I think there are certain issues, and weight is one of them, that tend to provoke a strong emotional response in people. When emotion enters a discussion, logic tends to leave. IMO you cannot have a productive, reasonable discussion with anyone who is primarily driven by emotion. You'll just be spinning your wheels. My point being that I realize that you tend to come from a place of logic Andrae, however not everyone does and in a discussion with emotion on one side and logic on the other, you aren't going to find a middle ground. I think people who take an emotional approach don't understand that you can present the logical, fact based side without demeaning them or their position/beliefs. There's just a disconnect between the way you're communicating with the other person that cannot be remedied.
Thank you Esp for putting this in perspective for me. As usual you're right and I should have enough sense to leave topics like this alone.
I wasn't trying to tell you to leave it alone babe, I'm not in the habit of telling people what to do. I merely sought to elucidate that on some emotionally charged topics, discussion is the equivalent of pissing into the wind. I actually find it maddening to try to explain something logically to someone who because of emotion is completely unable to appreciate anything they hear. That's one of my pet peeves. So I've learned that once you get to that point, it's time to just pack it up. I have a little trouble with the concept of retreat, but I'm working on that, and I'm getting better at not pissing into the wind.
Yeah retreat is something I have to work on as well. It just kills me when I can't have an honest and open dialogue with other adults. Our emotions truly limit us sometimes. And pissing in the wind lol
I understand that Andrae, truly I do. Debate was a regular part of every family gathering in my childhood, and my family is fairly evenly split with Conservatives and Liberals so there was never a shortage of topics. You could hold any opinion you liked so long as you were prepared to explain what the opinion was based upon, and it had better be factual or you were done for. But there were rules, you were not allowed to belittle someone else for their opinion, and at the point you became angry or markedly upset you had to leave the discussion and return when you had regained perspective. This was based upon my grandfather's belief that at the point you allowed emotion to be your primary motivating force, you lost objectivity and consequently credibility. I thought that's how everyone's family functioned... imagine my surprise to find that most really don't, and that people don't always want your opinion, nor have the ability to objectively consider it. That was quite a shock, but despite that I wouldn't change a thing. I think it really encouraged me to think critically and objectively, and it was really nice to have the ability to say anything you liked and know even if it wasn't something others agreed with, they respected your right to think it anyway.
LOL at the Dr Phil image. I did wonder how it fit, but I see you've explained yourself well enough, Andrae. I also want to say that I agree with everything Andrae and Espy have just said, and I do see that you're presenting a logical argument, Andrae. I agree that I do often come at things from an emotional stand point. I'm also a socialist at heart so I'm all for defending anyone who's in the firing line. I also try to avoid generalisations at all costs as I think they don't serve much purpose, so I tend to argue against those if I see them creep up... All in all, though, with topics such at this, I don't see much point in ranting and raving about the negative aspect when it's just as easy to leave well enough alone. You'd live a pretty unhappy life if you always let what other people choose to do with their lives bother you so much.
In every other case, I'd agree with you, but in the case of unhealthy people, they can adversely affect the rest of us in the form of higher healthcare costs, higher insurance premiums, potentially higher co-pays, etc. Unhealthy people is a problem for everyone in this country.
Well, maybe so, but going on about it (and being derogatory) in an Internet forum (or pretty much any other place really) isn't gonna solve anything.
so are the people who smoke...people who drink...people who do drugs...people who spend too much time in the sun resulting in skin cancer...people who have unprotected sex resulting in STDs, HIV...people that don't vacinate their kids there are a host of reasons that we will pay higher premiums and co-pays...
LOL! Thanks andrae! Though I could use some serious help with my grammar. :shock: I need some sleep. Being derogatory is not good. I agree. But we should be able to have a healthy discussion on the topic without people resorting to name calling and using derogatory terms. Yep. That all falls under "unhealthy". Which is why I used the word "unhealthy".
:smt115 andrea...having an open and honest dialogue is perfectly acceptable...personally i think it comes down to location, location , location...i think you need to get used to the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you even if you think on a stack of bibles that you are right and they are wrong...that person may feel the same way which means there is no common ground...deciding when to stop is about discipline be careful about where you stand when you piss in the wind...always important to determine direction first or you may end up pissing on yourself
Fact: Fat around the midsection is a strong risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancers Very insightful article on why excessive body fat is bad for you. Definitely worth reading https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/HEALTH_RESOURCES?topic=bellyfat
Wow, that's so great, Iggy. I was JUST going to post an article for YOU on how having a superiority complex can be bad for your health...since you're adept at Google, I'm sure you could find it on your own.
:smt003 you crack me up, GirlD this argument is going around in circles... How many times are we gonna say the same thing? Enough already. Lippy's right, as usual.
i agree. just stop responding to limpy, i mean, iggy. and let's get back to appreciating the vast variety of sexy in the world. dayum, these threads are being created to celebrate, not sit here and have to prove anything to the abundantly ignorant. :smt029 (can i get a remix on this smiley, and just make him a happy red'brown-skin. lol)
lmfao...where have you been all my life:mrgreen: here we go round in circles:smt020circles.... you just might be our new favorite:smt045
