I am so ticked--what do you think?

This morning as I was reading the paper and there was a "Reader's View" that just ticked me off then I went into how I believe some people are truly ignorant and now I've decided to respond. Tell me how you would respond and if you think I'm over-reacting. The "view" reads: Too Many Fat People Although Detroit has overtaken Houston as the "fattest city" in the United States, according to Men's Fitness magazine, Vancouver and many of the cities in the Northwest have a similar problem. In strolling through a department store, one would see quite a number of persons weight anywhere from 200 to 400 pounds, both male and female. My question to these super-sized person would be: "Don't you care anything about yoiur helath and your repulsive appearance?" Perhaps the Centers for Disease Control should place a stand outside the store to distribute information about the dangers of morbid obesity---Norma Lahti--Vancouver. Do ya see why I'm ticked? Pam

it may help that medicare has officially recognised it as a disease. other insurers will follow. then there can be recognition as a protected group. once it falls under civil rights law and as long as we dont get one more right wing supreme court justice (they are quite busy currently dismantling all civil rights laws, started with the disabled) things will hopefully fall into place. i actually have been noticing so many more obese people all around. alot in medical staffing. as an obese person it kind of makes me feel less isolated and more understood. however, i also cant accept this condition in myself. after dieting and starving in every conceivable way. maintaining my weight for 1/2 of my adult years. i know i have the "will power " to lose. but, it takes starvation . and im not willing to do that with the remainder of my life. i dont know one obese person who hasnt dieted using "will power" and lost weight. it doesnt work. i have shown so much "discipline " and "will power" in other parts of my life i defy anyone to accuse me of not using it and/or caring about my health. soon im sure part of sensitivity training (for race, religion, ethnicity , disabilities, culture) will include eating disorders and obesity . i guess im trying to be optimistic. meantime, when i hear stupid stuff out of ignorant peoples mouth i say something (probably will be punched eventually but not so far and ive been a social activist my whole life) at least we all have each other to support. im greatful for that. love, susan

You're right, Susan. This woman is very ignorant and I could just hear the next thing coming out of her mouth saying something like: You're taking the easy way out with this surgery. I heard that the other night on a television show and I was astonished! The hardest thing has been trying diet after diet and having failure after failure. All I want is to get my diabetes under control. I will never forget one of my endocrinologists telling me that doctors just don't know whether the weight causes diabetes or whether diabetes causes the weight. He was a dear wonderful man and I wonder what he would have to say about this surgery. I like to think he would say to do whatever you can to help yourself with your disease. My surgery is Tuesday and all I can do is concentrate on that. As far as the view of that woman-- well, she has a right to her opinion--and I'll likely give her mine in a few days--after I have a few days to figure out exactly what I want to say. Have a great day. Pam

if your like me you'll figure out some great comments at about 3am with no-one around. (lol). what are you having and who is doing it?. how exciting. just stay close here. i havnt told my mother because im know how she'd react. "well , you know all that pizz, butter, mayo whatever" uhhuh your point mother????? husband and son have been well indoctrinated. would'nt say a word. hope you let us know how it goes and feel free to write me privately. i truly support your choice of health and whatever it takes to get there. susan

oops sorry i just read your comments page. what made you decide on that surgery rather than lap band. i dont think i am diabetic although i dont know whay not. just had a fasting blood havnt gotten results. but, my bp can go up to 184/96. and from what i understand sometimes even a moderate weight loss can help your diabetes and bp. my goal is to be off bp,gerd, and most pain meds. susan

I say SCREW 'EM. People like that who are soo mean and who go so far as to publish their meaness, are never gonna change. There will always be ******** out there lke that!!! The fact that they mentioned there are more and more people who are obeses, is fine. But mentioning OUR APPEARANCE????? PARDON ME???????????? But beauty is in the eye, and all that. My man thinks I am a hottie, and I think he is a hottie, but if nobody else thinks sooo, I don't care, cause the people who COUNT to me, don't think I am disgusting. Sure, there are fat "ugly" people, but there are also thin ones, short ones and tall ones. FAT should not be the deciding factor as to what makes or breaks a person's beauty....... UGHHHHHHHHHH That just gets my panties in a bunch!! Brandi

Hey pam, honestly this doesn't upset me all that much.. I see her as being insecure and shallow, not to mention uneducated in "health issues" as a whole. my weight issues and my health issues went hand in hand.. the worse my skin disease got, the bigger I got, the bigger I got the worse my depression got, the more depressed I got the bigger I got, and on and on and on and on... my weight in it's self did NOT bring out my health problems.. the health problems were there first.. however they multiplied the bigger I got!! so, she is clueless.. and she should be thanking god everyday for her "cluelessness" that she has never had to face down what I/WE have.. and we should pitty her sorry ass that she will never have the compassion "AND" beuty that we all have on the INSIDE as well as the OUTSIDE.. so take a deep breath and pitty her and the rest of socitey who feels this way becuase they will never know what we do!! Theresa

there is so much prejudice out there for people that are overweight.. and it is sad.. and that thin thing is a relativly new thing in the world.. there was a time when larger women were beautiful.. through most of history in fact.. I just shake my head when I think that Marilyn Monroe would be considered fat in the modern time.. which is really silly but the aspect of my health.. and the things that I can't do are why I am having surgery on the 31st of this month.. the other thing that bothers me is that some people that were large.. now do not like to be around large people.. I told my friends to shoot me if I get that way.. somethings in this world just boggle the mind..

Lack of class is epidemic in this country so this is no surprise. Ignorance is nearly as epidemic. Those who don't know anything are the ones who shoot off their big mouths the most. Having WLS is the last thing that anyone wants but when everything fails, what are we suppose to do? I am extremely fortunate in that I have no health issues (other than back pain when I stand too long) from my excessive weight but...I know the health issuses will come and will likely do so sooner than later. I know that there will be a pill in about ten years but I can't wait that long and I am sure that there are none here who can wait that long so we do what is the only answer we have. Prejudice is such an ugly thing and it produces so much poison in our world.

Well, we should consider ourselves lucky should we ever meet this person we will not have to take the time to decide she isn't a person we want to spend time with. I have found over my life that people who make an immediate negative judgement of me just because of my weight end up being people I would prefer not to know anyway outside of the weight issue. Kinda like thanks now I don't have spend any of my time finding out what a bigot you are and you just saved both of us a lot of time. People are going to feel a think what they want regardless of whether or not obesity has been recognized as a disease. Look at the bigotry and prejudice against other diseases like depression, mental illness, turettes syndrome, downs syndrome, etc. Nothing is going to change these folks minds and I prefer not wasting mine by responding to them. Maryanne