The Coronavirus Thread

[rainbow]

Chumocracy.

[Brian Peacock]

Fat-shamers have felt enabled by Covid, and it's hard to fight back

It is not news that there is a connection between Covid mortality rates and a country’s obesity level. It may have been confirmed for the first time last week by the World Obesity Forum, but this has been a word-of-mouth truism since the start. Someone always knew a man whose brother-in-law worked in intensive care and said only obese people suffered seriously. “I weigh myself every morning, to check that I am still just overweight,” said a friend with one of these brothers-in-law.

Then Boris Johnson set this in stone, whining to his cabinet: “It’s all right for you thinnies.” It is not a word, is it, “thinnie”? Nor is “gloomster”. Sometimes, I think that is the summit of the prime minister’s arrogance – that he finds the English language incomplete without the interjection of his baby words. At other times, I think his arrogance is more like the mountain in a Japanese etching: there is no “top”, there is only “more” and “cloud”.

What I cannot stand is the atmosphere of glee around the link to obesity; for a lot of people, the world makes sense again. It is not a tragedy, it is just those less important people. It is not the cruel and random hand of fate, it is a sound moral outcome – undisciplined people who had it coming got it. Obesity is the magic bullet: it conjures a fairytale world in which bad things happen only to bad people. The more negative outcome you can attach to overeating, the fairer you have made your tiny world.

Fat-shaming never owns its agenda, it just raises its eyebrows and uses nebulous connectives such as “well”. It says: “Nobody has died in Vietnam” (cue more eyebrows, perhaps some meaningful nodding). It says, resignedly: “Well, we are an obese, ageing society,” using “society” as a fig leaf, to sound like “all of us”, when it really means “those people”.

And because it never speaks its name, the fat-hate, you can never argue against it. You sound crazy. Tilting at windmills. A dog trying to attack a fly through a window. Is it even a fly, or is it all in my head? No, I am pretty sure there is a noise – disapproval, snobbery, judgment, a constant, wordless buzz. I just haven’t figured out how to open the window...

[Cunt]

No glee here about the clear link to preexisting health conditions including obesity.

I do, however, consider that anyone taking it seriously would do the easy fixes, like wearing a mask when appropriate, or dropping weight. It's very straightforward to lose up to 2lbs a week, so anyone who took the threat to their person seriously, could be down 100lbs or so by now.

What I cannot stand is the atmosphere of glee around the link to obesity; for a lot of people, the world makes sense again. It is not a tragedy, it is just those less important people. It is not the cruel and random hand of fate, it is a sound moral outcome – undisciplined people who had it coming got it.

When I was fat as fuck, I thought differently. Others treated me differently. I don't think it was them, I think it was ME.

Knowing, as I did, that my body was an expression of my choice, my self-control and my self-respect, it had me guessing all kinds of things about others.

Now that I have corrected much of my body, I feel quite different about the same innocuous comments.

Dropping excess weight is a show of respect to our health care systems similar to wearing a mask, or getting out of the way for an ambulance. It isn't treated that way, because there is a rush to 'fat apologetics' quite often, but they always lack the ability to use plain facts and reality. One has to accept that their mental health is more important than getting their bodies right. There is quite often no way to tell how the mental health is affected, while nutrition and exercise have clear, unambiguous benefit. However, it is important to not hurt the feelings of someone who is making fat apologetics.

Though people who understand fat and their bodies, are less likely to engage in those apologetics. They know they are having a different problem.

[NineBerry]

You should also start addressing your ignorance problem. Being ignorant of the world is a choice, You don't have to be. It's only a little effort and you will be an informed citizen in no time.

[Cunt]

Oh, I'm informed about fat, how it negatively affects everyone who has too much of it.

If only there were 'the science' to read about excess bodyfat and cognition problems. If there were, it might suggest losing weight before trusting one's cognition on the matter.

[NineBerry]

People with depressions should just cheer up.

[Tero]

I would not know. I only get anxiety. It gets me more exercise than depression. There is no fight or flight response. They just go "why?"

[Cunt]

People with depressions should just cheer up.

That sounds like vigorously ignorant advice.

People with depression should do lots of things. One of the biggest problems isn't knowing what to do, it's somewhere between that and doing it.

Neck up problems, such as depression, are certain to interfere with good fitness practices, but they don't change the facts.

If you personally had such problems, and asked me to help with some of the load of learning to be fitter, I would start shoveling for you. I mean it, nb.

If you want to have a hug, I would give you one. If you need help figuring out some of the details, privately or publicly, I would help.

I doubt there is anything you don't know about the nutrition/obesity facts, but the practices take, well, practice. I have been practicing, so that's all I can share.

It doesn't 'fix' depression.

Sorry if I've misunderstood you.

---

I do have a specific idea which might interest you. I don't have the lab-math that would make clearer sense of it, but the yogurt company tried to fuck me, with candy instead of yogurt, and it is tricky.

Flavoured is 140 calories per 175 grams, containing 14g protein, so 10 calories per gram of protein
Plain is 100 calories per 175 grams, containing 17g protein, so 5.9 calories per gram of protein.

If you are aiming for protein, one of these is a valuable protein source, the other delicious candy.

Now, consider that in light of the concept of 'protein decoys' and you can see how practice yields a much easier path to success.

[laklak]

Got my first Moderna jab the other day, arm was a bit sore but no other side effects. Of course the nanobots get tingly every time I pass a 5G tower, but that's to be expected. Next one due sometime after April 5th, they'll call me with an appointment time. The vaccination center was absolutely packed with people but was quite efficient and the whole process took less than 20 minutes. Kudos to them.

[Cunt]

I get my second on the 20th. I'm planning on upgrading my towers to 5g to get the full effect.

A pal who was organizing the distribution locally surprised her colleagues when she presented her exit plan. I guess it is popular for government workers to keep on keeping on, even when their work is done.

In other news, the president of the US is considering allowing the subjects to have a gathering with family and close friends. Maybe.

[laklak]

Fuck Sleepy Joe and Cameltoe, I'll do what the fuck I want when the fuck I want and he can suck my goddamn white redneck dick. I live in the Free State of Florida (for now, anyway), and we already pulled our National Guard out of the Banana Republic military Joe is using to occupy our capital city. They're at our borders, ready to repel the Damn Yankee Carpetbaggers.

(That should get Hermie up and moving).

[Cunt]

I wouldn't want to fuck either of them...

...but as they say...I know lak

[laklak]

From Tidal Page Comics, when FloridaMan meets Captain America. If this ain't a metaphor for something then I don't know what is.

[Sean Hayden]

I get my second on the 20th. I'm planning on upgrading my towers to 5g to get the full effect.

A pal who was organizing the distribution locally surprised her colleagues when she presented her exit plan. I guess it is popular for government workers to keep on keeping on, even when their work is done.

In other news, the president of the US is considering allowing the subjects to have a gathering with family and close friends. Maybe.

I'm forced to interpret that using the principle of charity and conclude --especially given that there are currently no restrictions where I live, none-- that he simply meant that if you've been afraid of gathering then you might be able to loosen up finally.

Was there a federal ban on gathering that I'm not aware of, and that Biden might have been alluding to?

[Cunt]

I don't blame you. I think the main reason the Dems don't have federal orders to shutdown or mask, is because some states understand they don't have to listen.

If you look at Dem states, they often push authoritarianism as hard as they can, despite having performance issues.

At least they still give trophies to even the sorriest losers in their ranks. Oh, and lucrative book deals.