Being overweight (NOT shapely) shows that you are not taking care of yourself. It should not be encouraged - why should it? An overweight person will have health and confidence problems. It is safe to say that the United States is one of the fattest countries on Earth. Bigger is not always better. I do find it rude to make fun of overweight people in public though, or even at all. It's just not kind to make people feel worse than they already do.

Because if someone is fat, it's often his/her own fault. However, one should be very careful with this since also a big part of it is genetically determined. And if one is the child of parents that always serve fast food and let you eat chips and stuff in between of the meals, one can't really do much either..

I don't see this. Sorry. Fat people are coming into their own more now than ever in history.

In the UK obese people are a major drain on the NHS, costing a fortune each year for obesity related health problems. Everything from diabetes to heart disease to breathing difficulties need treating. This can require hospital admission, diagnostic testing, prescriptions, and for each patient it can up into tens of thousands of pounds a year. There's also an increase in the number of people claiming benefits for obesity related illnesses and symptoms. Like not being able to walk far without getting breathless, for example. The drain on the taxpayer is quite extensive and for the most part it's avoidable by the person not allowing themselves to get into that state in the first place. Obesity is generally considered a 'lazy' disorder. Although there are link between obesity and genetics, that link is not hugely common. Willpower with food quantities and a willingness to exercise is, for most people with no medical or genetic predisposition, all it takes to maintain a healthy weight. To be obese shows character flaws like a willingness to over eat or generally not care for your own well being. In terms of the new 'rise in fat-rights', a recent article quotes a woman who was obese and applied for a fitness instructors position at a gym or similar institution. Tell me, if you were paying for your gym membership and found members of staff to be severely out of shape, would you feel happy taking their advice?

I haven't noticed that bias other than when someone is directly affected by someone else's obesity (I had a window seat on a plane, the woman seated next to me was heavy enough that she needed a seatbelt extender and should have had two seats since she took up half of mine and I spent 3 hours crunched against the armrest and window. There were no other seats available, so I had no choice. I was miserable through the whole flight and my arm was bruised for several days afterward.) +5

Well, I'm not really sure why you single out that one as there seems to be plenty that discriminate about just about any and every trait I can think of, be the obese to the overly skinny, liberals, conservative, Dems and Reps, Christians and not. My best guess is there is a whole raft of reasons but I would put ignorance and low self esteem towards the top. Not sure if I agree that your statement that discrimination is widley frowned upon or at least not to the degree it should be. +5

It's automatically the fat person's fault for doing nothing but sitting on their butt and eating fast food. It is often so much more than that: genetics, poverty (you have to buy what you can buy and not what's healthy), disability (you can't adequate exercise), etc. They fail to see the real person and the real situations behind being overweight.

Most other types of discrimination involve things that cannot change - gender, race, orientation, ethnic background, country of origin, etc. People can lose weight. Still, I am not condoning this type of discrimination, but attempting to answer your question.

I think it is because -usually- the person in question could easily lose weight with a diet and excercise regime. I'm not saying I approve of discrimination against obese people, but I think that has a lot to do with it.+4

because unless you are "fat" for reasons beyond your control, certain heart medications do this, have untreated or undiagnosed thyroid, you are responsible for your own health,(type 2 diabetes isnt a natural occurrence) and its a drain on health care, a waste of doctors time and contributing to the evolution of processed unhealthy and costly food..its sad to see a 200+ lb person, when there are starving people in the world.thats why i find fat people selfish and intolerable..not the size..just the factors controlling and surrounding the fat.

Most people assume the obese person chose to overeat to get that way. Other grounds of discrimination are usually not considered matter of choice.

I'm guessing because people can't understand how someone can get themselves to that level ignoring the fact that some people can't stop eating for dif. reasons and that some can just be sick and can't help it. To me it worries me... I feel bad that they can't walk, and breath correctly, but I keep that to myself and treat them equally or maybe even better and with more patience. My husband was about 265pnds when I met him, he is now 167 pounds..... and personally I miss my Chub-Chubs :( True Love

I think that many people see "fat" as a choice. I think though, that if you disrespect or are intolerant of anybody based on of their physical appearance you should take a good look at yourself and find out what insecurities or issues you need to deal with. Other people's body types have very little do with others and everyone should be treated with respect and judged based on their character.

I am shamefully intolerant of greed - greed as self-involvement, self-pity and all self-centric, self-serving attitudes and sensualities. "Me, me, mine, mine, mine,.... what's in it for me? Are there seconds?" Its UGLY. Its also a little bit nauseating. I am not against fat people AT ALL. I am against certain people who got fat (or lewd, or rich, or any other result of greed) by putting themselves and their desires before anyone and anything else and who look at others like they are simply there to be cajoled into condoning the feeding frenzy.

Because weight is something you have control over and could change, and it is also unhealthy, and (as bad as this may sound) disgusting.

Bottom line, People are hypocrites. All people give a shit about is their own happiness and their own feelings.

Not at all, I'm quite intolerant of all groups who are willfully straining the health system. <insert rant about rarity of obesity from a health condition>

I think it's largely because it's a factor with in their control. It's not unchangable like race, it's not vitally important like religion, and it's not even an intrinsic part of the self like sexual attraction. Sometimes it is not changeable (genetically slow matabulism, doctor perscribed steriods, genetic disposition to weight gain, or what have you), but usually the person could be doing something about it. - Although I've found people are more tolerant of fat people than discriminatory. I deffinately don't think they have it as bad as homosexuals or muslims at the moment. American buisnesses adapt to accomidate the portly individual: larger portions, wider seats, moving sidewalks, trams, escelators (when I worked at wal-mart overweight people were even allowed to use an electric shopping cart so they didn't have to walk as they shopped). - Now sometimes buisnesses make deciscions regarding fat people that would seem very persecutory if they were against say a black man (pay for two tickets on an airplane or movie theater, people over a certain weight were not allowed to use the electronic shopping cart). But it's not because these buisnesses are trying to say, hey if your that fat we don't like you and we want to punish you. The matter remains that these people take up two seats in the theater or airplane, and a couple of our "biggest" customers at wal-mart broke our electronic shopping carts (no joke their weight overloaded the motors) forcing the store to replace them so they could also be used for the elderly and parapaligic. - Obesity is a serious health problem, and I don't think we should just say "oh you've chosen to be fat, good for you! Way to assert your individuality! I'm proud of you." and I think it's a wonderful thing to congradulate someone on dropping some pounds. - Now I'm not saying that the mother who has put on some weight from her pregnancies or the IT guy who is a little chunky because his job requires him to sit all day and his genius is rewarded with brownies and other baked goods, should endure any flack at all. They should wear their extra pounds as a badge of accomplishment. But I don't think anyone else (except for the fanatical health nuts) looks down on those sorts of people either. But I do think that those people who eat all day and go on day time talk shows and say "I like to eat! It's not a problem. I love my weight. You're all just jealouse cause you don't have all of this" need a wake up call.

snarky answer: It's probably because they don't have fat rights marches.

It has everything to do with appearances. An over weight person appears to be a glutton, lazy, and to have no self control. None of these attributes are attractive.

Well, weight is visible. If you eat in an unhealthy way, drink too much, use drugs inappropriately but are not fat, you still may be causing your own health problems but you are not judged as harshly by others.

Well first of all, in 99% of cases weight is something that a person has control over. Unlike your sex, color, nationality, and in my opinion, sexual orientation. A fat person is usually seen as lazy, unattractive, and unhealthy.

The same reason they are intolerant of people that aren't pleasing to the eye, or are different than they are in some way...they're shallow.