem or a illness which makes them fat so thats really crude that just those people who almost always have a kind of really bad problem get teased with it as well and are treated as "other people".
And it's kinda hard to break through the apprearance of obsese people. THey might be very kind, very sweet and great to talk to and be just plain great as a person. To start to fancy such a person takes a whole lot more. For obese people it's hard hard hard but here where I live for just overweighted people it usually isn't a prob. Offcourse it's harder then for others but I know that my friend and some others easierly approach girls and have more girlfriends then alot of people I know who can be classified as the standard "nerd". Who hardly ever or even at all have a girlfriend. The classical Nerd appearance and such people (sorry I'm generalising again
) are most outcasts then people who are overweight.
I'm glad to see that where I live people look almost solely at who you are in the final choise for a serious partner and even when you are in puberty. They eye offcourse wants something so just don't be plain ugly or have some really strange appearance and you'll do fine here, different apprearances or people who don't look after themselves that well (as most nerds here tend to do... half beards, smell bad, need I go on.. and no I'm not generalising just pointing out form personal experience where I live) get rejected at elast by the other sex one hudred times faster then Ugly people or people who are fat and not merely overweight.
Statistics tell it, and friends of mine in the states and people I know on the boards veery well and who live there tell me.
And another thing, in europe having a real weapon is almost unheard of. Even walking across the streets with a knife is not done. Exept maybe in some bad parts of larger cities as Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.
But overal weapons are just not done and unheard of.. that is one of the main causes IMO... America is gun and weapon crazy and as I've been told to walk in the larger citiesespecially out of the city core is just plain dangerous and an invitation to get robbed or something worse.
Just from things I read, hear people say and again from my own experience in the States where some towns and large parts of cities are really really discouraged to go to and you are warned about them as tourist.
---------
And Personally I don't fancy very slim girls or the "want to be perfect" types. Girls got to have some "meat-Flesh" on them... nice B-hind and nice legs on which there has to be some good portion of flesh. Just my taste in women
I think the "perfect" types are just to overdone and largely are obessed with their appearance... In my own surroundings that kinda people seem to focus on in my opinion unimportant things and are very incapable of having a good relationship because they haven't eveer had the need to devellop certain.. "skills" and experience in some things. I like normal people and I don't care about a bit of overweight at all. I think to slim is worse to look at as a bit overweight.
But the fact someone put about about who fat people fancy and who they don't kinda caught me. That point knocked me over.. curious of that is really true if anyone likes to confirm it.. Since I haven't got any personal experience with it. Except that a friend of mine of 1.97 meters and weighing 110 kilos is severely overweight but he has it spread out over his body, not just in the gut or something. And I know he does have a nice girlfriend (A very cute girl to look at and yes I'm jealous
) and this isn't the first. So here overweighted people aren't outcasts or somthing like your media seems to do according to a statement made earlier this thread. And are just accepted exept for the few people who are almost... euhh.... round and if pushed they will start rolling down the hill until they hit a tree. But those are rare occasions and the most often have a severe social or personal problem or a illness which makes them fat so thats really crude that just those people who almost always have a kind of really bad problem get teased with it as well and are treated as "other people". And it's kinda hard to break through the apprearance of obsese people. THey might be very kind, very sweet and great to talk to and be just plain great as a person. To start to fancy such a person takes a whole lot more. For obese people it's hard hard hard but here where I live for just overweighted people it usually isn't a prob. Offcourse it's harder then for others but I know that my friend and some others easierly approach girls and have more girlfriends then alot of people I know who can be classified as the standard "nerd". Who hardly ever or even at all have a girlfriend. The classical Nerd appearance and such people (sorry I'm generalising again
) are most outcasts then people who are overweight.I'm glad to see that where I live people look almost solely at who you are in the final choise for a serious partner and even when you are in puberty. They eye offcourse wants something so just don't be plain ugly or have some really strange appearance and you'll do fine here, different apprearances or people who don't look after themselves that well (as most nerds here tend to do... half beards, smell bad, need I go on.. and no I'm not generalising just pointing out form personal experience where I live) get rejected at elast by the other sex one hudred times faster then Ugly people or people who are fat and not merely overweight.
Hammerhead
Explorer
Both parents now work, so nobdy cooks those well balanced meals.
And, although this is just my experience, I found the suburban environment much less condusive to finding playmates. There are no subdivision block parties.
I have to agree about the hostility towards walking. The town where I go to school, Ames IA, isn't that great as far as travel by foot. I can walk about campus easily enough, and a grocery store, book store, and game store are all within 15-20 minutes. But it's more than an hour to the only decent movie theater, and I have to cross a bridge with a pedestrian area so narrow that I had to turn mostly sideways - and I'm very thin. I found it far easier to walk around in London than to walk about in Ames, and it's a small town. It would take forever to walk anywhere in St. Louis county.
At least I've never been "pulled over" when walking.
And, although this is just my experience, I found the suburban environment much less condusive to finding playmates. There are no subdivision block parties.
I have to agree about the hostility towards walking. The town where I go to school, Ames IA, isn't that great as far as travel by foot. I can walk about campus easily enough, and a grocery store, book store, and game store are all within 15-20 minutes. But it's more than an hour to the only decent movie theater, and I have to cross a bridge with a pedestrian area so narrow that I had to turn mostly sideways - and I'm very thin. I found it far easier to walk around in London than to walk about in Ames, and it's a small town. It would take forever to walk anywhere in St. Louis county.
At least I've never been "pulled over" when walking.
The Forsaken One
Explorer
ColonelHardisson, thanks for the comments! They are good and functional and point out good stuff and I have to agree with you on most points.
Especially the media point.. they do seem to be a part of the "image" that is being shaped of the fat people in america and how they are and such.
But keep in mind that fat people are jsut a part of the population that is different... other parts of the population that are really different in appearance get the same kind of negative attention. But since Obese and overweight are most common they obviously jump out compared to the rest. But after all they are just another group of "different" people compared to the "normal" standard who ever makes that up.
(Hell I'm glad I or my friends never had a bad experience in 18 years of going out, going to school and such things and I'm living near a "big city" (at least for the netherlands) and it's all safe... something you don't even think about when you bike home alone at 4 AM.
Especially the media point.. they do seem to be a part of the "image" that is being shaped of the fat people in america and how they are and such.
But keep in mind that fat people are jsut a part of the population that is different... other parts of the population that are really different in appearance get the same kind of negative attention. But since Obese and overweight are most common they obviously jump out compared to the rest. But after all they are just another group of "different" people compared to the "normal" standard who ever makes that up.
(Hell I'm glad I or my friends never had a bad experience in 18 years of going out, going to school and such things and I'm living near a "big city" (at least for the netherlands
) and it's all safe... something you don't even think about when you bike home alone at 4 AM.Forsaken One, I'm not a moderator, but I highly recommend you drop the politically charged comments -- especially since they're not on topic. This thread has remained civil and apolitical so far.
Oh, and the US in 2002 is not New York City in 1972. In fact, just the other day, a Brazilian friend of mine was shocked that a furniture store could leave products outside their main doors; they'd get stolen back home.
If, as an American, you travel to Paris in the summer, you will see many, many other Americans, and you will have no trouble at all spotting them. The locals, obviously, see hordes of Americans every summer. Now, Paris isn't all of France -- despite what Parisians think -- but it is literally half of France (by population).
I'm sure it's even easier to spot Americans in Rio.
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
The Forsaken One said:
Such as...? There is not another segment of the population that is so negatively portrayed in the media. None. Ridiculing or insulting people based on appearance, especially in the media, is taboo - except when it comes to fat people. If any other group - racial, religious, whatever - were so negatively portrayed so consistently in the media, there would be boycotts and lawsuits everyday. There are already a lot of such things happening as it is, but it is becoming increasingly rare for every group except fat people to be openly mocked.
