Sexual racism
Peter Haywood

From reading recent opinions in the Peak, I feel like there is a large portion of the SFU population that is discriminating against me and people like me. They think they are more enlightened and intellectually superior, based on things that have nothing to do with our intelligence. They put us down, and frown on us, and the dirty looks I get sometimes really make me feel like I am some sort of outcast. Just because I find fat people unattractive, does that mean I don't deserve to be treated like a human being?

First of all, it is essential to keep in mind that generalisations are, well, general. A problem arises when people read the word "all" and take it literally. I'm not sure if I'm the only one that's noticed this, but in casual conversation, the word 'all' doesn't mean the same thing as the logical term "all." Saying "All fat people are lazy and/or eat unhealthy food" is meant to be taken as a generalisation. Of course, it would be idiotic to think that the speaker meant it as a universal rule of nature.

Secondly, I have personal preferences that these so-called enlightened people seem to have forced themselves to suppress. I don't find fat girls attractive (and I don't mean all fat girls, but as a general rule...). Does that make me a bad person? I don't find self-centered, ditsy, ignorant, or tall girls attractive either. Am I an even worse person for that?

I have a friend who loves tall girls, and he doesn't think any less of me for finding them unappealing. I don't find men attractive either! I'm discriminating against half the human race all in one statement, but I still hold that I am a good person.

Thirdly, there is a reason why we think all fat people are lazy or eat too much. We don't do it for no reason; that would just be silly. We've all had periods when we were particularly inactive, and eaten too much junk food (usually around exam time for me), we gain a few extra pounds. When exams are over, and summer begins, we become more active and trim down a bit. It would seem quite rational to apply this reasoning to other people, so when we see fat people (not all, but generally) we think they've done the same thing to an extreme.

Fourthly, just because I don't find a person physically attractive doesn't mean that I hate them. I have a few fat friends, and they're great people. I also have an arrogant friend, a couple tall friends, and a self-centered friend. People aren't perfect, and you really only concentrate on the negative parts of them if you dislike them as a whole.

Lastly, I'm getting really tired of people blaming the media for our negative views on non-model like appearances. Do you think TV producers and casting agents go around thinking "I want to shape the image of what people find beautiful, so I'm going to put these slim, athletic people on TV and then everyone will think that kind of person is good-looking"? The reason why slim, tight bodies are on TV is because that is what we (and I don't mean all of us) like!

I don't know how you can think it's the other way around, it just doesn't make any sense to me. Media is the voice of society; it is not the dictator. If anything, the media gives us a good idea of what we really want.

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