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In the articles “Discrimination At Large” by Jennifer Coleman and “k, So I’m Fat” by Neil Steinberg, both authors discuss the battle of being overweight and the discrimination they experienced because of it. Coleman begins her article by describing how “all fat people are ‘touted’ by their appearance… ” She states that all the people who wouldn’t dare utter any anti-gay slogans or racial epitaphs are the ones who verbally abuse her due to her appearance. This abuse began from a young age; people would refer to Coleman as “lazy” and “disgusting” and eventually she came to believe it.
She desperately tried to SSE weight by eating nutritious meals and doing many different exercises. No matter how hard she tried, she was never able to silence the comments of others. As her efforts to be fit continued, people continued to ridicule her appearance. Colleen’s belief is that the bullying of fat people is not inborn. She believes that this bullying is taught by society. Just as children learn to be sensitive toward the disabled, the author believes that children should learn to have the same sensitivity toward the overweight. In addition, Neil Steinberg “k, So I’m Fat” describes his experience with being overweight.
What Steinberg finds most unpleasant about being overweight- besides the excess weight- is the offensive behavior of thin people. He takes offense to their behavior whether it is intentional or not, and is even bothered by their very existence. Stinger’s peers assumed that weight loss was beyond his grasp.. They would offer him Diet Coke and refer to him lightly as “Big Guy. ” Yet, Steinberg did not have a problem with thin people who didn’t need to work for their weight. Steinberg found it easier to be around those who were effortlessly thin since they gave him the relief that being thin is no more than good fortune.
When eating a profoundly fattening dessert at a party, Steinberg asked the hostess if she was planning to eat her own. She replied smugly saying that it was too fattening for her. This behavior of a thin person bothered him since the hostess did not mind serving foods that weren’t suitable for herself. At this point he looked in the mirror and finally saw the man he had become. Both Coleman and Steinberg describe personal experiences with being overweight and the unfair treatment that comes along with it. They share the experience of obvious disdain displayed by thin people toward them.
They both feel that the overweight are looked down upon and treated unfairly. They both reflect on the treatment of thin people towards them. Those who are thin made them feel inferior and Coleman and Steinberg despised it. Both these authors confronted themselves and realized that they had issues with their weight. Just like any other weakness or disability, obesity is an individual’s exclusive issue. Therefore, this problem is not something to be made fun of. Just as it would be not be ridiculed. An overweight person has the personal choice of whether to do something about his weight or not and it is out of place for another to intervene.