Total Motorcycle Community Forums

If anything, we need to be more critical of people who are fat due to laziness and diet. Are we really that sensitive to compare obesity to race?

I am in the Army, and I have soldiers that drink soda and eat fast food everyday, only work out for an hour, and don't understand why they are fat and out of shape! Our culture has taught them from an early age that bad diet and little exercise is ok, and that being only slightly fat is acceptable because so many other people are very fat. They look at me like I'm from another planet when I tell them to cut out all soda and fast food. "What else can I eat or drink?"

It is a personal choice, I understand that. But I can be as critical as I want of other people choices. That doesn't even neccessarily make me right either, but don't compare criticism of others choices to discriminating due to race.

Better be careful there Andrew ... pretty soon you'll be attending mandatory fat sensitivity training...

Ahhh ... Gunnery Sgt Hartman, where have you gone!?

Not trying to be insensitive Tech, but it's important that we keep things in perspective. Insensitivity may not be tolerable, but lets not tolerate over sensitivity either.

lol, pics of fat ppl on bikes are funny!

although so was my 6'5" "O Ring" on a 125cc dirtbike during the msf!

kellanv wrote: I wont agree however that being extremely overweight and being a motorcyclist are the same type of situation(i.e. being fat is dangerous, riding motorcycles is dangerous). To me they might have similarities, but not as you stated....
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Motorcycling CAN be a SAFE activity if the proper precautions are taken. MSF courses, not having squids ride literbikes etc etc. We push for safe use of our abilities so that we do not intentionally harm us. I dont think any motorcyclist goes out every morning knowing some day he's going to end his life by getting on the motorcycle.

Statistically, being overweight at 25 is a lot safer than having any sort of motorcycle at 25. In both cases you can give up at 30 and avoid most (or any) long-term effects. But in the case of a motorcycle a moment's inattention on anyone's part can cause a life-altering and irreversable event.

The problem isn't your control... it is factors outside of your control. Near where I live, about a week ago, an 18 year old was driving an SUV along a local street. Someone stopped to make a left turn and he swerved...into the oncoming lanes... and went head-on into a four-door sedan coming the other way. The two people in the front of the sedan were killed... the kid in a child seat in the back (authorities assumed she was the daughter of the two who were killed but weren't certain) is in a hospital now. That sort of thing happens all too easy even with cars... it is almost certain death on a motorcycle. Read the stories around this forum and you'll realize that many people have had close calls, quite a few have been injured, and undoubtably some have stopped posting (and living) because of such encounters.

Anyway, being obese may or may not show a lack of self control. Personally, I don't buy that excuse... it is unpleasant to be overweight, unpleasant to eat too much in one sitting. Anyone who is overweight has disciplined themselves to eating. The habitual patterns are just as deep and have no more innate moral worth. Read a bit and you'll find that overweight people also tend to be extremely efficcient users of their energy... they control the amount of walking, the amount of physical exertion they do in general, constantly...and that control usually manifests itself before the weight. That level of self control takes discipline and dedication.

oh man I just dont buy that crap...

Keep in mind, we arent just talking about slightly overweight people...that is just due to lack of excercise and a slightly bad diet. Its not great but its not a big deal either. We are talking about severely overweight/obese people...

So...you are telling me that overweight people are overweight because they CHOOSE to be? You are telling me that they choose to use their energy in ways to keep them fat? The reason why they are efficient users of energy because if they werent, they wouldnt be able to do ANYTHING. I find that a hilarious argument. "If they didnt stop eating they might be full" blah blah blah Give me a break. Thats why they are that heavy in the first place right?

And to continue with the bike analogy...

motorcycling and remaining severely overweight are LIFE choices...you cant just determine that at 25, those are the important statistics...

Add another 25 years or riding/eating....

the life expectancy of someone morbidly obese is right around 50-55, or at the very least they suffer massive health failures at this point.

Someone riding a bike for another 25 years would be expected to have a very low accident rate.

As far as the "well you could just randomly get into an accident" argument...

Yes, you can. I can also get hit riding my road bike(we are talking pedal powered here) that I ride frequently as a form of excercise. I could also get hit while running. I could also be walking down the street minding my own business with my girlfriend and get hit by a drunk driver. A meteor could fall out of the sky and take me out as well. What about tornados? Lightning? Airborn livestock? I could be taken out by a low-flying pigeon!

This is all stuff out of your control. Bad things happen to people who didnt ask for it. Its not a choice, its just something that happens. Being morbidly obese to the point that its killing you IS a choice and I dont think we should just go "thats ok, you can be fat because you have so much self control" It teaches kids that its alright. I WAS the fat kid, but my big deal is I wanted to feel better about myself, and live up to my potential as a human being. I dont think being 500lbs and bed-ridden is it...

If everyone is too nervous about stepping on toes, how as a group of human beings are we supposed to evolve and better ourselves.

dieziege wrote: Anyway, being obese may or may not show a lack of self control. Personally, I don't buy that excuse... it is unpleasant to be overweight, unpleasant to eat too much in one sitting. Anyone who is overweight has disciplined themselves to eating. The habitual patterns are just as deep and have no more innate moral worth. Read a bit and you'll find that overweight people also tend to be extremely efficcient users of their energy... they control the amount of walking, the amount of physical exertion they do in general, constantly...and that control usually manifests itself before the weight. That level of self control takes discipline and dedication.

That is called being LAZY. Efficient usage of energy = laziness... it is not wanting to spend energy.

I find myself doing this sometimes as well. I will try not to use as much energy when doing something, like Im trying to save it for something. I think I developed this habit, ironically, from playing volleyball and running track. In both of those, you try and save as much energy as possible so you have reserves available when you need it. However, it worked back then because I would be at tournaments for 8 hours, and still use a ton of energy.

The problem is now, I still try to save energy when exercising, but I don't exercise nearly as much, and I eat the same amount... So what happens? I don't burn all of the calories and I gain weight. So what did I do? Consciously try to use as much energy as possible when I find time to exercise, and I cut my calorie intake by about 15%... and it seems to be working. I was holding my weight steady, but decided I need to drop a few pounds, so I limited my portions compared to what I allowed myself previously.

I think it is all about self control. My dad is overweight, and it is for no other reason then he just won't stick to a plan... any plan. Be it diet, exercise regimen, etc. I would say 90% of Americans fall into this catagory, they eat too much, refuse to control themselves, and then won't stay on a steady exercise schedule to make up for it. Try this: Don't eat crap... try to actually follow nutritional guidelines.

Anyway, I make fun of everyone, no one is special enough to dodge my jesting (although I generally try not to make fun of the handicapped, unless it comes to the way they park, and that they shouldn't be allowed to drive or operate heavy machinery... I mean come on, they are handicapped). People take themselves too seriously...
And no, I don't consider overweight people handicapped. Whenever I see an obese person riding in one of those electric cart things at walmart, I just want to yell "You'd probably be better off if you walked a bit!".. but I don't.

BTW, comparing being obese and riding motorcycles is stupid. I'm with kellanv on this.

I don't think there is anything wrong with poking fun at people in general. Unless they are my friends, I don't pick out individuals in a crowd and publically humiliate them. Political Correctness can go throw itself off a bridge...

Riding motorcycles wrecklessly is also a matter of lack of self control and decipline.

I beg to differ. Riding motorcycles wrecklessly, and hence, avoiding wrecks, requires self control and discipline, not a lack of the same.

Riding recklessly, on the other hand, usually does entail a certain lack of self control and discipline.

Good catch Grinch

hahaha alright alright, yes you are correct mr. grinch