Biased discrimination

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Has anyone thought that discrimination is biased?

Several types of discrimination are known as not widely acceptable, like making a crude word out of someones race, the fact they're fat or whether they have learning problems etc

Yet many people use discimination, which is actually just as bad, sich as making fun of people with red hair, being nasty to skinny people etc.

Why is this seen as acceptable in society?

If someone said "god you're skinny" to someone noone would care
If someone said "god you're fat" to someone, all hell would break loose.

It can be just as if not even more hurtful to be called skinny or "GINGA", yet people think this is ok.

WTF is wrong with society?

There's a subtext in there, aspies are discriminated against? Yes we are, and yes, it's against the law. What are we going to do about it?

I wasn't talking about people with aspergers. But it is a lot less PC to be nasty about redheads and skinny people than it is to be nasty about aspies.

Saying that someone is fat can be interpreted as an insult - they may think that you are trying to make fun of them, as opposed to simply stating a truth. Being fat is seen as a bad thing, so pointing it out is seen as an insult, but being skinny is seen as a good thing as it is healthier (unless you are anorexic) so commenting on that is seen as a compliment. People prefer being complimented over being insulted because it makes them feel good about themselves.

As to calling someone a ginga being more popular than calling someone a n****r, it is because racial discrimination has had a rough past, what with segregation in America, Apartheid in South Africa, et cetera. However, there have never been any world-changing demonstrations and campaigns regarding red-haired people. Red hair is also less obvious than black skin.

Discrimination is biased? That much is obvious, its very foundation is biased, it is showing a viewpoint, which is what bias is.

I have found that, observing what neurotypicals do, it does involve a twisted, complicated and somewhat biased logic mostly based on the survival of the species, as opposed to the much more simple logic us Aspies use that is based on logic itself. I should write something about this before I forget it...

Generalisation, as usual, is the culprit. Most skinny people, but not all, are healthier than fat people, so it is seen as a good thing.

Actually being told your skinny can be a vicious and ill thought out comment, yet it's still acceptable.

People would screw their face up at me as a kid and go "You're skinny". If I did that to a fatso everyone would go to their defense. When I was a kid all I ever wanted was to be fatter.

As for the red hair thing, whatever you think is logical, its still f*cking awful, and I don't see how people can think its so acceptable.

I am naturally quite thin, I am somewhat tall with a thin bone structure. I am quite healthy and weight train regularly to maintain increase my weight.

I can't tell you how many times I have been publicly embarrassed by comments about my weight. If someone made the identical comment to an overweight person it would silence the room.

I see comments here all the time about how women aren't attracted to men with "six-pack" abs, and how they are all shallow losers etc.

What am I supposed to do? Eat double bacon cheeseburgers until they disappear and then I would be acceptable?

Do people even think about what they are saying?

There's always prejudice and discrimination. It comes from the need for tribal solidarity, but it is sloppy in expression. Reigning it in is a maintenance job in a larger society, and the programs are ad-hoc, so what is socially acceptable changes from time to time, and place to place. There are countries where men often hold hands, others where women do, and others where couples do, but nowhere does everyone hold hands.

Grisha, I think you may be missing the point. Women aren't attracted to six pack abs, any more than they are attracted to guys with little muscle definition. Honestly you being healthy is a plus in many womens books.

I think when women say that, it is getting down to how attraction works for most women, it is emotional and mental as well as physical, but the physical does not play as much of a role as much as it does with men. There is a physical aspect, but it is rarely first in line. If you look at what women look for in a relationship humor is often near the top of the list. I am not saying women are perfect, rather what they look for in a relationship and what they find attractive is very complicated. I am saying this for both NT and AS women.

I would also ignore the whole "women are shallow" line.

The point towards discrimination. Discrimination is when a group of people are using thier position of privelege to hurt somebody else, or to create disandvantage. Somebody who says discrimination is just bias is often coming from a position of privelege, thus it is unlikely for them to feel the real weight of it. A person who is saying discrimination is just bias, is often a person who is actively discriminating and often with calousness.

Lately, I've noticed a new target of prejudice - the "gingers." From the context, I'm guessing this refers to people with red hair. Anyone know from where in our culture this new attack originates?

Its human nature mostly. People like to compare and are always judgemental of something different from them.

I think I such cases, fat is associated with unattractivess and skinny with being unhealthy.
I get the skinny thing a lot, but it doesn't bother me.

I don't understand the discrimination against gingers. I guess it supposed to be like that stereotype that blondes are dumb? What are gingers supposed to be? I only hear of gingers being firery and exicting, but that sounds like more of a good thing.

psychoanalytically, people feel less inadequate when they belittle another person, whatever the reason. Also, some people may simply have a stereotypical prejudice.

You're right!
But, I have no idea what's wrong with society!

I suppose the 'skinny' thing is deemed as an acceptable insult, (more so for women). Because society, or more appropriately the dreaded media, tells us that being a thin/skinny woman is acceptable because it's meant to reflect beauty and health, (which I happen to think is a load of cr*p). So to be called 'skinny' as a woman is possibly meant as a back handed complement by the one who says it.

For a man, I guess, being called skinny means you're weak?; again what a load of cr*p.

Despite all the media frenzy about "don't get fat it will kill you, how to get thin, how not to put the weight back on, how to eat properly, how to lose 3 stone in 1 week, don't get too skinny because you'll make yourself ill" etc, there's still enormous pressure on women (AND now men) to 'conform' to this ideal weight; and yet people still think it's funny to take the mick out of others even when they are not adonis' themselves

The whole 'red head' thing, I really don't understand at all, along with the 'blonds are stupid' rubbish.

I think there was a belief, a long time ago, that red heads were witches, but that was along with many other ridiculous beliefs! Perhaps those beliefs (or whatever they've become today), are yet to be filtered out of society....

As far as I'm concerned, those with red hair are strikingly beatiful.

(By the way I'm often referred to as someone who is skinny; I find it really insulting!)

It's a double standard society has. It's okay to tell someone they are skinny but it is not okay to tell someone they are fat. Skinny people get just as offended as fat people do when they are called skinny while the fatties get called fat. Same as when the skinnies get comments about their size.

At eight years old, my best friend started calling me skinny and I hated it because I pictured one of those starving kids in Africa who have no food so they are very skinny their bones are sticking out. I didn't like being called that. I can see why I took it as an insult then and she was being mean about it anyway.

So I don't make comments about anyone's size, rather they are skinny or fat. I also wished people would shut up about my size as well but now that I am over my low self esteem about my body image, I don't care anymore if I get told I look great or I am very thin or skinny as a rail. I got thinner and I don't feel fat anymore. But I still don't make comments about peoples sizes. They might not like their thin bodies either and might feel they are meant to be fat if I told them they are too thin (because they don't think they are that thin) or they may wish they could be bigger but can't put on weight because of their high metabolism. So they may hate being told how skinny they are.

Unless they ask for my opinion, then that is different. Sometimes it will slip out when they don't even ask for an opinion.


I think the reason why it's so acceptable to call people skinny is because society is focused on obesity and it has increased over the years. Doctors are more focused on it and more concerned and the magazine companies want everyone to be skinny. Heck even wearing a size 10 is considered fat to modeling companies.
You see all these perfect bodies celebrities have and you see other perfect bodies in seventeen or Teen or other magazines. Gosh what a good way to make women and girls feel bad about themselves and eating disorders have gotten more common. Either we are becoming more aware of the illness or it has increased over the years. And what size ten is modeling companies talking about anyway? Juniors? Misses? Petite? What? But it's still a way to make people feel bad about themselves and bam they get an eating disorder.

But being underweight is bad just as being overweight is bad. Why does our society want people to starve themselves to death or till they leave damage to their bodies?

I tell myself it doesn't matter what size clothes I wear, it's just a number. Plus it depends on the company too so my sizes vary.


And I never knew the ginger thing was real. I thought it was only for South Park. But I guess they were making fun of the prejudice about it. I never had a problem with gingers and didn't even know it had a name. I have seen a few in my lifetime and never had any thoughts about it. Can you still be ginger if you have red hair without the freckles?

I think my country is the origin of the mocking of people with ginger hair and I think the roots lie in racism. In England signs used to read 'No blacks. No Irish. No Dogs'. Ginger is very uncommon amongst the English and very common amongst the Irish. My brothers were mocked for their hair but the real reason was their parentage.

Let's stay on track here: we're immersed in a society constructed by people who get off on other people liking the look of them...

...and there are more of the bastards than there are of us.

I think in their own way, that people are actually trying to complement you for being fit, or for having red hair, and it isn't meant in a bad way.

Like me being only 4'8, for years I took "hey shorty" and other comments as a put down, and years later finally realised those comments were all out of affection for their "munchkin" friend.... they thought it was cute, not bad....