This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
The Stray: Why does this list consist of mostly subversions?
Karalora: I took out the bit about obesity being more common than eating disorders and linked to more health problems, because the latter half, at least, simply ain't so. Anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating are way more dangerous to one's health than the mere fact of having a BMI of 30 or greater (the medical definition of obesity). In fact, given that BMI is calculated using only height and weight and does not take into consideration things like age, sex, muscle mass, skeletal mass, etc., simply knowing that someone is "obese" doesn't tell you a damn thing about their state of health.
Nornagest: It's definitely a hell of a lot more common. Rates in the US are something like 30% for obesity in adults vs. less than 2% for anorexia and bulemia, using Wikipedia's numbers. And while the body mass index metric is pretty crude, it's still correlated with numerous health problems.
Insanity Prelude: I'm slightly confused by the rant on fat people.
Antheia: Pulled the following, because it's (mostly) just not true:
- Quick point: Fat does not equal unhealthy; it doesn't even equal overweight. (end quick point; begin lengthy diatribe) There's a high correlation, but it's not an absolute. There are no health risks to simply being fat; the health risks come from eating habits and exercise habits. Typically, the poor eating and exercise habits that cause poor health also cause fatness, and in those cases it's fair to call it being overweight (not nice, but fair). However, many people do everything right and are in fine health but their genetics say they will have fat deposits under their skin that make them two (or three) hundred pounds and shaped like they're pregnant. Likewise, many thin people eat anything and don't exercise just because they don't gain weight from it, and then they have high cholesterol, nutrient deficiencies and are at risk for spontaneous injury and organ failure. But they look great.
Sorry, but there are health risks linked to being fat — heightened risk of diabetes and heart disease, possibly more — and the definition of the word "overweight" that's used seems, well, weird. And I doubt there's anyone who weighs 300 pounds and is "in perfect health".
Rock: Is the bit about writers of poor fiction supposed to be taken seriously (or rather, be on this page)? It's true that such people tend to get more flak than they deserve, but can it really be argued that this is the result of bad luck? A writer is bad because they're bad, not because of some inherent, unchangeable defect. All of the other examples on this page can apply to people for whom such situations are unavoidable; some people can't help it if they're overweight, or homeless, or mentally handicapped. But poor writing isn't some debilitating condition, it's just an example of the writer not putting enough effort into the work.
Artemis Leon: Moreover, why is it that only authors get this treatment? These are professional authors we're talking about, people who chose this career path. Wouldn't anyone who was BAD AT THEIR JOB receive ridicule? Removing that part of the page, as it certainly doesn't seem to fit.
Some Guy: Whoops. I only just now realized that the entire overweight portion of this page was moved to Fat Bastard a long time ago. My bad.
Paireon: I read Encyclopedia Dramatica's article on Aspergers', and there's actually a pretty big caveat that makes it clear they're beating on the douchebags who tried posing as having it for justifying their crappy 'net behavior; they even specifically mention that actual Aspergers' are a lot more reasonable and personable (well, last time I checked anyway). As for Real Life, well, my current employers don't seem to mind much. Damn, I can't believe I sound like an ED apologist...
Ettina: Most disabled people I've met don't consider themselves unlucky for being disabled. Sure, their lives might be easier if they weren't disabled, but since they manage OK, it doesn't really matter. And many of them feel there are benefits to being disabled, as well. However, it's true that most non-disabled people think that disabled people are unlucky - is that the point of this trope?
