Easily Misinterpreted. Easily Offended.

Recently I was involved in a group video chat. One of the commenters on the sidebar stated that she had a 300 pound boyfriend and that she couldn’t come on to talk with us. Jokingly, I stated that with a 300 pound boyfriend, we don’t want her here!

Immediately after I said that, one of the individuals participating in the video chat became wide eyed, and she said “Hey, I’m offended, I’m 300 pounds and I find that offensive.” It took me a moment to register how my words managed to offend her, once I realized it I decided that I’d try and explain.

Mam, I think that you have misinterpreted me. The reason I made that statement was to imply that I didn’t want to get my ass whooped by a man who is much larger than me. It wasn’t a fat joke, it wasn’t an attack on him or her, it was a self deprecating joke implying that I am afraid of him because he is a big boy.

See the picture below for a clearer illustration of who I meant. Mind you, as I tried to explain, she continued to yap on about how offended she was.

This individual wanted to make it into something else. Well my friends, anyone who knows me is aware that I am on my own weight loss journey. I was almost 300 pounds myself, and I don’t go around making fun of heavy set people. I don’t bully people online, and I don’t bully people in real life, that’s not who I am.

Also, if you know me, you know that when I am wrong, I humbly apologize. I understand that perception is a delicate thing, and I am extremely fair and cautious when it comes to that.

In this case, I did not apologize.

This woman has some personal issues that she needs to address. Be it with her confidence, self esteem, or whatever. That’s fine, and I certainly don’t want to contribute to her issues, but I didn’t say or do anything wrong. Even after explaining myself, she proceeded to call me and the others in the video chat “jerks.”

I guess the point of this post is to say that NOT EVERYONE IS MAKING FUN OF YOU! RELAX! The fact that I tried to explain my intention to you should show that I meant no offense. Frankly, when I want to offend someone, I make it very obvious and I pull no punches. I have no problem speaking my mind, but if this is how you want to live your life, then by all means, do so. But make no mistake, THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, not mine.