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United Airlines recently enacted a new rule that requires obese passengers too large to fit into one seat to purchase two seats. And they're not the only airline in the U.S. with this kind of policy. In the article "Obesity Becoming Civil Rights Issue for Some," Reuters reported that fat acceptance advocates are working hard to expose civil rights injustices against overweight people.
According to the report, some two-thirds of Americans are considered overweight or obese. Some cities have even declared wars on obesity -- blaming overweight people for creating a costly public health crisis that increases the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, and certain cancers. And, research shows that obesity-related health care cost upward of $100 billion a year.
Fat-acceptance advocates, however, are organizing to promote anti-bias laws, encourage tolerance in health care and the workplace, and help retailers recognize the profit potential of catering to plus-size customers. They mainly want to promote "health at every size." The National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance is just one of a handful of organizations mentioned in the story that's gaining force online in the fight against fat bias. "Being fat doesn't make me lazy or stupid or morally suspect," said Kate Harding, 34, of Chicago, who also has written a book, Lessons from the Fat-o-Sphere and was quoted in the article.
Do you think obesity is a civil rights issue or a health care issue?
Comments (11)
Kate Harding is absolutely right. Some people are just fat naturally. You can be fat or thin and still be healthy as well. The biggest indicator of bad health is bad diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Fat people don't have a monopoly on being lazy and eating junk food, you know. Many thin people do that and they are somehow healthier because of a number on the scale? We focus too much on WEIGHT and not on HEALTH, which is ridiculous.
Too be honest I'm not sure if it is or isn't although I do believe the airline rule is unjustified. I had to fly while pregnant (6 months) and I was not a big person maybe all of 135lbs at the time. Even for me the chairs were tiny cramped and too small. When I flew a few years before that there were only 3 seats per row on the exact same flight, but they had upped the number of seats to 4 by the time I flew prego. I firmly believe that they are making the seats smaller and smaller, cramming more into the same space, in an effort to goge the customers out of more money. Also recent activity such as having airport security escort people off the plane because "they are TOO FAT to fly" is beyond unforgivable and should result in lawsuits and public humiliation for the airlines, security officers, and anyone else in committing that act of biogorty, cruelty, hatered, and public humiliation.
I think it is both. If you are discriminating against people due to weight that puts in civil rights catagory. However, it is also a health issue. The more obesse you are the less healthy you are. That doesn't mean that we all have to be a size 2.
Let me put it this way, I am at my ideal weight a size 12-14, currently I am not at that size, I am more a 16-18. I'm not getting the excercize I should and my eating habits are not as good as they should be. I don't gorge on food but I could eat a bit better.
My friend is much smaller than I am, she should be a size 8, but she is anorexic, thankfully getting help, and struggles with being in a 4. Neither one of us is healthy.
There was an interesting study just done that showed, in the long run, healthy people end up accruing more medical costs. Why? Because fat people, even though they run up high bills, die sooner. The healthy people have a longer lifespan therefore their medical bills add up to a higher cost by the time they die. So while obesity is a health issue in that it affects an individual's quality of life, the medical care argument is now a moot point.
Those airline seats are hard to fit in when you are at a normal weight. If you're lucky enough to be tall like me, and somebody in front of you reclines, prepare to fly with your knees folded into your chest.
There's no more free lunch on flights. You're lucky if you get a handful of peanuts and a third of a can of soda.
And now airlines are charging through the nose for baggage.
Airlines are greedy, greedy, greedy. That's the real issue here.
Too bad everyone wouldn't refuse to fly United. That would give them a wake-up call faster than anything.
It mostly boils down to us trying to cram more people in a small space in order to make more money. Is it fair for a fat kid to have to sit in the back of the class so as not to take up too much space in the middle? No. But it also isn't very fair for an overweight person to overflow onto me or you during an 8 hour (or more!) flight and I would be LIVID if they were. Maybe they should accomodate a little by adding larger seats in areas that may keep everyone at ease with space. Although being black/white/tall/short is not a choice or anything someone can do anything about, being overweight CAN be worked on. It may come naturally for some, but its just hard for me to see that someone weighing 350-400 pounds NATURALLY became obese.
Yes, i think this is discrimination. This is a sociteal problem. There are numerous reasons a person might be overweight. The common reason may be overeating. Eating is not the only attribute to weight gain, there's depression, some medication, hereditary-just to name a few. Society is bias against overweight people, which is evident through their commericals, TV show etc. Like the PP stated, you can be overweight and healthy.
You can be fat and still be healthy but chances are you won't be needing two seats. Come on now! If your butt won't fit in ONE seat, you have to purchase two absolutely!
It's not a civil rights issue because the airlines have the right to make up their own rules. If anything it's an epidemic.
I believe you can draw a direct correlation between the death of the community and obesity. There is nowhere to play, walk, work at home - no one to see, no one to exercise with, diet with, celebrate with. We're a nation of stranded islands in search of figurative cream filling. Some of us eat unhealthily. Some of us watch bad romantic comedies. And some of us go out and DO THINGS.
Do I feel I'd be discriminated against if I flew? Yes, I do. I much prefer the train or private car, though, and after seeing this, I'm sure the airlines are going to be getting much less of my business.
If you can't fit in one seat, damn right you should buy two!
And the woman for NAAFA... have you read their airline guide?! They say if you can't fit into one seat and the armrest is digging into you, put it up and "kindly" tell the person next to you, "We'll both be more comfortable this way."
I'm sorry, but NO. I paid for my seat. Not the half of my seat that you're not taking up. It's INCREDIBLY rude to force someone else to be smashed up against you and cramped because you're too large to fit in the ONE seat you paid for. If you take up more than one, you pay for more than one.
The percentage of people who are fat "naturally" are less than 1 percent!
Everyone else can control it. I definitely agree that if you take up more than one seat, you should pay for it. The overweight community bickers about this saying it's against their civil rights. I say...well then lose the weight! Look at all the people who do. What about gastric bypass, or going on The Biggest Loser? LOL.