Why does reality tv hate fat people? (Hells kitchen spoiler)

[brettdale]

Robert is a 29 year old Sous Chef who is currently on season five of Hell's Kitchen. He is 400 pounds and he wont win, he is there for viewer enjoyment, he is there so we can all have a laugh at the fat sweaty bumbling man who hasn't many friends.

Don't get me wrong, I love the show and I love Gordon Ramsay, but this show and other reality shows seem to have a problem with fat people. Take The Apprentice a few years back and the schoolyard bullying treatment of Brent Buckman, he was a overweight contestant who was never really in the running, he was just there for viewer enjoyment.

Why are the reality TV shows doing this? Is society still that bad that we have to make fun of people who are overweight? In the latest episode, Robert seems to be a real good chef, and he helped his team win the challenge, thus earning his team the reward of a helicopter trip to an island off the coast of California, he was called into Ramsay's office and told he was to fat to go on the helicopter, but he will be able to go to the island by ferry.

They showed shots of the rest of his team enjoying the helicopter ride, while he was shown sleeping on the ferry all by himself as condensing music played in the back ground.

To top it all off, as he finally meet up with his team , Gordon went up to him and told him, its time to go back, thus Robert missed out on his reward for being to fat.

They then showed Close up shots of Robert's face full of disappointment, while his teammates laugh. Now producers of this show, know this will generate laughs and rating points and that's the idea of television, but if they know full well that Robert is not going to win this thing, then they shouldn't have picked him for the final 16, it may be good for ratings, but its not good taste.

I hope he does well, but I'm thinking the editors are going make him a joke, and that's not fair.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. It's UNSAFE for a 400lb person to ride in a helicopter

Would you have preferred for him to risk the life of the other passengers and crew?

[brettdale]

2. No

But they must of known by the time he got to the island, they would have to leave, they edited it to make him look like a fat bumbling fool.

[grace0418]

37. No, but they could've scheduled it so everyone could enjoy their reward. That does

seem awfully cruel to me.

[smalll]

3. Yes, reality TV hates fatties, as much as it hates bald people, old people,

people without pretty faces, men with body hair, women with minor boobage, people with less-than-perfect teeth, etc. etc. etc.

It's all about Hot Or Not. There's no especial fat hatred going on here. You guys are just one particular subset of undesirables.

[surrealAmerican]

36. You got it, smalll.

The audience can tell immediately who to root for - the most attractive person. It's not about skills, it's about glamor.

[Wapsie B]

4. Why? Because it's the last acceptable form of discrimination.

People can be very unacepting of those who don't fit into the group somehow. And someone that large would really not fit into many groups.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. No, it's perfectly acceptable to discriminate against gay people

[Danger Mouse]

10. Yeah, I would have figured that one's obvious.

[Wapsie B]

12. Point taken but I doubt there will ever be legislation proposed

that will prohibit discrimination for bodily size or appearance.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. Bug your legislators about it

It's illegal to discriminate on appearance to some extent in NJ.

Of course, nothing is keeping overweight people from getting married, visiting their partners in hospitals, losing their jobs because being fat is immoral, being discriminated against in housing, etc.

[Missy Vixen]

16. So it's okay, then?

It's okay that the average fat person spends every day dealing with overt or covert nastiness, employment and/or wage discrimination, etcetera, right? After all, it's not REAL discrimination, is it?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

22. Did I say it was okay?

No, I didn't. Please point out where I said it was okay. Thank you in advance.

[Missy Vixen]

40. Here you go

>Of course, nothing is keeping overweight people from getting married, visiting their partners in hospitals, losing their jobs because being fat is immoral, being discriminated against in housing, etc.<

In other words, the shit the fat go through every day on a national scale is just fine. After all, it's not "real" discrimination. If you don't think discrimination against the fat exists in our society, I'm not sure how to convey it in a way you'll get it.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

44. I'm not saying it's not real discrimination, I'm just saying overweight people have civil rights

Lots of groups face discrimination, blacks, Hispanics, women, gays, transpeople, etc.

Discriminating against fat people is definitely not the last acceptable group to discriminate against.

[Left Is Write]

47. Haruka did not say that "fat" discrimination doesn't exist.

She also did not say that "fat" discrimination is OK.

She responded to the assertion that fat discrimination is the "last" acceptable discrimination in our society. It isn't. That's what's she was pointing out.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

51. Thank you

:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

15. It's illegal in San Francisco

I'm only sorry, some days, that I don't live there. ;-)

[skygazer]

35. Why do these conversations always devolve into a contest about who has it worst?

No wonder the conservatives always use the old "pit one group against the other" ploy - it always works.

[WinkyDink]

23. Don't THINK so. NO WAY is a contestant going to be called a gay slur, but "Fatty"? "Big Boy"? Yep..

[Left Is Write]

30. You don't think it's socially acceptable to discriminate against gay people?

Apparently it is, because a whole bunch of people in California voted to invalidate the marriages of their gay citizens.

[WinkyDink]

55. The TOPIC is "REALITY" TELEVISION.

[Left Is Write]

58. So? This subthread is discussing the erroneous idea that fat discrimination

is the last socially acceptable discrimination.

Sorry, but you cannot control the direction the discussion takes.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

34. Yes, because being called "fatty" on TV is akin to being denied your civil rights

Also, most overweight people can lose weight, barring certain medical conditions. You can't change being gay or black, etc.

[WinkyDink]

54. The TOPIC is "REALITY" TELEVISION.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

57. I would love to see your unedited response

:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

41. If there were gay slurs on any network programming

The network would be slammed with letters and phone calls, there would be an immediate boycott of their sponsors, etcetera.

I know I'd participate.

[Aristus]

5. Stephen King once wrote a story called "The Wedding Gig", which, in a side story,

distinguished between the persecution of an enormously fat woman, and the persecution of a black character. (The story was set in the 1920's.) The narrator made the distinction between the two when he said: "People like Maureen can always stop eating. Guys like Billy can only stop breathing."

I don't approve of persecuting anyone, for any reason. But if you weigh 400 pounds, you have to assume some responsibility for your situation in life.

[Wapsie B]

8. Oh that's right it's all their fault.

I cannot believe how many health professionals treat every other ailment with concern and dire need to find a cure. Yet when it comes to someone overweight they're looked on with disgust and ridicule. Professionals my ass.

[Aristus]

11. Who said anything about disgust and ridicule? If I had a 400 pound patient (and that's

not an 'if'; I've had them.) I would treat him or her with dignity and respect. But I would tell them that the best thing they could do for their health was to lose weight. And I would do everything I could to help them.

[Wapsie B]

13. Disgust? Talk to a few Cardiologists then get back to me.

[Aristus]

27. Shoot. Cardiologists treat everybody with contempt and disgust.

I'm studying to be a practitioner of clinical medicine. Treating obesity as a preventable clinical problem is the only way we're ever going to solve it. Overeating is no different than smoking or alcoholism. It's a treatable addiction that can be overcome with the right combination of counseling, meal planning, self-control, and constant emotional support. I, too, don't understand why overeaters are treated with more contempt than smokers. Eating is a perfectly natural thing to do; critical to our survival. It's easy to become addicted to it. Smoking is one of the most unnatural things there is, and there is a great deal of expense and time-consumption that goes into becoming addicted.

I plan to treat obesity like any other clinical problem; success of treatment is predicated upon patient compliance.

[Missy Vixen]

17. Sigh.

>But if you weigh 400 pounds, you have to assume some responsibility for your situation in life.

That's right. Those damn fatties should just lose the weight, then they wouldn't have to deal with the shit they deal with daily from others, should they? It's nice to know that the fat deserve whatever others dish out. After all, we're not one of the more popular anti-discrimination groups, are we?

What happens when they can't lose the weight? You're in the medical field, and you don't think that someone that's 400 pounds either has a significant metabolic problem or some other issue besides simply overeating and not getting enough exercise? Why would anyone submit to a surgery that has a 1 in 200 mortality rate, not to mention significant post-op complications, simply to be "thin" and socially acceptable?

[Shell Beau]

33. I didn't get that at all from what he wrote.

Plus it isn't just about being thin and socially acceptable. It is about increasing your chances to live a healthy life. Someone who is 400 lbs. is more likely to have health issues. People who qualify for the surgery, usually benefit health wise just as much if not more than social wise. It is a risky procedure though that should never ever be done for "wanting to be thin".

[Missy Vixen]

39. No, it's all about wanting to be "thin"

Health issues have little or nothing to do with having a gastric bypass. It's all about hitting that magic number on the scale so you'll fit in, you'll be treated like anyone else, and you'll be deemed acceptable to be seen in public with.

Don't believe me? Why else would ANYONE (again,) submit to a surgery with not only a shockingly high mortality rate, the post-op complications are at the least difficult and at most, deadly? Have you ever met anyone who's had a gastric bypass? I have; one of the minor post-op issues is malnutrition.

[Shell Beau]

43. Actually I have met someone who has had it. It was a decision

made to be healthy. The consequence they faced if they didn't do something drastic was most likely something major (heart attack, etc.). One's heart can only stand so much when one is extremely morbidly obese. And unless you have met everyone who has had the surgery, I don't see how you can say it is all about that magic number. It has to do with getting around without being tired and out of breath. It has to do with living. And for some people, I am sure it has to do with wanting to be thin, but there are requirements that must be met before one is a candidate.

[Missy Vixen]

45. I am one of those people

If you went through what the fat do on a daily basis, you'd be looking into it as well. "Getting around without being tired and out of breath" is a problem, but the societal ramifications of being fat are much more significant to the fat person in the end.

The final result of a gastric bypass is essentially controlled starvation for the rest of your life. This is why people have such significant post-op issues, besides the fact nobody knows pre-op what effect the surgery will have on one's body -- it seems everyone has a different result, at least in the cases and with the others I've met.

I might also mention that there are doctors who will perform the surgery and waive the qualifying procedures. A woman married to one of my husband's former co-workers had the surgery in July; she saw a psychologist for one visit, and that was it. Whether or not some here want to discuss it or not, gastric bypass/lap band surgery is a booming industry. Lap band surgery, for instance, is $16,000 for an hour and a half procedure.

[Shell Beau]

46. Well it is a shame that they will waive the qualifications. But

those type of doctors exist everywhere for everything. I can't really relate as I have never been overweight. I am sure the societal ramifications are huge, but I also think that there are people out there who do it for the health aspects. I don't think you can speak for all overweight people. You can only go on what you know.

[LeftyMom]

52. Somebody I know is looking to get one for health reasons.

Four reasons:

1. Her weight is a significant barrier to mobility. She can not lose much weight when she gets winded walking four feet from her recliner to her front door, she's physically incapable of moving that much weight around enough to excercise.

2. A significant reduction is important to her cardiovascular health. Unfortunately her cardiovascular health may be a barrier to the surgery, nobody's decided yet.

3. Her diabetes is sufficiently serious that she's had repeated hospitalizations and serious infections in her legs. Right now her choices are looking increasingly like losing 100 lbs or more or her legs. At least.

4. Her current health scenario right now is in a downward spiral due almost entirely to her morbid obesity and comorbid health conditions. Her prognosis without very significant weight loss is dire. Gastric bypass probably won't make her anything approaching thin (if she lost 200 lbs, she'd still be well into the range of obesity) but it could very well be the difference between living with a reasonable degree of quality of life and dying before she hits 45.

[Lucian]

6. I don't know, but it pisses me off.

At least Top Chef doesn't do that to its contestants.

[Danger Mouse]

7. Not just fat people, but anybody 'different'...because it indulgest peoples basest instincts.

Laugh at the others...laugh at them. Point and laugh!

[Missy Vixen]

18. If we laugh at them

they're not really human and deserving of dignity and respect, are they?

[Danger Mouse]

19. Of course. That's why we need to point and laugh.

[flvegan]

20. No matter. This Robert fella can lose the weight.

People that mock/hate/diminish folks that are overweight will be assholes forever.

As for the chopper trip, you can't put a 400 lb person on a helicopter like that. Shame they made a spectacle of it.

[blueraven95]

38. in which case,

the producers, knowing that there was a good likelihood that one of the contestants who would win the prize couldn't enjoy it, should have found a different reward.

[Hissyspit]

21. Jeez... It's reality TV. It's juvenile voyeuristic bread and circuses intended to make money.

Of course they're going to make fun of the obese people.

There's nothing fair about these shows.

[WinkyDink]

24. That would be "Risotto and circuses."

[Lyric]

25. Try being fat *and* gay. *sigh*

There's a reason I seem to spend 90% of my time within the confines of my own home.

[Droopy]

31. From what I understand

You have a great talent; an ability to create beauty out of words. You should get out more often. ;)

[NJmaverick]

26. Hey it seems society still considers it OK to make fun of and abuse the over weight

hell there are a few alleged liberals here at DU that like to make fun of the obese. So I guess it should come as no surprise that TV producers would do the same.

[SacredCow]

28. Hack TV writers and producers are to blame....

Need a quick laugh? Use a fat joke or a hairy back joke. Unfortunately, viewers keep eating this stuff up so I wouldn't look for a change anytime soon.

[no name no slogan]

29. PROTIP: "reality TV" shows don't show actual reality

They probably spent a nice afternoon on the island, and then, through the magic of editing, made it look like they left right after Robert arrived on the ferry.

As someone who has followed the making of reality TV since the days of "The Real World", I can tell you that most of those shows have about as much to do with reality as "Battlestar Galactica". They are filmed and edited in such a way to manipulate their audiences into feeling a certain way.

[Stevenmarc]

32. This is not the first season of Hells Kitchen and he took the gig

Robert put himself in this position, if you choose to walk into a lions den then you have to expect to get bitten.

[kwassa]

42. Fat people are the stars on "The Biggest Loser"

Just have to check your "reality shows".

[Deja Q]

48. Forget "reality television", Google "Chef! 1993 BBC" and seek out what's genuinely funny...

[KG]

49. why do these 'fat people' set themselves up for humiliation?

[Missy Vixen]

50. Good question

I wouldn't appear on network TV or any reality programming for any amount of money, but there are people who insist on doing so.

I can't imagine why. I truly can't believe anyone would consent to appear on Gordon Ramsey's program. I've seen it before. Why would anyone open themselves to that kind of abuse in the name of "entertainment"?

[ACTION BASTARD]

53. Fat is the new black. Deal with it.

It is not OK to be 400pds...unless your 8' 10"

[dembotoz]

56. uh oh the fat nazis are on the march

Excuse me if i seem a little sensitive but i have a situation that i am dealing with right now.

Kids in my 13 year olds class found out my kid weighs @175 lbs.
To them this means that he is fat.

So my 13 year old wants to go on a crusade to loose weight so that he
fit in with what his little fat nazi school mates think he should weigh.
They tease him--call him fatty

I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS ALLL GOD DAMN YEAR AND I AM SICK OF IT.

I should also mention that my kid is just 6 ft tall. He goes with me to the Y
a couple times a week, he wrestles on his middle school wrestling team, and he
plays competitive hockey.
The child is in good shape, the child is getting to be scary strong.
Oh and on ice, he is rather fast. But....
The teasing continues.

If it is this way for my kid--how must it be for a kid (or adult) who actually does
weigh more than is healthy.
The pediatrician says my kid won't be big, he is going to be huge. I am just trying
to avoid a son who is over 6ft 5 inches with an eating disorder.