Doctors told not to use ‘obese’ or ‘obesity under new guidelines

[ArguesWithStrangers]

Language evolves, who would've thought!
I see no problem about using more "neutral" words in general.
Even if some people think it's silly, others might not. In the end, it doesn't hurt you at all!

Yes, language evolves. However, when it evolves to cater to feelings of people in the process of eating themselves to death, I'm going to go ahead and say it's evolving in the wrong direction. Furthermore, whatever you replace obese with will simply mean the same thing as obese in very short order, and leave the same triggered people feeling just as triggered.

[Thetruth1400]

Good grief. Is this where we at?
Don't these people see the vast destruction that the obesity is causing. Quit sugarcoating the issue. Don't tell people they're "fine as they are" if they're not.

We really must all do our part to dissuade such negative action.

They are 100% not trying to tell people they are "fine as they are" they're just using word phrasing to try and lessen the potential offense taken.

That being said, I'm in the obese category at 32% BMI (Down from 42%) and I 100% don't mind the doctor telling me that. I'd much rather him tell me something tangible like a number instead of "You are above a recommended weight for your height." My feelings can take it.

Again, that aside, it's not for you or I to decide. If the doctors want to take steps like they're taking, so be it. If you don't like it, tell your doctor to give it to you straight, the numbers, like I would do if my doctor ever tried to water down the words for me. Likewise, you talk of the dangers of obesity, but do you feel the same way about other dangers like smoking and drinking? Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death yet smoking is still a thing.

[callipygoustp]

Grown ups acting like children.

[belfpala]

well i know people on the internet call things like don't like doing or don't like "aids" or "cancer" so soon doctors will have to find a way to explain to people they have aids or cancer without using those words i guess.

don't want to offend people with medical terms because it's used as an insult on the internet.

Look, your cells have mutated in a way that you're gaining a super power. It's a great super power, listen, it's great. It's so great that it will kill you soon.

Meanwhile, your immune cells decided to stop showing up for school. You're susceptible to many things now, including that superpower, so don't let people cough at you.

...did I do this right?

[Karlz0rz]

Yes, language evolves. However, when it evolves to cater to feelings of people in the process of eating themselves to death, I'm going to go ahead and say it's evolving in the wrong direction. Furthermore, whatever you replace obese with will simply mean the same thing as obese in very short order, and leave the same triggered people feeling just as triggered.

But do you agree that you can still fight the reason WHY you are obese/fat, while also still using more neutral words to get the point across? Because if you can believe that, then why does it matter if the words change?
And I agree, perhaps down the line we people would get triggered again, but does it really matter?

It was perfectly fine to call a black gentleman a nigger in the past. And now, it's the most hated word on the planet.
Sometimes it's actually ok to try and change words for the better, right?

[Deleted]

Language evolves, who would've thought!
I see no problem about using more "neutral" words in general.
Even if some people think it's silly, others might not. In the end, it doesn't hurt you at all!

that's not the case... "obese" and "obesity" aren't social labels or things like that, they are medical terms, and if a person is obese, it's not a matter of how one feels toward his body or a matter of judgment... it's a medical condition, it's a serious threat for health :| of course there are different body types and different terms to name them, without being offensive, but when one is anorexic he's anorexic, when he's obese he's obese: if you have a broken arm you can't call it "differently shaped extremity" :|

[Karlz0rz]

that's not the case... "obese" and "obesity" aren't social labels or things like that, they are medical terms, and if a person is obese, it's not a matter of how one feels toward his body or a matter of judgment... it's a medical condition, it's a serious threat for health :| of course there are different body types and different terms to name them, without being offensive, but when one is anorexic he's anorexic, when he's obese he's obese: if you have a broken arm you can't call it "differently shaped extremity" :|

Yes, and I personally do not mind pretty much any words/descriptors. But there are people out there who do.
Does it matter to me and you, if we cater to them? Does it hurt you in any way, that they will change "obese" to something else?
If you can honestly say it doesn't, then why not just let them have it? ^^

[Deleted]

But do you agree that you can still fight the reason WHY you are obese/fat, while also still using more neutral words to get the point across? Because if you can believe that, then why does it matter if the words change?
And I agree, perhaps down the line we people would get triggered again, but does it really matter?

It was perfectly fine to call a black gentleman a nigger in the past. And now, it's the most hated word on the planet.
Sometimes it's actually ok to try and change words for the better, right?

i dunno, in general line your concept isn't stupid, but there are cases like this in which i think you risk to do more damage than else... if you have cancer, it's horrible, but it doesn't mean you can't at least try to fight through it instead of giving up as soon as you hear the word :|

besides sorry but the nigger example altough true doesn't work at all with cases like this :P

[RyanEX]

Language evolves, who would've thought!
I see no problem about using more "neutral" words in general.
Even if some people think it's silly, others might not. In the end, it doesn't hurt you at all!

Uh yes it does.

If they sugar coat it then they don't feel concerned about it and they don't do anything about it.

[The Stormbringer]

so the far-left have pretty much become science deniers.

first sex and now weight.

no better than flat earthers, and climate deniers

Incredible! It's almost like dogmatic extremists will ignore things that counter their views no matter what side they're on.

[Underverse]

Obese has a meaning. The word hasn't changed. It's not an insult or a slur. If someone's getting offended because facts are being stated, they need to get over it.

[Karlz0rz]

i dunno, in general line your concept isn't stupid, but there are cases like this in which i think you risk to do more damage than else... if you have cancer, it's horrible, but it doesn't mean you can't at least try to fight through it instead of giving up as soon as you hear the word :|

besides sorry but the nigger example altough true doesn't work at all with cases like this :P

The battle will always be in the results you go for, more so than your words. And I feel like a single word shouldn't hold that much meaning, but rather the whole picture.
But some people get triggered more easily than say you and I, and I don't mind catering to that feeling.

But I agree, the situation isn't the same in regards to a racial slur. It was more a way to show you that words change :P.

- - - Updated - - -

Uh yes it does.

If they sugar coat it then they don't feel concerned about it and they don't do anything about it.

They will still feel concerned about it, when they have the full picture, rather than focusing on the word "obese".
If your doctor tells you that you face the risk of dying because of your situation, then that holds more "power" than the word obese, right?

[Thelxi]

That sounds stupid to me. Obesity is not an insult, it's a scientific term and medical condition. This wouldn't be sugarcoating this would be lying.

[PosPosPos]

so the far-left have pretty much become science deniers.

first sex and now weight.

no better than flat earthers, and climate deniers

Assuming it's even "far-left"(doubt so, but let's go along with it for now), at least their PC culture doesn't harm anyone except the sensibilities of alt-righters like yourself.

They are still acknowledging that problems are problems, but choose to reword what they say in an unnecessarily nice manner. Alt-righters like you on the other hand, pretend problems don't exist. I shouldn't need to explain why alt-righters are infinit-ly worse.

Being too polite and considerate of the feelings of others may be a bad thing, but it's leaps and miles better than the alt-right's being disgustingly rude and wrong.

[infinit]

Assuming it's even "far-left"(doubt so, but let's go along with it for now), at least their PC culture doesn't harm anyone except the sensibilities of alt-righters like yourself.

They are still acknowledging that problems are problems, but choose to reword what they say in an unnecessarily nice manner. Alt-righters like you on the other hand, pretend problems don't exist. I shouldn't need to explain why alt-righters are infinit-ly worse.

Being too polite and considerate of the feelings of others may be a bad thing, but it's leaps and miles better than the alt-right's being disgustingly rude and wrong.

except denial-ism does more harm then good with both mental issue and obesity.

and lol at repeating alt-right... is that your word of the day little buddy?

[ArguesWithStrangers]

But do you agree that you can still fight the reason WHY you are obese/fat, while also still using more neutral words to get the point across? Because if you can believe that, then why does it matter if the words change?
And I agree, perhaps down the line we people would get triggered again, but does it really matter?

It was perfectly fine to call a black gentleman a nigger in the past. And now, it's the most hated word on the planet.
Sometimes it's actually ok to try and change words for the better, right?

You're drawing a false equivalence, as the word nigger was always meant as a pejorative, even when it was deemed acceptable, and and obese is merely a description of a demonstrable fact. Whether or not something is being said as ridicule actually depends on the intent of the person saying it, not the feelings of the person hearing it. That is why pandering to said feelings is ludicrous, because the feelings will change faster than you can change the language.

[Karlz0rz]

You're drawing a false equivalence, as the word nigger was always meant as a pejorative, even when it was deemed acceptable, and and obese is merely a description of a demonstrable fact. Whether or not something is being said as ridicule actually depends on the intent of the person saying it, not the feelings of the person hearing it. That is why pandering to said feelings is ludicrous, because the feelings will change faster than you can change the language.

But if you look past that, and just focus on the changing of language, does it matter? Why does this matter so much to you, that suddenly doctors may feel inclined to use another more neutral word for obese? Does it hurt you in ANY way? I'm genuinely curious...

[therealstegblob]

This is a kind of perpetual cycle that has been going on for decades with all kinds of medical terms. Retard, idiot, imbecile, cripple, etc etc... all used to be part of legitimate medical terminology, but over time the terms are co-opted more as pejoratives by the general populance. In turn, the medical community starts phasing out those words for others that are deemed as less loaded. And eventually, the cycle repeats itself.

Wow, language evolves. How unimaginable.

[Deleted]

Fat people are irresponsible and should be ridiculed, not normalized

[ArguesWithStrangers]

But if you look past that, and just focus on the changing of language, does it matter? Why does this matter so much to you, that suddenly doctors may feel inclined to use another more neutral word for obese? Does it hurt you in ANY way? I'm genuinely curious...

Why does anything matter to anyone? You saying that I should be ambivalent to anything that does not hurt me personally is rather silly, and a standard no human being on earth adheres to.

It matters to me because I disagree with the philosophy that sees the change as necessary, and the idea that its intent will even be met. Furthermore, I believe our increasing cultural habit of giving in to people's feelings even to the extreme of refusing to acknowledge facts is harmful. It weakens us, and distracts us from even being able to address problems, much less solve them.