I found this article about “obesity discrimination” on Digg, and it gave me food for thought.
“In an overwhelmingly overweight nation that worships thinness, many describe prejudice against the obese as one of the last socially acceptable biases. Advocates for the plus-sized, particularly activists in the “fat acceptance” movement, want obesity to become a category legally protected against discrimination, like religion, race, age and…”
On the one hand, it’s hard to be overweight in social situations. You have to worry about things like, will I fit between those clothing racks or should I go around? Will I be able to fit in the seats at this show, or should I skip it? And of course, if you get to a certain size, people look at you. I know! Even now that I’m getting slimmer (and I still have a long way to go) I am all to familiar with stares and whispered comments.
But - a protected class? I just don’t know. Do I want it to be easier to be heavy? Sure, but maybe in the long run it would simply remove one more incentive to lose the weight. It isn’t easy to lose a large amount of weight - in fact it’s a Herculean task. And I have been really worried about the idea of companies not providing health care to overweight employees. But I just have a hard time picturing myself walking with a picket sign or marching on Washington for “obese rights”.
What do you think? Should obesity be considered a disability? Should the rights of the obese be protected by legislation?
April 29th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I understand that this is a sensitive issue and I do not agree in the slightest that people should be discriminated against for being obese. They are still human beings and have not done anything wrong by becoming obese.
However, I don’t think you can class obesity as a disability. In general (and I understand there are exceptions to this) a person becomes obese because of certain lifestyle choices they make e.g. they choose to not exercise or choose to eat unhealthy foods. A person with a mental disability does not make a choice. It is thrust upon them and so they should be in my opinion entitled to some legal protection.
People with a mental disability cannot do anything to make it go away. If they are being discriminated against they cannot turn off the mental disability and make their brain function normally. However, if obese people are being discriminated against the vast majority can (if they want to) lose the weight.
Like I said at the beginning of my comment I do not agree with discriminating against obese people and have no problem with them. I just do not feel it is a condition which requires or deserves legal protection.