comment #1

quitstaringatme says ...

Wow, a comment so closed minded and offensive, it needed it's own thread. "Fat people are terrible people unless they go out of their way to prove different to me."

You have to just be trolling for hits, right Jeff?

comment #2

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Obesity, like habitual tardiness, is a sign of weak character. Look at Dave Poland.

comment #3

Mr. Blood Vessel says ...

this is why I stopped my own blog.

comment #4

Mr. Blood Vessel says ...

and by that I really mean there are some good points here bu they can up getting lost in the grand statement.

comment #5

quitstaringatme says ...

"Now, it may well be that this or that (super lazy nigger) waddling around the local galleria is a secret (Spike Lee) or (John Singleton) and that their inner light is simply not apparent to the passerby (i.e., I was a secret guy myself for years before coming into my own), but possessing an awareness of this or that (car-stealing spear chucker's) wondrous creativity, imagination and richness of spirit is not my responsibility. I need some sort of readily apparent indications of this."

comment #6

Sean E says ...

"(i.e., I was a secret guy myself for years before coming into my own)"

You were a self-loathing fat kid, weren't you? Now every fat person you see just reminds you of that 42"-polyesther pants-wearing wedgie-magnet you used to be. You're not an insensitive superficial jerk - deep inside you're still a sad, 250 lb 13 year-old, cyring out for a hug and some validation.

comment #7

gruver1 says ...

Wells to quitstaringatme: People of whatever pigmentation or heritage or tribe have been given their genetic constitution through the miracle of birth. People who are morbidly obese whales have arrived at that state through their own hands, their own compulsiveness, their own unbridled appetites. There is no analogy whatsoever.

comment #8

Richardson says ...

That's fine, but you also hate bald people.

comment #9

Richardson says ...

"I need some sort of readily apparent indications of this."

I would like to see readily apparent indications of wondrous creativity, imagination and richness of spirit in Jeff. So far, oh-for-three.

comment #10

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Richardson: I have no problem whatsoever with bald people, and this thread is degenerating into pre-school levels. I'm presuming that you and others who are zinging me in this thread have weight issues. I understand the animosity, but you have to try to see beyond yourself.

comment #11

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Richardson: I have no problem whatsoever with bald people, and this thread is degenerating into pre-school levels. I'm presuming that you and others who are zinging me in this thread have weight issues. I understand the animosity, but you have to try to see beyond yourself.

comment #12

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Richardson: I have no problem whatsoever with bald people, and this thread is degenerating into pre-school levels. I'm presuming that you and others who are zinging me in this thread have weight issues. I understand the animosity, but you have to try to see beyond yourself.

comment #13

quitstaringatme says ...

Jeff, regardless of what criteria you choose to judge someone based on superficial evidence, you are still being a bigot. You have decided that you are morally and physically superior to overweight without any other evidence aside from physical appearance. Maybe they're fat because they're working 20 hours a day on a cure for cancer and are not focused on their diet and exercise plans, or maybe brutal economic situations have forced them to eat too much off the Taco Bell dollar menu in their low thread count shirts.

Is the most likely scenario that they just eat too much and would rather watch Celebrity Family Feud instead of jogging? Probably, but making that assumption is still as bad as assuming that young black guy in the Fubu sweatpants and Tupac shirt wants to steal your car stereo.

That all said, why is it such a crime to you that some people are fat? You're not concerned about their health, you seem to flat out hate them out of hand. Is it just the asthetics? It's not like you have to have sex with these people. Or is it just that obese Americans are the last contingent that you can immediately and irrationally hate without individual cause?

comment #14

alvysinger says ...

I've read this column for years and taken a fair amount of pleasure from it, but today is the last day I'll come to this site. Bookmark deleted. Jeff Wells is dead to me. I run into enough narrow-minded ugliness in my daily life, I'm not going to affirmatively choose to subject myself to more of it. I hope you deal with your issues someday and get over your hatred, because you're clearly a smart guy with some decent insight. But enough is fucking enough.

comment #15

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Sean E.: No, I was not a fat kid. I was one of those guys that Matt Groening has written or drawn about -- a secret genius. The world is full of 'em. I'm not saying I am genius-level or even close to it -- it's Groening's term, but it vaguely applied. I was one of those guys who was smart and knew a lot and could potentially achieve a lot but wasn't doing very much and was kind of cooling my heels and not much else.

comment #16

gruver1 says ...

Goodbye singer. Close the door on your way out. It's not "fat," good sir, but "morbidly obese" that's on the table. Morbidly obese is what was being satirized in WALL*E, you idiot. Morbidly obese is real, it's a malignancy and it's a metaphor for sloth and waste and living wrong. A metaphor for a nation that has way too much leisure, eats poisonous food, doesn't exercise and has become, in fact, those WALL*E teletubbies. Fat is fine, corpulent is jolly -- it's what's inside that matters. But you, sir, are a real asshole.

comment #17

SaveFarris says ...

Along with the Phillip Noyce, Guillermo Del Toro and Jonathan Hensleigh pull-quotes that flash at the top of Jeff's page, I expect Homer Simpson's "No Fat Chicks" to be added by the end of the month.

comment #18

alvysinger says ...

Wow. So that really validates my decision.

Before I close the door, then: I am an "idiot" and a "real asshole" because I object to your stated notion that all morbidly obese people are worthless pieces of shit unless they prove otherwise. Guilty as charged. You don't need to define the term to me by the way. I am morbidly obese--I weigh 416 pounds and am a massive recumbent tumbo lardbut. But I'm not a secret genius. I'm an actual genius who happens to be very fat. I do not need to shed weight in order to be a bright, successful, useful, loving member of society. My weight is not a metaphor for my energy level, cultural literacy or "wrong living", as you put it. It is my issue and mine alone, and it has no more effect on my usefulness or contribution to society than the color of my eyes, it never fucking has. And you don't get to look at me and assume I'm a cheeto-inhaling Ricki Lake-watching, mouth-breathing cretin until I direct Vertigo and prove you wrong. Sorry, but you just don't. So fuck off, you self-righteous prick.

comment #19

transmogrifier says ...

I remember once when Wells actually cared primarily about movies. It's actually kind of morbidly fascinating to see someone with so much baggage slowly self-destruct on the page.

comment #20

MarkVH says ...

Can you guys please keep this up? I'm so bored at work I could kill myself. Need at least another half hour of good reading.

And for the record (since it's obviously soon to become a prerequisite for posting) - 170 lbs., 5'10", brown hair, hazel/green eyes, Caucasian, conservative leaning towards libertarian. And I contribute absolutely nothing of value to society.

comment #21

Wiggumx says ...

This thread is disgusting. Either you're trolling for hits, or you're just a very angry, bitter man.

Either way, shame on you.

comment #22

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Alvy Singer: Don't sell your self short, Alvy. Work at it, is all I'm saying. Is that such a bad thought? You can make 500, bro. Steady as she goes, one day at a time.

comment #23

Richardson says ...

"I have no problem whatsoever with bald people"

Really? Somebody should tell Jeff Wells of a few weeks ago that, the guy criticizing several actors for going bald.

"I'm presuming that you and others who are zinging me in this thread have weight issues."

That has even less validity than every other assumption you've made in this thread. (Well, I can't speak for others, but I can speak for me.)

"I understand the animosity, but you have to try to see beyond yourself."

Now I get it -- you're being deliberately ironic, right?

comment #24

alynch says ...

It's quite funny seeing Wells so joyously embrace self-parody, even if it seems unintentional. What more can said of someone that makes this statement:

This thread is degenerating into pre-school levels.

Only to follow it with this statement:

I'm presuming that you and others who are zinging me in this thread have weight issues.

Hells yeah! Everyone who has a problem with what you write must be one of "dem fatties." What other possible explanation could there be. For the record, I'm 6' and 185.

comment #25

Richardson says ...

Just to be clear, what I'm saying is, if the standard is "a person deserves no respect unless they explicit indicate to me that they possess wondrous creativity, imagination and richness of spirit", then you can't possibly have any self-respect, because you have never shown any of those things. and this thread is a perfect example of your lack of those three things.

You have no creativity, you have no imagination, and your spirit is not rich.

comment #26

alynch says ...

But don't forget, he is a secret genius, not to mention a "X-factor malcontent" with "big-mouth attitude".

comment #27

alvysinger says ...

Don't sell yourself short either, dickface. Keep up the hatemongering and you can run for Grand Wizard.

comment #28

Valerie Cherish says ...

Why has AUNT SASSY been BANNED???

I miss her insightful comments on film, and her bitchy commentary. She added a refreshing viewpoint to this site.

FREE AUNT SASSY!!!

comment #29

gruver1 says ...

Aunt Sassy wrote a cruel personal slur, so Aunt Sassy got the boot. Poor Aunt Sassy. She can come back any time she takes the pledge to be civil and not call me o ranhyone else names. The intemperate Alvy Singer will be gone by day's end for calling me a dickface & a self-righteous prick.

The whining by Singer and the other bitches has been a bit much. I wrote this piece to emphasize (a) that when a man or woman's interior spirit is stronger than his/her physical being, then the matter of this person's physical shape is hardly worth mentioning, and (b) that most of us can read a person's inner life pretty well although the true measure of what they've got going within is sometimes hard to discern.

That's all I said, and it was in the context of a major motion picture that is obviously lampooning mainstream America's tendency towards morbid obesity and sitting around watching the tube and text-messaging with zero exercise, and still the little whiners found a way to get outraged. Morbidly obese people, they squeal, are not a joke and a metaphor for an over-fed, over-chillin' society based on sloth and passivity -- they're just as beautiful as anyone else! Each and everyone one of us is beautiful, in fact, and off with anyone's head who says differently.

Uhm, is it okay if I don't feel that way? I mean, I don't want to offend anyone. I feel that the body is a temple of the soul, and that you should treat that temple with respect by keeping it clean and well-tended, and by not shoving Cheetos and chilli dogs and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and nachos covered with Velveeta and four-cheese Sicilian pizza into your mouth on a 20 hour per day basis. Only in this corpulent country is this viewpoint seen as anti-social or not in the general groove. Unbelievable.

comment #30

NotImpressedYet says ...

I wonder if overweight (but talented) filmmakers will blacklist Wells after this.

comment #31

messiahcomplexio says ...

6 foot, 165lbs, 42 chest, 30 waist, 6 pack abs.

So I guess what I'm about to write means more than most in here by Jeffrey's standards.

Therefore, jeff, I think your comments are small minded.

Not that there isn't some grain of truth in what your saying, but brother, it's only a grain, and this is one big fucking silo we're in.

To many exceptions to your rule.

BTW my best friend is 350lbs... but I probably keep him around just so I can feel better about myself. Right?

comment #32

Mr. Blood Vessel says ...

gruver1 [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

"Aunt Sassy wrote a cruel personal slur, so Aunt Sassy got the boot. Poor Aunt Sassy. She can come back any time she takes the pledge to be civil and not call me or anyone else names. The intemperate Alvy Singer will be gone by day's end for calling me a dickface & a self-righteous prick.

"The whining by Singer and the other bitches has been a bit much. I wrote this piece to emphasize (a) that when a manor woman's interior spirit is stronger than his/her physical being, then the matter of this person's physical shape is hardly worth mentioning, and (b) that most of us can read a person's inner life pretty well although the true measure of what they've got going within is sometimes hard to discern.

"That's all I said, and it was in the context of a major motion picture that is obviously lampooning mainstream America's tendency towards morbid obesity and sitting around watching the tube and text-messaging with zero exercise, and still the little whiners found a way to get outraged. Morbidly obese people, they squeal, are not a joke and a metaphor for an over-fed, over-chillin' society based on sloth and passivity -- they're just as beautiful as anyone else! Each and everyone one of us is beautiful, in fact, and off with anyone's head who says differently. Unbelievable."

Jeff -- I can tell you mean well, but it really doesn't help when you shout back with obscenities. you end up being as childish as the people you ban. C'mon man. Rise above.
these people have problems, yes.but telling them they are worthless when they themselves hear it every day is not cool. Whether they eventually see the error of their ways, is their decision(and possibly their fate.)

comment #33

gruver1 says ...

Wells to messiahcomplexion: Your best friend is probably going to run into health problems when he gets older because of his weight, and he isn't going to live as long as he would if his weight was at a safer level. How does that knowledge make you feel, Messiah Complex? It's a little easier to rag on people like me than face facts, isn't it? Hey, you wanna beer or a burger? Where's that mayo?

comment #34

alynch says ...

She can come back any time she takes the pledge to be civil and not call me or anyone else names.

One sentence later: The whining by Singer and the other bitches has been a bit much.

comment #35

dawgzilla67 says ...

I'm late to the party here but I have to respond to the post by quitstaringatme because it pissed me off so much I have to say something.

As BOTH a minority and someone who could stand to lose fity, sixty pounds I have to tell you that while a regimen of exercise and dietary change would change my weight and body type, there is nothing I can do to cut the filipino out of me and for you to blithely equate the two is just flabbergasting to me.

I've had many snickers over Mr. Wells' obsessions with actors waist and hair lines over the years as a loyal HE reader and have generally laughed them off the way I'd laugh off bizarre politcal readings of films by someone like Jonathan Rosenbaum (really? the aliens in They Live were stand ins for the vietcong?) and left it at that. All critics have their set of critera of what makes a worthwhile piece of work for them and some of those might be a little nutty even in the smartest and best of 'em, cause guess what, nobody ever really thinks alike.

There is a difference between someone who is obsessed with someone's girth (because even a chubster like me has to agree that it's not healthy) and hating someone because of their race. You're just passing a buck here and not taking responsibility for yourself when you say things like that.

Sorry. Now, back to the movies. My Winnipeg rules!.

comment #36

alvysinger says ...

You called me an idiot and an asshole. I responded with commensurate obscenities. But whatever.

I actually do think each and everyone of us is beautiful. I believe that our physical attributes do not define our inner worth. I believe our image-obsessed culture, of which you are clearly a gnarled product, is doing enormous damage to our collective sense of self-worth and identity. But whatever.

For the record, if I'm not already banned, I do not object to the notion that obesity is a significant problem in our society. I do not object to you or anyone else pointing out the risks and hazards of obesity, or drawing (reasonably intelligent) connections between the rise of obesity and other cultural currents. What I object to is your stated notion that any morbidly obese person should automatically assumed to be weak and worthless unless they prove otherwise. Try and fucking tell me that's not *exactly* what you wrote, in between calling me an asshole and telling me to have another cheeseburger.

comment #37

messiahcomplexio says ...

Friends got a thyroid problem. Yes, medically diagnosed.
Not a double cheeseburger problem.

The post was about judging people's worth by their girth. That's what I'm responding too.

Because here in LA, land of the evolved, when me and my friend "Big D" walk down the street together, he doesn't get the "not I'm not attracted to you looks" (reasonable, you can't help what turns you on), or that "hope you get that weight thing together looks" (compassionate) , it's the "I disapprove of your very existence looks that come fast and furious" (we'll call it "the wells wallow")

And I get the "how can you hang out with this loser" looks.
God forbid, I spend time with someone because I'm more concerned with the way their mind works than what they look like with their shirt off.

But I feel you Jeff. Only so much energy, got places to go, snap judgments are a tool of the trade.

I hear that happens more as you age, which is why I don't hang with people over 50.

Peace and pancakes with extra syrup. syrup..ahhhhhh.

comment #38

Michael Cavayero says ...

Hey isnt Steve Wozniak, apple co-founder and the guy who built the first personal computer, and essentially changed the world, sort of fat?

...and no i'm not Kathy Griffin.

also I posted this yesterday about 'fat people' from Kafka but nobody read it.

Don't you know that fat people alone are to be trusted? Only in strong-walled vessels like these does everything get thoroughly cooked, only these capitalists of airspace are immune from worry and insanity, to the extent it is humanly possible, and only they can go calmly about their business and, as someone once said, they are the only useful citizens of this planet, for they provide warmth in the north and shade in the south. (Of course this can be twisted around, but then it isn't true.)

comment #39

supertaster says ...

Jeff...I'm not arguing with your thoughts on obesity, but the manner in which you present and defend them is abhorrent. Your thoughts on human worth are terrifying.

Your style comes off as a sickening display by a deeply disturbed, bitter, cynical person, emotionally castrated by his inability to achieve his creatively ripe, rich, eternal, fascinating and delectable ideals. You question the worth of talentless fat people, but what stops someone from questioning the worth of a misanthropic, cantankerous entertainment blogger? You defend the spirit and the genius of Hitchcock the fatty, but who's to say you shouldn't be defending your plodding, page-view-whoring existence to geniuses like him??? If a look in one's eyes is enough to judge character, I'd love to know what thousands of banal, sometimes hateful weblog posts devoid of any art say about someone.

fyi, 6'1 175 here ... have never been fat.

You're in no position to judge. You ponder. You're a hidden a genius. You yearn. Congratulations, you contribute nothing to this world.

comment #40

Yuval says ...

"most of us can read a person's inner life pretty well although the true measure of what they've got going within is sometimes hard to discern"

This viewpoint is the definition of shallow. The truth is you can't read a person's inner life (and I fail to see the different between "inner life" and "true measure", as if the latter is somehow a more profound expression than the former). You want to believe you can, since it makes you feel safe in your position of the world. You don't have to believe everyone is beautiful, just accept that you have no access to someone's "inner life" or "true measure" or "interior spirit". Not if you've seen them on the street, or seen all of their movies or known them all of your life. Accept your own limitations, seeing yourself as intelligent and capable doesn't mean you're god, even a little bit.
I will not argue with you if souls exists or not, but since you believe they do, then be sure that the only soul you will ever have contact with is your own, and it exists in your own body, so feel free to treat your body however you like. The rest of the world's souls, you'd like to believe they exist, but you have no way of knowing. Secret genuis or not.

comment #41

aspiringcrackaddict says ...

Make sure to scroll down and read about Japans waist size laws

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/06/13/

comment #42

kidkosmic says ...

I had no idea I'd start all this with my one ham-fisted dig at Wells. I didn't really mean much by it....

comment #43

Rain says ...

He is professional. There are lots of his fans on R I C H L O V I N G.C O M club for professional athletes, moive stars and millionaires talking about him recently? BTW, guys, lots of sexy girls and models turn up there. I've been there for day, it seems the girls are not hard to hook up.