Obesity becoming U.S. civil rights issue for some

I dunno what to make of this. On the one hand, everyone should be treated equally. However, I firmly believe that obesity is almost always a self-imposed condition. Some of us are definitely more prone to it than others....I speak from personal experience here....but I've also been able to beat it for the time being so it IS possible with lifestyle changes.

Am I saying it's OK to treat obese people like shit? OF COURSE IT'S NOT OK. Am I saying that fat is unhealthy? YES.

Hmmm....promoting health at any weight is good. But obesity comes with health issues, if not right away, then in the long run. So promoting health and being overweight at the same time is, essentially, mutually exclusive.

I don't know about being disadvantaged because of being overweight. That must be an American thing. When I started my working life, I never had a problem getting a job, regardless of my size. I worked as a nurse and geriatric care nurse, worked in ER (A&E for the Brits), did my 12 - 14 hour shifts just like everybody else.

As for the plane seats - if you're so big that the seat next to you can only be used by somebody who's extremely skinny, you pay extra. You use two seats, you damn well pay for two. If you don't like it, tough. Lose weight, then you won't have that problem. It's not discrimination - if you don't fit into one seat, you have to pay for two. Simple. *shrug*

I agree.

I never had much trouble finding work when I was obese; when I came back to the U.S. I had 2 job offers within 2 weeks of starting to look for a job, and I was morbidly obese at the time. Maybe I'd have gotten more offers if I was slim, maybe not; I don't know. But I am one of the highest-paid people on my team at work so being fat definitely didn't hold me back professionally!

I agree that simply with the article in that focusing on dieting the weight off isn't the answer since a majority of dieters fail at dieting or a majority of diets fail dieters depending on how you want to look at it.

But when they say:

The thing with that is, living healthfully and being large really don't go hand in hand. I mean, sure, you might start living healthfully after growing large but over time, assuming you're consistent with your healthy lifestyles, you're going to shrink.

Living healthfully and remaining large are opposing forces.

With regards to things like:

I take issue with this. Obesity isn't a disease where victims have no control over their "illness." Sure, in very rare instances obesity is caused by true, biological defects. But the vast majority of cases is simply a matter of having an imbalance with regards to energy in vs. energy out.

To fix that requires ownership. People need to start owning their choices in life. I'm aware that it's a fine balance and there are a lot of large people out there. We don't want to make their lives completely uncomfortable but at the same time, in my opinion, we don't' want to make it completely comfortable either.

Doing so would incentivize stagnation in terms of losing weight and healthy pursuits and that's not fair to obese people, that's not fair to their children and families, it's not fair to society, etc.

Now jumping back to what I said about:

Societal influences certainly play a huge role here. Pressure to consume more and move less is everywhere.

And that's the part people need to start owning up to.

But at the same time, this imbalance in energy in vs. out typically stems from a host of emotional/psychological issues which are much more complex than the problem (energy in vs. energy out) itself.

Well, sadly, this has legs. The U.S. of A. largely supports rights for those who get it wrong (i.e. the prison system). Unless you have a video or audio proof you've been violated, only then have you been a victim of discrimination. Otherwise we all have to adapt to standards of measurement allotted to us as a society.

I know first-hand the feeling of violating said spaces through my own free will to be bigger than 'the average person'. Yanno, this did play on my mind to the extent I hoped that my own self-induced embarrassment would assist my turnaround. In fact, it should hurt you inside. That and other compelling factors finally was my motivator.

This is a sad message the authors are sending out. I see this as a white flag for those who can't and won't help themselves. Statistically, I don't know what percentage of obesity can turn itself around due to medical reasons, but I'd dare to say the high 90 percentile is curable through proper mind development. If our Gov issues 'fat passes' of a flaunting nature, Lord help us all. This will only get worse in our country. The price tag will be enormous.

simple common sense

^
Common sense maybe..but didn't the supreme court in the US rule not too long ago that it was wrong to charge one person for two seats?
in the end I guess it's all about the individual and what they want for themselves. One of the fears here is that people will stop losing motivation to be healthy if everyone else around them is also unhealthy and overweight..for me it was the opposite, I lived abroad in asia for a few years then came back to the US and knew I had to change after taking a look around

And what about the people who are squished by large passengers? What about their civil rights? Your right to be obese without "discrimination" ends where my airplane seat begins. I think it's fair to charge extremely large people for 2 seats if they require 2 seats; if they didn't, another paying passenger could have fit into that seat. I don't think it's discrimination, and I say this as someone who was close to needing an extra seat herself.

A large person having to pay for two seats isn't fair. They should get the second one free and the airline should have to eat the loss.

Though nothing can really, truly be done about the situation. Telling someone that they're too fat will surely result in a lawsuit somewhere down the road. Imagine having to step on a scale prior to boarding, or being pulled aside to be told you'll have to wait until the next flight because you're too big for a single, and this flight is full...

I'm glad you posted this, because it's a PERFECT example of something I've been saying for YEARS...

With everybody crying for equal rights, the line will never be drawn until every single grouping of people is treated exactly the same as every other grouping of people.

With that being said...

Equal rights are equal rights. Technically, obese people SHOULD be getting the same exact rights and opportunities as everyone else, according to our Civil Rights. Even if their obesity is self-inflicted or considered a personal choice, it is no different than people who practice a certain religion asking for equal rights or homosexual people asking for equal rights.

Personally, I'm tired of people who bitch and moan about equal rights. Nobody will ever have equal rights. When some grouping of people achieves equal rights, it only changes the public's perception on the issue...not the reality. Gay people will still be treated like gay people. Black people will still be treated like black people. Relgious people will still be treated like religious people. And, fat people will still be treated like fat people...no matter what sort of equal rights they are given.

Pun intended?

Anyway, I agree. Charging fat people for two seats is unfair. If someone is extremely skinny and only takes up half of a seat, does the airline charge them for half of a seat? No, they pay for one seat, because they are one person. If two extremely skinny people, who only take up half of a seat each, decided to share a seat, do they just pay for one seat? No, they pay for two, because they are two people. Why should that mentality change because somebody is fat?

What if somebody wasn't fat, but still huge? Huge, in a muscular or extremely tall and wide kind of way? Even though they aren't fat, should THEY have to pay for two seats?

Why? Is it the airline's fault that the person is fat?? If the plane is fully booked, and they could fit one more passenger in there, why should they pay for the fact that a person is overweight? If that person takes up the space of another paying customer, you'll have to compensate them for their loss.

If that person went into a restaurant and ordered double portions of everything, would they get it for free? No, they would have to pay double....if they need a bigger car because they are so fat, they pay more. If you need more, you pay more. Sounds simple to me.

Sorry, have to disagree here. There is nothing unfair about it. If somebody takes up two seats, why should they not pay for them? I don't get it. If I need extra large jeans to fit onto my fat arse, I need to pay more for them than smaller sizes as well. Is that unfair as well? I've got big feet, I pay more for shoes because of that, is that unfair? I wanted a Mini Cooper but didn't fit into it, so I had to buy a car that was more expensive. Unfair?

Nope. My own fault. And personally, I think the airline has every right to charge me double if my fat behind doesn't fit into the seat. As for extremely large people....I don't know anybody who didn't fit into an airplane seat even if muscular / broad / tall. But if that happened, yes, they should pay for two seats if they can't fit into one. It's not about being fat, it's about paying for what you get - if you require two seats, you pay for two, what is so difficult about that?

What about people with babies? Over here, they have to pay for a second seat, and bring a car seat that the baby is strapped into. They could hold it on their laps the whole flight, but they HAVE to buy a second seat. Unfair? Don't think so....usually the seat next to them is full of bags, toys, baby food and hell knows what else, so it's not usable for another passenger. So yepp, they should pay extra for that.

On a sidenote - nope, skinny people don't pay half price. But I have seen countless occasions where skinny people were allowed vast amounts of luggage, more than your 'average' passenger, because they didn't weigh much themselves.

Equal rights? Nobody wants equal rights. Everybody wants to get the most out of whatever 'group' they belong to.
Why do gay people need parades? What for? I thought they just want to be treated like everybody else? I'm a 34 year old, married, white, bisexual female. Nobody ever made a parade for me. Maybe I should start fighting for my equal rights.....*shakes head*

And just so people won't start to flame me - this is just an example. I have no problems with gay people at all. I used to live in a gay relationship for a long time, most of my friends are gay, and I had this discussion with all of them. They still love me, and I love them. It's just an EXAMPLE, so put down the handbags!

My view on this is...

I think its rude to charge fat people extra ticket price but my mother brought up a good point, weight limits on planes are for certain fuel amounts...heavier people = more fuel. maybe not by a HUGE amount but over the course of a year it might make a dent.

But, my issue with it is.....how long before airlines start weighing people? how fat is too fat? I'm fat, I weigh 252lbs but I can fit nicely into plane seats, theater seats, etc. It's only a matter of time before they start implanting what's fat and what's not. Yanno? That's where my issue lays..when things go too far.

As for equal rights...lol I'm all for them, but it'll never happen, for anything.

Still huge? Depends on how muscularly huge. If they're taking up two seats, they should have to pay for two seats.

The question is, are you paying per body or are you paying per seat?

My take is you're paying per seat. It doesn't matter if you're large enough to take up two seats due to excess fat or muscle.

I disagree strenuously with this.

First of all, if someone is too big to fit into a normal airplane seat, they will be encroaching upon whoever is sitting next to them. If you have to lift the armrest to fit into the seat, sorry, you are too big for it. Airplane seats may be on the small side, but you know that before you ever buy your ticket. Also, the airline could sell an empty seat to a full fare-paying passenger if you weren't slopping into it...so why shouldn't you have to pay for it?

Also, if airliners are going to be expected to have seats for people of every possible size, so should public venues like stadiums, concert halls, classrooms, etc. I'm assuming a lot of the adults here attended college and have sat in small, uncomfortable wooden auditorium seats in classrooms built in the 1940s or 1950s, when EVERYONE was a lot smaller. I don't hear everyone bitching about how tiny those seats are. There's a reason for that....it's because airplane tickets are expensive, and you can usually find a more comfortable seat in the front of a classroom where you can sprawl out.

Personally I don't think it's unfair at all. I say this as someone who has flown transatlantically many times...often squeezed into a standard-size coach seat, barely able to fit into it without infringing on my seatmates, and developing painful edema after every flight because of how immobilized I was.

Is it fair for an airline to charge passengers for 2 seats? YES. Yes, yes, yes.

No, but it might not be the fat person's fault either. Some people just have terrible genetics. Why should those people be charged twice for something that is completely out of their control?

Do fat people get charged for two fares if they take the bus? A cab? The train? No, they don't. And, nobody would argue that they should be. Why is it different just because it's on an airplane?

What if their size wasn't their fault? Why should they have to pay twice for something that is nature's fault?

You have to pay for a child's seat? Here in the US, we don't have to do that (in most cases).

What about somebody like Andre the Giant? He couldn't help how big he was; it was a genetic disorder that caused him to be so huge. So, why should he be charged for two seats when he had absolutely no control over how large he was?

Or, what about cabs? Most cabs have a limit of 4 passengers for 1 fare. Meaning, if there are 5 passengers or more, the fare is twice as much. So, if there are 3 skinny people and 1 really fat person (who takes up two seats), should the fare stay the same (because it's within the limits of 4 passengers) or be multiplied by two (because the obese person takes up the space of 2 passengers)?

Also, with the mentality of "you're paying per seat", then people who take babies on planes should be charged for their child's seat. But, they're not. Children under the age of 2 (depending on what airline you take) aren't charged for their seat. Even though they are taking up a seat, they don't have to pay for it. How is that fair?