Is Physical Appearance Completely Irrelavant?

BBB, good point (although I was kinda hinting at that with my reference to Kathy Bates being beautiful). Overweight people are treated so badly, I agree, and it's a crime. What makes me most angry is when people immediately blame the fat person for their size, and while sometimes true, not exclusively.

But, even with overweight family members who I love dearly, I think I'm probably guilty of doing the same thing myself -- and then I'm ashamed when I catch myself thinking nasty thoughts about overweight people (usually the ones classified as being obese).

An interesting story I read was about the modeling agencies trying to introduce models who weren't skeletal -- those like Giselle. They did it because of the good reaction to her body and also because they were criticized by so many women for promoting unhealthy and unattainable body size. After doing that, they were then criticized for using "fat" models (who, I'm sure, were closer to the recommended weight).

A person could argue the contrary -- that through most of our evolution physical prowess was a necessary part of survival, and that this judgment may have actually carried weight (ignoring feelings and ethics and just getting down to "will my pack make it across the tundra").

Certainly this doesn't explain the idealization of an underweight body type, nor does it in any way justify any sort of discrimination or cruelty on the basis of weight; we don't (any of us sitting here chatting on a computer, anyway) live that way any more.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

pd, The post above yours by LibertyD contradicts your contention about "discrimination or cruelty on the basis of weight." c.i.

I don't see how. I'm talking about not living in a manner in which our physical conditioning is elemental to our survival, not that we don't harbor cruel thoughts. Far, far from it...

The irony is that most people assume that the problem with overweight people is that they just "eat too much". Reasearch has shown that eating small meals 5 or 6 times a day as opposed to the "3 large square meals" fiction speeds up the metabolism and helps achieve weight loss. So, in a lot of ways, eating more often is better than starving yourself.

Right, patiodog.

In terms of "tundra", though, one could argue that what is now considered to be overweight would be a distinct advantage. There is a limit, of course, but those who are say 20-80 pounds overweight would have two advantages -- greater protection from the cold than their skinnier counterparts, and greater reserves in the event that food is scarce.

Think Eskimos.

And right, Cav. It is so so so much more complicated than just "they eat too much."

Okay, okay. Same goes for paddling an outrigger across vast expanses of ocean. Should've said the Serengeti. At any rate, I don't think the cultural framework we're talking about includes any such experiences.

patiodog, being a non-confomist of the first order, and possessing the worlds biggest mouth on occassion, non-verbals generally kept me out of trouble and employed <except for once calling a supervisor an ass hole>
Was immediately dismissed. sigh <the guy had no sense of humor>

Petty or caddy remarks serve no purpose, and only demean the receiver. Personally, I'd rather discuss any shortcomings I may or may not possess in a straightforward, honest manner. Who has time for word games? Life's to short.

Granted, there are times when ya just gotta do your job, take on added responsibility from some person who calls in every few days or so claiming to have contacted a rare form of plague from ingesting fast food during the lunch break <probably not a lie given the quality of food served in those places> but ya get my point. I guess that's why they call it "work".

I believe we should all pat ourselfs on the back for even arriving at our place of employment each day.

Yeah - life can throw a twist in now and then.

Husker, is that you mr. 71 (?) Talk about working! How you
guys get so darned battered every Sunday during the season, and emerge
intact - a miracle.

My cousin, who played college and pro ball, has a knee operated on so much, it's a wonder he can walk! Gaining weight in later years seem to go along with the program. I encourage him by saying "hon, you've earned the right"

Stradee, I've a tendency to agree with yuse. c.i.

Stradee closest picture that I could find to me add a digit or 3 and you have me. My weight problem didn't come until I was laid-up (err sidelined) for a year due to a car wreck. Also the knees and ankles did get missed up. I spent 1/2 hr to 3/4 hour everyday getting knees and ankles taped. The whole weight thing is a difficult one. The damned innocents of the 2 or 4 year old - "mamma that man's fat!"

husker, dear, I live your life every day re the 2-year-olds. Oh, and sometimes 20-year-olds. I'll not soon forget an idiot in Greenwich Village saying to me when I was first dating my husband and we were walking along and the idiot yells, "I'd hate to have to feed her!" My husband, God bless him, retorted, "Leave her alone!"

We'd (Mr. Jespah and I) known each other for less than a month, and he was already defending me.

What a sweetheart! Did you already know that he was The One or did that just help make up your mind?

I was about 90% sure and that confirmed it. :-D

Jespah, it sounds as if Mr. Jespah is a very kind man and was lucky enough to reap the benefit of looking past the surface to what lays beneath. You two sound like a very special couple I'd love to meet some day.

Mrs Husker married the "then" and is married to the "now" Bless her!

awww

Husker, I remember being one of those "two-year olds" and making pointed comments about people's differences. It was the start of some lessons in life I've never forgotten and has given me the ability to empathize and think about things from another's point of view.

In my work life, that curiosity for other points of view gained me the reputation of being able to see the bigger picture of how things mesh together and not just what is immediately in front of me.

I don't think it is a negative trait, although I will agree with Soz in that it sometimes causes me to be defensive of others at times when it isn't always wanted.

Mrs Walter is married to the "now" as well as she married the "then" and has been his partner before that.

But why the hell does she present me these old photos, showing me in trunks???