People of WalMart

[Strangler Lewis]

I was thinking more of collections that I've seen compiled by the Nazis and others to paint their subjects as sub-human or, as I said earlier, too stupid to live. I think you can throw the Irish in there, too, as fit subjects of similar studies. I think the Wal-Mart collection that started this is fairly close to that camp.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

There's a group on FB about making fun of people who wear Crocs. Event he title is mocking - saying Croc wearers look like a dumbass.

I think by now most people who wear crocs know they are ugly and accept that fact, and are just fine that people think they choose comfort over style - that in-itself is a statement.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

If the photos were taken in Wal-Marts that were not located in such depressed areas I probably would have had a different reaction. Laughing at oddly dressed people (like most of us have done at DL) who have the means to do differently is one thing. Laughing at those who don't is kicking them while they're down.

I didn't pay attention to the areas these photos were taken in until after one of my Pug friends said one was from her local Walmart. She is not financially depressed at all, in fact she is a fairly well-off farmer.

Again, we're making blanket assumptions about people based on incomplete information. But, we do that with just about everything we do. In general, contempt prior to investigation is not terribly uncommon.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

I was thinking more of collections that I've seen compiled by the Nazis and others to paint their subjects as sub-human or, as I said earlier, too stupid to live. I think you can throw the Irish in there, too, as fit subjects of similar studies. I think the Wal-Mart collection that started this is fairly close to that camp.

Yeah never did get to see the original website, so don't really know the tone or intent, so to the extent photos of people going to WalMart were portrayed as a class of subhumans that should be removed from society, I would find the website offensive and certainly not funny.

[€uroMeinke]

I also find it interesting that what we are reacting to seems to be our own concept of what it means to "shop at walmart"

• Only the poor do it
• White trash
• store of last resort

I know there's a positive list as we, people who appreciate good value, convenience, broad selection, etc. But it seems Walmart has an issue with it's brand recognition

[alphabassettgrrl]

Originally Posted by JWBear

Poverty and the lack of care in your appearance are two separate things.

I agree. Sloppiness is one thing that I personally find unattractive in any income bracket. I get that sometimes you don't feel like dealing with looking decent, but people are going to judge you by what you look like, so keep that in mind.

I don't feel guilty about mocking the celebrities who go on the red carpets in bad outfits.

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

I think the photos and the location where they are taken have an awfully lot to say about the fu<ked up consumerism in this society where MORE is the goal and MORE for CHEAP is the mantra.

The rampant consumerism and the persistant drive for more, More, MORE!!!!!!!!!!!! drives me crazy sometimes. You've got to know when to call it quits, and the constant increase is not natural nor sustainable.

Originally Posted by flippyshark

"Because we can" is a frightening place to put the ethical bar. And it sucked being told I was spoiling other people's fun by even mentioning how unhappy it made me.

"Because I can" is my father-in-law's main ethic. He doesn't understand that some thing you can do might be things you shouldn't do. I disagree that you're spoiling people's fun by asking them not to post pictures of you. I think it's rude of them to post them when you asked them not to.

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Dude, you really want women in dresses, but you're not wearing a suit? Pssh. Suits make men look awesome but I know they're hot and heavy, so I'd never require it. Just seeing everyone in nice outfits of any kind that fit and flatter would be a welcome change.

I'm not wearing dresses but I'll agree with you that upping the wardrobe would certainly be a nice trend. I'm a girl who wears jeans nearly all the time, but I'm trying to make sure they're decent and fit me.

I'd stayed out of this thread because I was a little nervous about what I'd find. I'll mock people on a very small scale, sometimes, though I feel a little dirty about it. I don't like large-scale mocking unless it's celebrities. They've sort of volunteered to be in the public eye.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by alphabassettgrrl

I don't like large-scale mocking unless it's celebrities. They've sort of volunteered to be in the public eye.

Although, with modern society's penchant for capturing and making public all sorts of random photos, aren't we all being "volunteered" to be in the public eye? Is it OK to mock celebrities on the red carpet but not OK to mock them when they are in Home Depot?

[Prudence]

We place so much emphasis on a person's appearance being the sine que non for value. If a person is ugly, fat, dresses funny, has a physical deformity, whathaveyou they are judged to be less valuable humans.

I'd grant some leeway on the "dressing funny", as some people intentionally dress to stand out. I'm pretty sure that Euro knew that his attire was not the norm, and that it not being the norm was the point. I'm pretty sure that sideless shirt guy intentionally turned an article of clothing into a set of torso mudflaps. I'm pretty sure that people who dye their hair blue want me to notice that their hair is, indeed, blue.

But people who wear sweatpants to grocery shop? Or who haven't the foggiest clue how to dress fashionably? I might not be able to stop the internal snicker - that's human. But I don't have to snap a photo and post it publicly with the caption "world's lamest people". If a photo of me in a costume-like get-up makes the rounds - hey, I did it to be noticed. When photos of me going about my usual life get posted for public ridicule because I've been judged insufficiently attractive to be in public, that's pretty harsh. There are plenty of other ways I can make myself feel good that don't involve making other people feel bad.

And they don't all involve curing cancer.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

The Fugly website mocks people on a daily basis and we "all" laugh. Why is the Walmart site any different?

Well, for one, those are generally people who are putting themselves out there to be judged on their physical looks and trying to be fashion leaders. They are willing participants in what is happening even if they aren't pleased by the "reviews." When they do the same thing to a candid photo of Celeb X caught at 6am in line at Starbucks getting a coffee while walking the dog then I no longer think it is appropriate to put it on public display and mock them for it. (Though I've also never found the Fugly site all that funny per se, just a spot to go to see some of the more interesting fashion attempts from our pop culture elite, I very rarely read the accompany commentary except to figure out who the person is.)

Look, I agree completely that how we dress says a lot, intentionally or not; accurately or not. I'm just not clear on how it is not the act of an asshole to take an anonymous photo of a person, put it on the internet completely out of context and say "hey, isn't this person hilarious?!" And then to not be secondary assholery to join in pointing and laughing.

That's different than a "conversation" about how people perceive different looks or how a group of people came to dress a certain way. That's an interesting conversation, but I agree that isn't particularly funny.

If you had a picture of me, would you contribute to a "Ha Ha Look at the Ugly Fat People" site? Regarldess if it is true that I am humorously obese? Or that it is largely a product of choices that I am? Even if, when I'm not around and my name comes up that is the topic of conversation?

I'm assuming not. And if not, why would do it to a stranger? And if you went to such a site and unexpectedly found a picture of me there would you still find it so funny as you had the previous picture? Again, I would assume not. So why is it funny with a stranger? And if I found the site and complained about it to you all would you express sympathy and (at least manufactured) outrage at my humiliation or tell me to stop be a humorless party pooper?

Originally Posted by Euro

so to the extent photos of people going to WalMart were portrayed as a class of subhumans that should be removed from society

They did refer to the people in the pictures as Walcreatures. At least when asking you to submit your pictures of Walcreatures. No calls for removing from society, just a hint that perhaps these people weren't worthy for inclusion.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Although, with modern society's penchant for capturing and making public all sorts of random photos, aren't we all being "volunteered" to be in the public eye? Is it OK to mock celebrities on the red carpet but not OK to mock them when they are in Home Depot?

I disagree that being in public means that it's ok to post pictures on the 'net. I don't like the intrusiveness of modern tech sometimes.

Celebrities- yes: ok to mock on the red carpet; not ok to mock in Home Depot. Mostly not ok to mock while going about their normal lives. They've got to know people are watching and will recognize them and I often wonder why they do go out looking so awful.