Treating Other People With Respect

theprestige said:
"Obese" has no colloquial usage? It's strictly a technical term in medicine? That seems... Retarded.
Click to expand...

Of course "obese" has a colloquial usage - a strictly derogatory one. Very much like "retarded," in fact. Calling a person either in a casual (non-medical) context is an unambiguous insult.
 
AdamSK said:
Of course "obese" has a colloquial usage - a strictly derogatory one. Very much like "retarded," in fact. Calling a person either in a casual (non-medical) context is an unambiguous insult.
Click to expand...

ETA: But calling them overweight isn't?

I'm sorry. I'm being a total dick here. Please forgive me.
 
Last edited:
Upchurch said:
Same question to you, do you want to be polite to overweight people?
Click to expand...


How is "person of size" necessarily any more polite than "overweight"? Once one gets past the phrasing one quickly realizes it's referring to the same category of person.

Perhaps the best way is to simply class passengers by weight, e.g. Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, etc.
 
cornsail said:
I don't see any reason to mock people for their religious beliefs unless they are trying to impose them on others (which many do). Not wanting to mock people isn't "pandering".
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I disagree. When a full grown man/woman says that the moon was split less than 1500 years ago(Muslims),or they have lived before(Buddhists),or that zombies are real(Christians)then they are being stupid. Why should I(or anyone) pretend otherwise.

If a adult thinks that a human can live inside a whale-oh wait fish sorry(because that's the problem with that story!)then they are stupid and should be treated accordingly.

Firstly there's a honesty aspect. If you see or hear someone being a idiot should you not be upfront about it. Secondly if someone says something patently absurd isn't it simple decency to roll around on the floor laughing loudly.

But ultimately, above all else I strongly believe that if someone acts like a stupid idiot they should be treated accordingly. The only time you don't mock a idiot loudly is when they have a nickname like "stabby Steve"or "machete mike"and they are between you and the only exit.
 
Corsair 115 said:
How is "person of size" necessarily any more polite than "overweight"? Once one gets past the phrasing one quickly realizes it's referring to the same category of person.

Perhaps the best way is to simply class passengers by weight, e.g. Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how that answers my question. Is that a "yes" or "no"?
 
Upchurch said:
If they prefer to be called "passengers of size", would you call them that out of politeness?
Click to expand...

No.

I'd explain to them that the term is ambiguous and not suitable for use in that way. Not to mention, meaningless: every passenger is a person of size.

Obese people are passengers of size XXXXXL.
 
Could have gone with a better example above but its half three in the morning and I'm of to sleep. I think I got the point across.
Ask yourself this-do YOU disrespect/dislike someone/some group for no reason. I doubt it. All those you disrespect have earned that from you.
 
I just posted in the "Anchor Babies" thread that many terms are too accurate. Many people don't like the term "illegal alien", even though that is exactly what they are. We like "undocumented immigrant" better, even though many illegal aliens are not immigrating at all.

The problem with this type of political correctness is that it disguises, to some degree, the fact that these people are breaking the law (illegal aliens that is). Illegal is a much more accurate description, but it just "feels so wrong". Why should we deport or arrest people just because they are undocumented? Heck, let's give them free handouts!

I deleted a bunch of other examples from this post because it turned into a rant. This type of PC is harmful. It makes people feel good and self-righteous, but it accomplishes nothing, and sometimes it makes matters worse.
 
skeptichaggis said:
It isn't. Disrespect is also earned. If someone does something worthy of your respect(save a homeless kitten)they have earned it. Likewise if someone kicks a homeless kitten they have earned your disrespect.
Click to expand...

You certaily could have come up with a better example, but it does neatly show the difference between who gives respect to whom.

You didn't mention the someone I'd save my respect for - the one who took the kitten to be humanely destroyed. There are already far too many cats.
 
Upchurch said:
I'm not sure how that answers my question. Is that a "yes" or "no"?
Click to expand...


The problem with your question is that it assumes "person of size" is automatically more polite than "overweight". That will vary by individual.
 
The Atheist said:
You certaily could have come up with a better example, but it does neatly show the difference between who gives respect to whom.

You didn't mention the someone I'd save my respect for - the one who took the kitten to be humanely destroyed. There are already far too many cats.
Click to expand...

There can NEVER be enough cats! :jaw-dropp. Haven't you seen those cute YouTube videos. Cats are the future,dogs/monkeys/humans are not cute enough to conquer the cosmos. Only cats,lots and lots of cats,can do this.
 
Upchurch said:
Well, yes, but how do you determine that and is it in the airline's best interest to take the chance when a lower risk option ("passenger of size") is available?
Click to expand...

"Passenger of size" is a silly term because it's tortured English. I'd wager that you haven't heard the phrase "X of size" used to mean "large X" prior to this.[1] It is at the point that one invents awkward phrases to avoid offense that they invite ridicule.

If one means "large passengers", then one could say "large passengers" (or, perhaps, "larger passengers", to make the comparative explicit). That said, I understand that airlines want to be sensitive, but this has led to a very clunky terminology which simply draws attention rather than deflects it sensitively.

[1] I could be wrong and would like to see examples, if so. "X of considerable size" sounds familiar, but "X of size" has dropped the adjective in favor of total ambiguity.
 
TomB said:
I don't like "passengers of size" because it's needlessly awkward. ("Persons of" whatever always sounds awkward to me. I think it's the use of the prepositional phrase.) "Large" works just as well. "Larger passengers who do not meet the following criteria may need to purchase an additional seat." Applies to the obese person, the Defensive lineman, or Andre the Giant without being negatively judgmental.


"Passenger of size" sounds like you're trying really hard not to say what you really mean. To me, it sounds MORE insulting.
Click to expand...

Okay, so if I had read just one more post, I'd've seen that this issue had been raised.

Oh, well. I'm with Tom here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom