Replies

There are numerous diseases with numerous symptoms and those with disease are, of course, exempted from any humor.

I spoke only about those who had a choice and were visibly over-indulging in my presence.

Do you really think I meant to insult those few who had no control over their size and shape?

I have had several, dearly loved, obsese relatives, one by a medical problem and the others by choice and they all died way early.

Maybe if we can stop glossing it over, people will eat more responsibly and live longer productive lives. Ignoring it will not make the problem go away. We need to get out of denial.

I am not upset at you in the slightest and agree with much of what you said. In fact, we DO need to take more responsibility for our health—and I am perfectly comfortable with including myself in that admonishment.

I only put you in the "to" line as a courtesy because I mentioned your post as an example and you were getting flack for being rude. What you said didn't bother me in the least.

That said, I am really upset at tortoise saying that even people with disease don't have to be overweight. I have plenty of experience with people fighting disease. More than I wish. A case in point; We lost my 4 year old niece after a long struggle and by the end she was swollen up like a balloon. She looked huge and could barely fit into clothes or move her little body around when they took her out of the hospital to play in a park or spend a little time shopping.

We have seen first hand the judgmental looks that people like tortoise cast...and I can tell you that people who can not cut others a little slack in THOSE situations are cold, heartless, jerks.

Just like those who would allow their flab to hang out because they have no respect for others, people like tortoise appear to believe that no slack should be cut others facing the complexities of illness.

Bottom line: Courtesy extends, imo, both ways. I am pretty sure we agree on that.