Genes give you dispositions, what you do with them is up to you entirely.

And if you think the meat tastes different in Eastern Bloc countries because they have *less* chemicals in the food supply, I'm concerned for you.

Which is worse? The one based on disgust or the one based on jealousy?

We still haven't given up our need to judge others. We're seeing more "weight-ism" now because there are more overweight people. But if it wasn't weight, it would be something else.

Georgia and countries like it have plenty of professional jobs, plenty of cars, plenty of people who don't want to exercise. (Yes I see your point that a stagnant lifestyle can cause obesity. True true, it does). BUT the ingredients in their foods are inherently more natural, and this makes more of a difference in diet than some think.

Another example, France is a highly developed country. It's even known for its food. There's no shortage of it or people not getting significant exercise. The French also typically spend more time eating meals than Americans do. And yet they don't have problems with obesity like America does. This pisses us off because they seem to be able to maintain a healthy weight without trouble. The reason is that they choose good ingredients in their food. Their food tastes richer, fuller, and I didn't feel I had to eat a whole lot of it to satisfy my appetite. Problem solved. A glass of wine to celebrate good health, and that's it. Exercise is simply running to catch the train... Sounds better than sweating in a gym every night.

Sort of yes, sort of no. 500 calories = 500 calories in each meal, though the nutrition content will certainly have an effect, which is why people shouldn't focus solely on calories (symptomatic, I think, of people's overall lack of health consciousness). A 500 cal burger will have a greater cholesterol and fat (especially saturated fat) content than the healthy meal. The cholesterol is bad on its own of course, but bodies are designed to store fat as they come by it, which then piles on. Some calories of particular chemicals (eg, carbohydrates) are converted into fat for easy storage (waste not, want not) if they aren't immediately used.

Some foods are more dense than others, despite having the same caloric content. Eating something that's not very filling but high in calories will still leave you feeling hungry and prone to eating another unfilling thing. Hence soft drink (or any drink) weight-gain. Liquids aren't usually especially filling, and people forget about the calories in them.

Finally, there's evidence that high-fructose corn syrup inhibits signals from the stomach telling the brain it's full, leading to over-eating. And considering that HFCS is in every possible thing you can imagine...

There's a thriving diet industry because there are so many overweight people now and diets and diety gimmicks usually fail, leading people to try multiple ones. If you are obese and have been so long enough that your body treats that as the norm, consult with a doctor and a nutritionist to develop a get-fit plan that will work best for your body and not cause it to go into starvation-mode. As for a food addiction...? Go to the grocery store and not stock up on fatty, greasy, sugary, pre-prepared foods. I rather doubt you're addicted to salads and fruit, as opposed to, say, ice cream and donuts (or pizza, or red meat, or nearly everything being sold these days).

Now, different people do have different body types, and what works for some will not be true for everyone. As I said, some people naturally have lower metabolisms. Complaining about such doesn't make it increase, however. People with some kind of honest disorder (like hypothyroidism) aren't really all that common, and certainly not to the levels visible in society today. Perhaps a few more people than that are on medications that cause weight gain (more plausible, given how many people are on some form of medication these days, it seems).

Be as defensive as you like, but that's not going to change anything. Being thin takes a lot of continuous, never-ending effort. Probably some people will never be totally slimmed-down. However, in the process of getting to their lowest achievable weight and maintaining it, they will still have greatly improved their overall health.

Um... do they sleep in the water? Do they eat solely aquatic food? No--they hibernate, eat, sleep, mate, bear cubs on land. And polar bears aren't the only thing in the arctic.

Also I highly doubt that losing an election is what made Al Gore an environmentalist.

And to your other point. Thin is better. I am not even talking about looks, I mean for your health, hour heart, your arteries, your joints etc...

Media is influencing the idea that "we can change our weight" with all the weight-loss shows and products. Thus, in my opinion, making weight-ism more prominent. The widespread acceptance that "thin is better" is essential to this. If that idea were to change so would the discrimination.

One last thought.

We are taught to not discriminate "height-ism" but what about "intelligence-ism"? I believe we do this in the workplace everyday. If someone seems smarter than another we'll hire that person.