Friday, 30 July 2010

• Why I Would Never Call Someone "Fat"

  I've met a ton of amazing people in my French-Exchange program, but I have also met people who are completely ignorant. Two days ago, I experienced racist comments from a drunkard student who enjoys offending people when plastered. It went further than racism though. He went on to insult homosexuals, liberals, and my guitar skills (I just started learning).

  He probably pissed me off the most when he started to insult my profession and studies. He said that nutritionists are useless and that he could do their job easily.

  I was so angry at him. I told him, "I have something that I want to say in my head, but I am not going to say it to you." He told me to say it, that he could take it, but I refused. I said that it was against my values and principles.

  I wanted to say, "If nutritionists are useless, and you think studying nutrition is easy, then WHY are you so FAT?"

  But I didn't say it. I would never call somebody the "F" word. I don't know this person's weight and height, but I would estimate that he has a BMI of over 30 and would be considered clinically obese for his height and weight.

  I judge people from the inside, not the outside appearance. This person is most definitely an ugly person inside. But he is probably ugly on the inside because he has feelings of hurt and pain within himself. It could be family problems or maybe he has been made fun of for his weight problems his entire life. He probably doesn't realize it, but I think he enjoys hurting and offending other people because it makes him feel better about himself. It temporarily relieves the pain that he feels inside, but obviously he is not aware of his own feelings and the reasons for his actions.

  I've been called fat many times in my life. I know I am at a healthy weight for my height, but I can remember every single person who called me fat and in what situation it happened. Why? Because it HURTS. It hurts people's self-esteems in more ways than you can imagine. A low self-esteem tears you apart from the inside. And it can cause you to be ugly on the inside too, just like the individual I talked about before who copes by attacking others. In Hong Kong culture, it's very common to comment on people's weight. I believe it derives from a time when food was more scarce and being heavier represented health. It's not like that today. Food is abundant. Things have change. This needs to change. Calling someone fat just creates a cycle of hurt and more attacking.

  As angry as I am at this person, I did not ask him why he was so fat. This one word, "fat," may have fueled the ugliness inside of him that exists today. I do not want to fuel his bitter emotions and cause more ugliness in him and this world. I would never want to cause someone to have low self-esteem, especially knowing what it feels like to hurt from the inside.

  Never call someone the "F" word. Look on the inside, not the outside.

  • 7:46 PM
  • 1710 Views
  • 56 eProps
  • 38 Comments