The problem with this stance is that the alternative (making people feel bad) will exacerbate the problem by contributing to feelings of hopelessness and ostracism.

The first prerequisite for making difficult changes is a supportive environment - not a judgmental one.

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DangitBobby a day ago | parent | next [-]

My personal experience was that the shame I'd been made to feel throughout middle school for being overweight fueled the motivation to buckle down and lose weight when I was independent and mature enough to come up with a diet that I could sustain.

	▲	simonask 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Glad to hear you came out alright. I’ll offer this argument: Society aggressively tells overweight people that it is bad to be overweight, in no uncertain terms, and with significant repercussions. Yet overweight people exist. Hence, the strategy of shaming people until they lose weight does not work in the general or average case.

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qsera a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The problem with your stance is that it is based on a lie, and if pushed enough will break down catastrophically.

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BurningFrog a day ago | parent | prev [-]

> the alternative (making people feel bad)

The actual alternative is to tell the fat people that they really need to fix their serious health problem!

Politely watching them die before you is maybe comfortable, but pretty messed up.

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pixelatedindex a day ago | parent [-]

I’m sure they know, pointing it out doesn’t solve anything.

> Politely watching them die before you is maybe comfortable, but pretty messed up.

I disagree. It’s their choice, and they should be free to do what they want and not be criticized. In fact it’s not comfortable and sometimes I do want to say something but that’s not very kind.

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BurningFrog 18 hours ago | parent [-]

Everyone should be free to do what they want.

This includes criticizing others!

	▲	pixelatedindex 17 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Fair argument, but I don’t think criticizing their weight benefits either party. Unless you’re a super close friend and you do it occasionally as a reminder when they are going off the rails. My family constantly says I’m on the bigger side - but does it help? Absolutely not. Does it hurt? A little bit, at least. Then they shame you for “going on a diet”, but also asks why you don’t eat. I don’t need others to pile their opinions on top of it.