A few of my relatives on the Italian side of my family used to half-joke, half-gripe that Italians were the last group of people in the U.S. who it was still ok to bash for their ethnicity. They were and are still given gangster associations, called wops and other derogatory terms. And the fact is, they were right, as many in the media will use Italian stereotypes readily and happily.
But when it comes to degrading speech toward a segment of society, Italians can’t hold a torch to what the overweight in this nation go through. And how the media treats John Daly is perfect proof of this bias.
Because Daly may have a drinking problem. He may have a gambling problem. He may be undisciplined. But none of those faults bring the outright vitriol from the media as does the fact that he’s overweight.
“He’s now a fat, middle-aged man who chain smokes Marlboros, downs Miller Lites by the six-pack, and travels the country in an RV looking for a tournament to play.”
“Daly is a big, fat snowball at this point, tumbling downhill toward a gaping crevasse.”
“Underachievement is not a felony, but fat and lazy are not normally considered a skill set.”
“If Tim Finchem has an ounce of fortitude, he will stare across the table at his news-making problem child and bark in a harsh parental tone, a la Dean Wormer, “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”
“Marred in yet another life/career crisis, golfer John Daly says he is thinking of answering critics by writing a country-western song that he will call “I Guess It’s My Fault, Even When It’s Not My Fault.” What, “Stumbling Through Life Fat, Drunk and Stupid” already has been recorded?”
If there’s one thing that gets under a male sports fan’s skin more than anything, it seems, it’s wasted talent. And Daly has been, for many years now, the epitome of just that. And that he is undisciplined and out of shape for a professional golfer is a big part of his problem.
But every time a writer (and note, I didn’t even mention any bloggers, only mainstream media newspapers) uses “fat” as a derisive adjective, it’s quite likely more than half who read it are offended and feel at the very least a twinge of pain.
Shaming and insulting overweight people to lose weight doesn’t work. If it did, the U.S. would be a nation of thin folks. Because experienced journalists can sneer about someone being fat, and none of their editors will blink an eye. And none of the examples I showed above were pointing out that John Daly doesn’t care about the conditioning necessary to be a top golfer. They were all used in a hateful form. Look at him - He’s fat!
So stop calling John Daly fat. It’s not funny, it’s not clever, it’s not insightful, and it’s not professional. It’s just hurtful. Just stop it.
–WKW
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Obesity or being overweight is not a moral failing. Nor is it something that gives people a free reign to mock. How Daly gained weight is moot to my point.
Bill
If an athlete has gone downhill and their body with it, it makes perfect sense to connect the donuts.
If Lebron James showed up next season weighing 300 pounds and couldn't get double-doubles anymore, wouldn't you say the reason is obvious?
Bill
calling Daly names but cannot tell the difference between "marred" and "mired."
As far as moral failings go, you are wrong. Gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly sins; thus, unless one's obesity is induced by a physical problem, it is most certainly a moral failing.
Expanding on this, note that self-destructive behaviors -- smoking or drinking in excess, taking drugs, gambling beyond one's means, etc. -- are always moral failings. And so is eating in excess.
Of course, someone who doesn't really know what morality is can't assess these things anyway. As Joseph Sobran said, "Liberals claim to want to do good while also claiming to not know what good is."
If you don't believe in Absolute Truth, you have no business making pronouncements about morality.
deadlies. And Judge Small, you have demonstrated
more of that than any other denizen of these blogs.
Sorry about that giant stone on your back, but I bet
you find a lot of loose coins that way.
I have a plenitude of faults, but that's not the issue here, is it? Hey, maybe I'm a horrible person, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong if I say that 2+2=4. The truth is the truth, and what I said is airtight.
And no, you cannot compare fatness with ethnicity.
Fatness is a lifestyle choice, ethnicity is not.
We, who are diligently exercising and controlling our urges have to pay (via increased insure premiums and reduced health care -- all resources used up by the repulsive ones) for all these fat f...s.
Nothing is more repulsive than being fat and making others pay for your laziness/stupidity.
--Coolio
It is absolutely not a spoof or satire in any way. If a writer would put, for (a rather weak) example "John Daly is fat and unable to play to the best of his abilities" that is one thing.
But as I wrote, using "fat" as a derisive adjective is being hurtful not just to him, but to many others. The uber-clever "Animal House" reference of "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son" is being used to be insulting. It's using name-calling to make a point.
Bill
Before you get holier-than-thou, note that when you speak of "controlling urges," there are more urges than just that to eat. I'll also note that most of the people who castigate the corpulent show precious little restraint in their own lives. For instance, while they are quick to cast judgment with respect to gluttony, their own lust doesn't even register on their radar screen. Of course, in our libertine age, such a fault goes largely unnoticed (that is, unless you're a politician who breaks up prostitution rings and then involves himself in one). But as G.K. Chesterton once said, "A fallacy doesn't cease to be a fallacy because it becomes a fashion."
You might want to examine the log in your own eye.