The line seems rather clear. "Haha, you're fat" phrased in a witty way isn't too bad, and can be amusing even to the "victim" if they have a healthy self-image. But "you should do everyone a favor and kill yourself", or "do the right thing and don't share such pictures of yourself" are hateful comments that have nothing to do with wit.
Digging deeper, personal offensive jokes are acceptable when then joker knows the target well enough to know that it won't be taken as an actual offense. That's what makes them risky e.g. in workplaces where people don't know each other as well. But on the internet, such jokes are not personal to begin with.
You could replace the OP's picture with a photograph of any other overweight person and it wouldn't make a difference. It's only for people that recognize the person (including themselves) that the joke takes on a whole different meaning. As such, I don't have a huge problem with these jokes.
The hateful comments are a different story, but I find that it helps to remember that they are written by children and other people who simply lack the development of empathy, and should neither be taken seriously nor held completely responsible. They just don't understand, just as a toddler wouldn't understand the repercussions of firing a gun.
> The line seems rather clear. "Haha, you're fat" phrased in a witty way isn't too bad, and can be amusing even to the "victim" if they have a healthy self-image.
Are you serious? Fat people have a tremendously difficult time with being ridiculed for even existing, so no this joke was not acceptable.
> But "you should do everyone a favor and kill yourself", or "do the right thing and don't share such pictures of yourself" are hateful comments that have nothing to do with wit.
This joke and fat hatred go hand in hand. There are not separate entities, they are a part of the same continuum that made the joke a reality: fat people are lazy and have no impulse control and deserve ridicule.
> Digging deeper, personal offensive jokes are acceptable when then joker knows the target well enough to know that it won't be taken as an actual offense. That's what makes them risky e.g. in workplaces where people don't know each other as well. But on the internet, such jokes are not personal to begin with.
> You could replace the OP's picture with a photograph of any other overweight person and it wouldn't make a difference. It's only for people that recognize the person (including themselves) that the joke takes on a whole different meaning. As such, I don't have a huge problem with these jokes.
The amount of shit fat people get from close friends about being fat is just as bad as a society from a whole, so why exactly would it be OK if it was just someone you knew personally hating you vs. a stranger on the internet?
> The hateful comments are a different story, but I find that it helps to remember that they are written by children and other people who simply lack the development of empathy, and should neither be taken seriously nor held completely responsible. They just don't understand, just as a toddler wouldn't understand the repercussions of firing a gun.
People are fully aware of what they post. Racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, fat hatred, etc. are the basis for many memes and the comments that go with them. There are not separate, they are a part of the same underlying thoughts and stereotypes that people actually believe in.
I don't agree that the joke and hatred go hand in hand. I'm not fat (which perhaps somehow disqualifies me from having an opinion), but it doesn't come for free. This is the case for majority of non-fat people. Most people understand that although there are exceptions (e.g. the OP), being fat is a result of circumstances that you or your parents have control over. In the majority of cases, it's very different from racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia.
Now, you are right that this doesn't mean fat people deserve to be ridiculed. Neither do smokers. But I'll happily jest with my friend's smoking, because I care and it would do her good to stop it. Poking fun at such things is a good motivator (I've been at the receiving end of this), you just have to be careful to use it only when you know it won't hurt the person's self esteem. That's why I think it is ok when you know the person well.
> The amount of shit fat people get from close friends about being fat is just as bad as a society from a whole
If you get shit from actual close friends, perhaps you should explain to them that's how you feel about it. Perhaps they are unaware. Seems more of a communication issue.
> People are fully aware of what they post.
No, they are not. I reiterate my analogy of a toddler with a gun.
Digging deeper, personal offensive jokes are acceptable when then joker knows the target well enough to know that it won't be taken as an actual offense. That's what makes them risky e.g. in workplaces where people don't know each other as well. But on the internet, such jokes are not personal to begin with.
You could replace the OP's picture with a photograph of any other overweight person and it wouldn't make a difference. It's only for people that recognize the person (including themselves) that the joke takes on a whole different meaning. As such, I don't have a huge problem with these jokes.
The hateful comments are a different story, but I find that it helps to remember that they are written by children and other people who simply lack the development of empathy, and should neither be taken seriously nor held completely responsible. They just don't understand, just as a toddler wouldn't understand the repercussions of firing a gun.