Some people think that Chris Christie is much too out of shape to effectively hold office...

[MADem]

20. This is a world where appearance matters. We can say "awww, that's not nice" but it is reality that

we notice what people look like.

That's why you'll have to look hard to find a bald president (it helps if you were a five star general during wartime). That's why, in the age of popular photography, looks became important--they helped put an idiot like Warren G. Harding over the top.

In the land of the blind, no one cares how others look. In the land of the sighted, looks matter. I don't think anyone will be wanting to chisel my ass in marble anytime soon, so I am not talking from the perspective of one of the Beautiful People, but I am not so naive as to think that the average human discounts appearance when they interact with others--because, like it or not, they don't.

Occasionally, people can, through outrageous wit, through great intelligence, through some other skill or talent that captures the imagination, overcome their lack of good or even average or nondescript looks, and people become used to their appearance and like them anyway, even though they aren't classically attractive or even genially appealing--the "He is so ugly he is cute" or "She has an INTERESTING face" mitigations.

I don't think people expect everyone in public life to look like a clothing model, but they do have a "range of normal" (and it is a fairly wide range) that they expect, and when that paradigm is broken, people do notice. And when they notice, they usually MENTION it. Demanding that people don't talk about things they notice is just unreasonable.

That's why, if that kind of stuff is bothersome, make your point if you'd like, but don't expect people to necessarily agree with you. Or, if it's just too offensive for you, personally, hit the HIDE THREAD button.

I really don't think we have a right to be entirely unoffended here (we certainly aren't out in the real world, now)--if everyone on DU is happily unoffended, this place WILL suck, because it will be boring as hell.

You just can't please all of the people all of the time. I think all of us will be happier if we start avoiding shit that bothers us, and that's where HIDE THREAD and IGNORE can be helpful.