Forums | MacLife

I realize that's another person.  Please try to realize that most of us, at least not me anyway, are NOT saying anything negative about the person within in this situation.  It's about the annoyance and physical discomfort of the situation.  For me, it has nothing to do with any kind of social or emotional discomfort, and everything to do with physical discomfort.  That's where the boulder analogy comes in.  I have nothing against the person inside.  It's their outside person that's inconveniencing me.  I don't hate them for it, and I don't make assumptions of how they got so big.  The fact is, they are that big, and I'm just annoyed that I'm the one who happened to get stuck with it on that ocassion.

So for me, YES, I would be equally annoyed by the crutches guy, the pregnant lady, etc, sitting next to me.  Of course I'd feel bad that the crutches guy had a broken leg, and I'd be happy for the pregnant lady that she's gonna have a kid.  But I still don't want the physical discomfort of either taking up what little personal space is already allotted on public transpo.  Black or gay?  No problem, as long as they're normal sized.  If it's a 7' tall black or gay guy whose knee is sticking into me for the entire hour-long ride, that's when my problem arises.  But then, it could be anyone who's 7' tall, regardless of race, creed, or color.

Also, in many situations, asking someone morbidly obese to "scoot over" in the seats on an LIRR train would be the insulting thing to do, because they wouldn't be able to do it, and to obviously draw attention to it would be hurtful.

I can appreciate that you want to defend the little guy (in a manner of speaking), but I really think you're over-defending against something that's not really an issue in this thread.  I know you're trying to show that these are people in tough situations, but please realize that nobody's denying that.  I know you want some sympathy for the troubled.  Trust me, I can understand that, because I have many fat, and many gay relatives.  Some are both.  And we have great times together.  But that still doesn't mean I want the fat ones to practically sit on top of me for an hour.

I feel like I've made my point quite clear in a few posts that it has nothing to do with a social issue.  Personally, I went to an arts conservatory that was full of weirdos, fatsos, gays, etc.  You name the social stigma, it was at my school.  I was, and still am, good friends with many of them.  (Also, please note that I'm not trying to use those terms in a negative way here)  Again, just because I'm friends with, or even related to, a really large person, that doesn't mean I want to sit next to them in a cramped space for an hour.

I'm done with the argument as well.  I feel like there's no hard feelings here, just some defending of positions.  I think we're more on the same page than you think.

I do want to ask you though: If you're sitting on a train or plane, and someone who's really obese comes and sits down next to you and clearly sags onto you and your seat, what's your first thought?  Is it "Man, I feel bad for this guy" or "Man, I wish this guy was in a different row so I could have a little breathing room"?

That's all from me!  Later!

What about people who always have to be the centre of attention?  Kids, teenagers or adults. (Infants and toddlers understandably excluded) The only reason that they don't have Look at Me!!! tattooed across their foreheads is that they're always acting it out-preferably where the maximum no. can hear and see them-in restaurants, stores, banks, and yes, oh yes, the workplace.

Among famous people, Al Gore comes to mind. But there are countless others; famous and would-be famous among them.

DukeofNuke wrote:

Food Stamps and WIC cards are different things. They are available through the Health Department.

Or around the corner from the smurf nut cashing it in.

Ever have one? We did the last time I was laid off. Lots of abuse going on there. You don't even have to leave the building before someone will offer cash for a WIC card.

keprydak wrote:

There is a girl in my class who is like this - she is always talking as loudly as possible, saying the most inane things and acting "cute" (which it really isn't) to get the attention of the 12 boys we have (there are 120 girls and about 12 boys in my class). She does this during class, in the halls, after class, at lunch, it doesn't matter - she's downright obnoxious because she must believe that she will die if someone isn't focusing their attention on her at all times of the day.

Maybe she has a hearing problem you don't know about.

I'm glad we revived this thread, now if only we could get back into the one about soulcrushers mustache..........