I hate when people

Classify people as "fat"
That really annoys me
Like when people say "Oh that fat guy? He just walked by"
Or "Oh yeah, I know her, fat right?"
And I hate how people think that saying "overweight" or "heavy" makes it better, because it just makes it worse.
It really frustrates me when I hear conversations and people get classified by their weight. >_<

Do people really do this to you?  From your posts, I've been under the impression that you are somewhat thin.  Maybe it's all in your head?  I don't know, but I agree that people shouldn't be labeled or classified according to their weight or size.  We are human beings, not numbers on a scale.

Sadly this is one of the harder things to get around-- and not just with weight. Humans are creatures of categories. That's how our mind works. And no one likes being 'labeled', right? But even if we don't say it, everything (and everyone) gets labeled in our minds anyway!

For instance, trying to pinpoint someone out of a crowd. I don't even remember where we were or why the subject came up. But they kept describing the guy's clothes, what he was doing, what he was next to, his build, oh wait, he just turned that way! there he is!

And finally after like five minutes, someone said

"OH.. you mean the black guy!"

Yeah. So. It's a hard topic, no matter which point of view I am in during any given situation.

It's rude to classify someone as anything, in my opinion-- at least when you are talking TO them. When you are NOT talking to them, it sometimes isn't even an insult, though... just truth. Biut then there is the chance (the probability) that what you said will get around to them, if you are dealing with a small group of people who all know each other.

Not that I added anything to this topic; just mixing things up a bit. =P

ratinhat88- I was'nt implying people say that to me, but I hear people say that about other people. It just...makes me so mad sometimes. 

I agree, Tim.   I guess I misread the post.  You said you hate it when people classify "people" as fat.  I guess I first read it as "classify me as fat."  Sorry.

humans are visual creatures. I think a lot of the time it's not meant any more meanspiritedly than "the blonde girl" or "the guy in the blue shirt".

When I'm meeting someone I've never seen before and they want to pick me out visually it's really hard not to describe myself as short and chubby, because how much is "brown hair, brown eyes, and no distinguishing features" going to help someone?

Is it really any different than classifying people as thin?

dm84- People don't usually classify people as thin. Okay, people do but not as much as people classify people as fat.

I'd really like to know how you arrived at that conclusion.

I agree with Feanor completely on this one. I've been in situations regarding people I know and had to do the same thing. For example at a shopping center my mother vanished. She said she'd meet me by the towels and wasn't there. I looked for about thrity minutes and then resorted to asking workers" Have you seen a woman with puffy hair?o_o She had a green leather purse."

Them: Puffy hair?  puffy? - stares at me as if they don't know what puffy means -

Me: Yes, her hair is puffy. ... Did I mention she has a green bag?

When they sales lady told my mother how I decribed her she said " I do not have puffy hair. It's just curly."  I was just trying to label her by the first propionate features. The one most easily sighted and easiest to decribe. It can get you in trouble but it's just the truth of sight. People label people in their minds even without knowledge. I'd never told anyone my mother had puffy hair. Or even thought about it. But, when I had to describe her in order to find her. That was the very first thing that come into my mind.   

 I think it depends on the situation and tone of which one uses in classifying someone that matters. Their purpose for doing so is what makes it rude or not. But, if there are no negative vibes in what they're saying only truth than the person that took it as such is the one that's rude. It's rude to take something perfectly harmless and truthful. Then turn around and twist it into something rude and negative.  Rather than fact.

My mother and I had a very good laugh.But, she denies having puffy hair. It's just curly which I dully noted.

I think it's only polite to take note of whatever their reaction is to your words though. Otherwise, that would be intentionally mean. So if I were talking about a friend and I said " you know the black guy.... " and when he found out I said it... If he said " no no. I'm not black! I'm brown. " Than I'd just go with it... " ooh Ooh-kay.. my bad.  "

So I think it goes two ways. I wouldn't go on with labeling someone something if I were aware the person thought it rude. But, at the same time it's rude for someone to take something harmless and twist it into drama. There is a sense of polite tact people are missing these days. People twist themselves into knots over nothing.

Eh...it's slightly annoying. But I can't really complain about it too much, because it's just human. I do it too.

Normally when trying to describe someone I start with gender, height, weight and begin with the details...glasses, hair color. It's just a description.

 

 

It's just one of the easier things to help distinguish who you're talking about, I think the OP is reading too much into it.

I think the OP posted this over a year ago and hasn't even logged in since July ...

Just sayin' ...

What freaks me out is when people are classified as fat when they aren't. Like there was this article in the Post about how Rachel Ray was "chubby" and then it said she wears size 6--ummm size 6 is NORMAL RANGE, people!

"fat" is a descriptive term.  it makes no sense to point to a group of people and go on and on about the colour of someone's hair or the style of their clothes if the person you're talking about is the only fat guy in the group.  "The guy in the green shirt...no, not the dark green shirt or the olive green shirt, the kind-of limey-green shirt, with the dark hair.  no, not the scruffy dark hair, the bowl cut.  and not the one with the bowl cut and the side-burns, but the clean-shaven guy with the dark hair in a bowl cut."  meanwhile the person next to you is thinking, "The fat guy?"

i don't use the word "fat" - not because i'm offended by it, but because i think other people may be.  but i regularly describe people as "round", if they are.

most of you guys take it as a insult.. its the same thing as if you said that tall guy, or skinny guy or short girl... when people mention fat in that use, all they are doing is describing you.. nothing to take personal... I get called short all the time as Im pretty much done growing and im 5'6" ..   They arent saying fat as a insult.. the only reason point someone out as "fat" is because fat is normaly considered a "bad" thing

nirriti is a necromancer!!!!!!!