re: Do You Respect Fat People?

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I was running a few months ago, and I saw a larger lady speed walking in my direction, as I got closer to her, I could tell she was working hard, so I gave her a thumbs up and said, "great job!" to her. Well, you'd swear I just told her she was the biggest waste of air and that she was a fat lazy slob, because she stopped me and started to read me, asking me if I knew how demeaning it was to her, and that she was doing that exercise for herself, and she didn't need my validation or approval. I apologized, and said that I only intended encouragement, and that everyone needs that sometimes.

I was floored. Offer someone a simple gesture and few words of encouragement and you get your arse handed to you. For the record, I've done this once or twice before on occasion and never got this response.

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Keep in mind, the usual reaction she gets may be filled with sarcasm or contempt. Genuine praise might be hard for her to accept.