More Digg fun. Article on the front page today: Is There a Legal Right to Be Obese. Diggers say no.
Well, first we have to define obese. BMI isn’t a good indicator because you can be overweight, but still healthy if you’re a body builder or something. The best measure is waist to hip ratio. Being apple shaped as opposed to pear shaped, puts you at greater risk for weight related health issues. Being apple shaped also makes you look fatter. Unfortunately this is more of a genetic thing and you can’t chose where you gain/lose weight from. My ratio isn’t all that good considering my low BMI and weight, but it’s still in a healthy range. That being said, I don’t consider any of my friends fat, online or off. If I did, I wouldn’t be writing this. Instead, I’d be on your case about it.
My definition of obese: anyone who looks like a walking apple. These are people you know have a weight problem. Should they be protected from discrimination? If they have a disorder that’s leading to their obesity, yes. If they, like the majority of obese people in this country, choose to eat McDonalds every day and not exercise, then no. If people don’t care about their health, why should others pay for the cost of their health care?
One of the better digg comments:
The problem is that once you get so obese you have special needs, like everything from your food intake to the size seat you need on an airplane, bus or movie theater.
Obesity is vastly more like drug use than it is like a physical handicap. It’s choice to live an unhealthy lifestyle for almost all obese people. Very few have real health conditions that make them 300+ pounds. [I personally disagree with the 300+ part. You can still weigh quite a lot and be healthy]
So, are tax payers and consumers supposed to MANDATE ‘fat friendly’ infrastructure, no doubt at tax payers expensive. I don’t think we should anymore than we should put smoking rooms in public places for cigarette smokers nor should we make alcoholism legal in public simply to be ‘alcohol accepting’.
Obese people need to get thinner or accept the inconveniences of being obese.
Also note how much trouble the chronically obese become, many times eventually needing help from public services like police or firefighters just to MOVE and wind up with chronic health problems, no job and no chance of employment while inversely their medical needs skyrocket to 3-5 times that of a healthy person.
They went on with a whole essay that somehow ended with a discussion on terrorism, but that was the gist of it.
One digger commented asking, if people who are fat are protected, why not short people? Short people put less strain on resources and yet tall men make more than short men. And what about really tall women? Are they not discriminated against? Should we make a law for every single body type? People are discriminated against for all sorts of things, it’s a fact of life. Our society has gotten a little too carried away with political correctness.
There was an interesting article on MSN the other day: What If No One Were Fat? It sort of takes it to the other extreme, imagining how much money we would save on food, fuel, and clothing? If everyone suddenly started exercising and eating right, things would be different, yes, but not everyone would be a “healthy” weight. Genetics play a big part in body shape/weight, so there will always be people that are overweight.
It’s also gotten harder to exercise and eat right. Healthy food is more expensive and working long hours leaves less time for exercise. Still, there’s a lot more people can do for themselves.
BTW, I’m going to make it my personal goal to write something that one of you will disagree with besides Krissy.
LOL about your personal goal!! But yes, I agree with you about how it’s about genetics, AND also about choice. I seriously don’t know how you can become obese(because I don’t know anyone personally that is obese), but it may be because of genetics, and how they function. As for the whole discrimination thing, there well ALWAYS be discrimination no matter what. It’s like the same thing as the “not everyone will like you” kind of thing, they will find something to discriminate you against, thinking that it’s not “normal” to be this and that, like tall women, short men. So yeah… =/
I agree with you with your definition of obese. If it’s genetics, there’s nothing we can do. It it’s due to the inability to control their food intake, then it’s an eating disorder.
Btw, BMI is the most superficial scale made to measure healthy weight. I can’t believe doctors still use it. I used to do strength training, so at one point I gained a lot of weight. If doctors were to take my BMI, I would be considered overweight borderline obese. But if they were to take my fat percentage, I would have less fat than the average person. My clothing size then was a 4 (top) 8 (bottom). Can’t help the 8, I’m born with a huge hips. Hahaha.