Are you prejudiced against fat people?

[goodsamaritan]

[ QUOTE ]
good,

"that they just don't care about being fat."

See, even though it doesn't really hurt me in any way, I can't help but feel a negative bias towards people like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

Negative in what way?

I don't think its irrational to dislike someone for disregarding their health, as long as that dislike is not too intense. It's simply you making a having a preference against what you see as their lack of character. Their would be nothing irrational about disliking someone who is mean, right?

However, it is irrational and prejudicial to jump to conclusions about the fat people that do not follow from deductive reasoning.

Is anyone seeing the distinctions I am trying to draw?

Dislike =/= prejudice, unless the dislike is based on some irrational conclusion. (example: Disliking pedophiles is rational and not prejudice. Disliking all black people because you think all black people are lazy is prejudice)

Making irrational assumptions = prejudice

[El Diablo]

good and others,

"Negative in what way?"

I think my reaction could be accurately described as something like "ugh, what is wrong w/ you, how can you be like that?"

As I said, that's just a negative bias I hold. If they turn out to be good, smart, nice people, I have no problem being their friend or whatever. I just start out by default feeling somewhat negative towards them until I have information to make me feel otherwise.

More specifically, let's take this example. I have two resumes that look similar in terms of backgrounds, experience, etc. I walk into the room where they are waiting and I find:

a black guy and a white guy - I won't hold a preference towards either

a short guy and a tall guy - Again, no preference

a fat guy and an in shape guy - Not having anything to do with health insurance costs or sick days or any specific things having to do with health, I will have an innate bias against the fat guy in a sort of "I'd prefer having the other guy around than the fat guy" way.

This of course assumes that neither of the resumes has an obviously Jewish last name.

[miajag]

El D,

So what's your play if the skinny guy is Joel Rosenberg and the fat guy is Fred Smith?

[A S U]

[ QUOTE ]
ore specifically, let's take this example. I have two resumes that look similar in terms of backgrounds, experience, etc. I walk into the room where they are waiting and I find:

a black guy and a white guy - I won't hold a preference towards either

a short guy and a tall guy - Again, no preference

a fat guy and an in shape guy - Not having anything to do with health insurance costs or sick days or any specific things having to do with health, I will have an innate bias against the fat guy in a sort of "I'd prefer having the other guy around than the fat guy" way.

This of course assumes that neither of the resumes has an obviously Jewish last name.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are concerned with health care costs and sick days, yet aren't predjudiced towards blacks?

[turnipmonster]

I am this way as well (except for the jewish part lol). I've always had a sort of inherent kind of disrespect for fat people.

[mistermuni]

[quote

a black guy and a white guy - I won't hold a preference towards either

a short guy and a tall guy - Again, no preference



[/ QUOTE ]

El D:

How tall are you, and what is your race? I believe this is relevant here.

[tdarko]

El D,

Do you have any family memebers that are obese and how do you feel about them?

I have a couple family members that are strangely obese compared to the rest of our family which is pretty healthy for the most part. I find that I tend to be more distant towards my obese family members and less likely to "try" to relate to them than my other family members. It isn't that I love them any less and when I look at it from the family's POV they are probably looked down upon the most in our family as well. I feel bad that it is this way but it is only natural to be turned off by years and years of sedantary lifestyle (for them) and no will to ever make a change.

~td

[Alobar]

Diablo,

In what way are you prejudice against fat people. Is it like you automatically assume they are loud, obnoxious, lazy, and slobbish? Or just that they dont have a lot of self control when it comes to food, they dont exercise enough, and they are unhealthy?

[Evan]

I definitely make judgments before I have proof that they're true. Although I can't think of a particularly adverse one, I'm positive some are (I don't assume someone's a bad person or mean or anything like that, more likely that they're lazy and don't take care of themselves).

Other prejudices, who knows. I think a lot of it has to do (obviously) with what you're exposed to.

From the definitions, I definitely never have a hostile attitude toward one group/race/whatever. I suppose if you qualified something like "Boston Red Sox" fans as a group then I might, but I assume that's not what we're talking about.

I think a good example for me would be that if I see someone dressed in freak/goth clothing I assume they're weird or depressed. Is that unreasonable? Probably. I don't really know anyone that's in that crowd so I have no first hand experience.

I think in general I'm less prone to those kinds of judgments because there's such a mix of people in NYC that there's rarely one overriding characteristic of any group that makes you stray far from the norm.

[miajag]

Fatness is a good indication that a person is lazy and lacks willpower.