] "Until recently, I wasn't able to see any light at the
] end of the tunnel," he said Monday from his hospital bed.
]
] Deuel, who has battled weight problems all his life and
] blames his condition in part on genetics

Really? Genetics huh? Because I blame you.

[ I think you are overstating this a bit. I certainly agree that genetic pre-dispositions do not create a catch-all exoneration for anti-social or self destructive behavior.

But discounting them completely is not acceptible either. It's slightly crass, i think, to assume categorically that emotional or mental diseases are somehow less significant than physical ones.

Certainly, tossing up your hands and saying "Well, I have XYZ condition, so there's nothing I can do about it." is bullshit. The response ought to be "Fuck, I have XYZ condition... what do I have to do to adjust for it." Perhaps that's all you were saying, but it seemed to me like your attitude may have been more broadly targeted.

It's very easy to judge, of course, but not so easy to offer real help.

On a different note, fuck CNN, because the headline of this story is completely off base. They mention once in the article that the man blames genetics "in part" and then lead with a head line which insinuates something else entirely. Pick one dammit, and write the story to back it up. Based on the article content and focus, the headline should've been "Half-ton Man Finally Seeks Treatment" or something. But that wouldn't rile people up so much would it? -k]

Special K: You're way more tolerant than I could ever be. Many aspects of our culture are based on the blame game, everyone blames everyone else for their problems and its never their fault. Sure, I'm a little overweight too (maybe 10 lbs or so) but I blame myself because I'm too lazy to get to the gym. I agree with Acidus--lay off the pizzas.

Half-ton man: It was genetics