“Will someone please think of the fat children?”
Associated Press – July 12, 2007:
Overweight children are stigmatized by their peers as early as age 3 and even face bias from their parents and teachers, giving them a quality of life comparable to people with cancer, a new analysis concludes.
Youngsters who report teasing, rejection, bullying and other types of abuse because of their weight are two to three times more likely to report suicidal thoughts as well as to suffer from other health issues such as high blood pressure and eating disorders, researchers said.
Its too bad for a number of reasons that our Kiddies don’t have a full program of phyical exercising and sports at school–extra curricular and otherwise what with the facilities all sitting there going to waste, while the kiddies get fat.
Parents too.
Why is it a bad thing that fat kids are being made fun of? Thats how socialization works. If your behavior is seen as positive in society’s eyes, you are rewarded or at least not punished. If your behavior is seen as negative, you are punished. Over eating is a behavior. Most of the time, it’s learned. If you want this country to be one giant fat stomach, tell the kids it’s ok to be fat. If you want your country to be fit and efficient, tell every single one of those kids to STOP EATING!!!.
I’m being over dramatic of course, but I think this article is too.
2. “If your behavior is seen as positive in society’s eyes, you are rewarded or at least not punished. If your behavior is seen as negative, you are punished.”
So what about smart kids, should they be punished by their peers too?
Well, maybe a little less Wii, PS3, and Xbox (plus parents smashing in the screen of the TV set) would make life a little more pleasant for these kids. When I grew up (fifties) there was one fat kid in the school. He had some kind of endocrine disorder, and nobody made fun of him. I’m not sure “a whopping desire for a supersized bacon burger and a weekend of Halo2″ qualifies as an endocrine disorder. But maybe I’m wrong.
#3 – Great point…
It is a shame that intelligence is perceived as a negative.
But one day…
Yes, one day…
I’ll get my revenge on them all…
Bwahahahahahaha
5. “It is a shame that intelligence is perceived as a negative.”
It’s not a negative, and that’s my point. Kids do not pick on other kids to socialize them. That’s our rationalization for it so we don’t have to intervene and actually parent our kids.
Kids pick on other kids for on reason: They’re different. They’re a different race, they’re a different nationality, they listen to different music, they practice a different religion, they’re really smart, they’re really good at something… and on and on and on…
I don’t exactly know what age xenophobia sets in, but really young kids don’t have it.
Any group of children will pick the one(s) that are different and torment them. Fat kids, red headed kids, skinny, tall or short, it makes no difference. God help the disabled ones. It’s thinning the heard, all pack animals do it. Weed out the defective genes. We are animals, and share a great deal of genetic material with the rest of the fauna. We are not the end product of evolution, just a thin branch.
6–You got a few points wrong there. #5 is correct in stating it is the “perception” of intelligence being a negative that draws taunts from the kiddies.
Socialization in schools is not about kiddies taunting one another, it is about teaching them NOT to taunt for these differences. But yes, too many parents not involved enough—or are they and they teach their kiddies these intolerant views?? Probably a mix–apathy and malignancy.
7–Thin branch indeed. One we saw on all the time.
8. ““perception” of intelligence being a negative that draws taunts from the kiddies.”
Ok, I’m curious, how (or maybe why) do kids perceive intelligence as being a negative?
And while you’re at it, what is negative about having red hair? And what is negative about liking a different form of music? And what’s negative about wearing different clothes?
I think 7 has it right. If healthy group has X characteristic, it would make sense from a genetic standpoint to avoid any other characteristic, because it might be negative. Thus, red hair becomes a negative solely because it is different. This isn’t a rational thought process. It is xenophobia. It’s an innate and irrational thought process that has kept us alive for millions of years. But that does not make it OK.
Following up with my comments in 6 and 9, I’m guessing the reason very young children are not xenophobic is because they are utterly dependent on others. Thus, for their survival they cannot be choosy. Anyone who is around might be able to help, so they have to love everyone. (Except Aunt Bertha, because she smells like coffee and cigars.)
9—You understand it all. Whats the question? The rationality of the little Kiddies?
I guess you are turning on the word “negtive.” More intelligent and red hair are different. Kiddies taunt such people. That taunting arising from what is said to be a percieved negative. You want to say they are taunting only because they see a difference?
Ok, but if the difference was seen as a positive, they would emulate it or worship it, but they don’t. They tease and attack it, therefore the thought is the difference is seen as a negative.
BTW–it was this taunting of differences that made me turn away from my peer group at a very early age. and I fit right in except I thought the retards shouldn’t be made fun of. Never outgrew it, still posting.
And if you thought being fat was tough, imagine being fat AND part of a minority. Even worse, try being that AND live in a latinamerican country.
That’s why everytime I see some hispanics bitching about them being treated like shit in the USA I just snicker.
11. “Ok, but if the difference was seen as a positive…”
The kid will still be taunted. There is no doubt that highly mentally gifted students will go on to make great money. And there can be no doubt that it’s an advantage to make great money. But yet, smart kids are harassed.
Sports are praised because those kids are collected into groups with kids of similar skills who are then pitted against other kids. But if there was a kid with really good skills, well above his peers, he’d be teased. “Gee retard, why do you try so hard during practice? You like kissing the coach’s ass?!” “Gee asshole, why are you making the rest of us look bad out there?!” Get my point?
13–No, I don’t get your point. We agree on everything, and you post correctly but seem to be disagreeing about something you are not SPECIFICALLY identifying.
Seems to center on the meaning of “percieved” and what “if” means. But, since we basically agree that Kiddies are little asocial bastards that need to be socialized in our institutions, and that smart people should make lots of money, and that Jocks are Jerks, I’m a happy camper.
Fat kids have fat mothers. That’s the observation I’ve seen at playgrounds, amusement parks and beaches. Now, I don’t tease fat mothers but they are definitely not MILFs.
#3 if they live in a dumb society, yes. Ever heard of the “every country has the rulers they deserve” saying?
And about your #6, being different is not THE reason to pick on someone, there are others. You seem to oversimplisy things.
#13 – There is no doubt that highly mentally gifted students will go on to make great money.
Really? Where’s my money?
15 – a few beers should get you over deciding whether they are MILF’s or not. There were a few at the beach that I tried to drag back in the water however.
No where is being picked on for being different anymore prevalent then this blog. Like school children the regulars here will look down on anyone that may be fat, may practice a religion, belong to a opposing political party, use a Mac, want a iphone, like american made products, stand in lines, go to McDonnell’s, live in the south, make less money them them, make more money then them, shop at Walmart.
Enough of the flashing crap. Now that’s annoying.
Fat kids are fat because their parents are slobs.
Fat mom + fat dad = fat kid.
Bush has a plan to fight this phenomena. It is called food price inflation. Just like his global warming plan. If they make gas cost to much, you won’t drive to the store where the food is priced out of you wallet anyway because the transportation cost getting it to the store is now seventy five percent of it’s price..
A thinner healthier America.. Go Dumbya.