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While obesity apparently affects some peoples visual sensitivities it does not physically or medically affect those in the vicinity of the obese person.
Not to be mean, but, I guess you have never had to sit next to an obese person in coach on a 6 hour flight......
Not to be mean, but, I guess you have never had to sit next to an obese person in coach on a 6 hour flight......
So if that bothers you, why aren't YOU being proactive about the situation, since you know 30% of the population is obese? You can refuse to sit next to an obese person (and if the person is heavy enough that they can't sit in the seat with the armrest completely down, you might be able to get them removed from the flight). You can book an extra seat for yourself, to insure you're not encroached upon. Or you can book a first class ticket. You've got options, so why aren't you exercising them?
Should people who don't fit in an airline coach seat buy two tickets? Yes, of course. (And for the record, not all of these folks are obese - very large, muscular men with broad shoulders are also included in this category of passenger. They are not fat, but they absolutely DO encroach!) But not all of them will, so people who object to being squished also need to speak up and be proactive about their comfort.
I fit in a coach-class seat with the arm rest down, so I only buy one ticket. But I fly first class when I can, not for YOUR comfort but for my own. Why should I care about your comfort more than you do?
And to bring this post back to the Fat Acceptance movement, this is part of what it is about: accepting reality. The reality is that fat people exist, their numbers are increasing, and given the trends in our society in regards to diet and exercise, that's not going to change any time soon. It only makes sense for public facilities and public transportation to take this into account. When anti-fat bigotry prevents that, everyone suffers for it, not just "the fatties".
Not to be mean, but, I guess you have never had to sit next to an obese person in coach on a 6 hour flight......
Were you psychologically scared, catch obesity, diabetes or hypertension from sitting next to this person?
No I haven't done that, but I've had to sit next to a stinky person on a bus, listen to crying babies in restaurants, been run over by people in wheelchairs, mauled by people with mental disabilities, endure rude people talking in movie theaters, hear loud obnoxious personal cell phone conversations in doctor offices. I survived. We live in this world together and sometimes have to endure a little discomfort to accommodate others. While unpleasant these experience did not cause me any real or lasting physical harm. When people are not intentionally causing me discomfort due to just being who they are I certainly have no right to judge, ridicule or make them feel bad about themselves in any way.
Also I have never been in a public situation where an obese person declared their beauty or insisted I go out of my way to accommodate them or be inconvenienced in anyway because they are obese so I'm not sure how people are being offended by this fat acceptance movement.
So if that bothers you, why aren't YOU being proactive about the situation, since you know 30% of the population is obese? You can refuse to sit next to an obese person (and if the person is heavy enough that they can't sit in the seat with the armrest completely down, you might be able to get them removed from the flight). You can book an extra seat for yourself, to insure you're not encroached upon. Or you can book a first class ticket. You've got options, so why aren't you exercising them?
I addressed a poster who specifically asserted the obese don't physically affect others. My post was an example of how obese persons can and do affect others, Aredhel.
I was raised to put up with minor inconveniences like that without running my trap.
Many parents would be mortified if their young toddler pointed at a fat person in a store and made a comment. Yet, we have adults who think nothing of doing the exact same thing.
That's what the fat acceptance movement is about. Leave people alone. Try to have a little bit of compassion for others. You wouldn't want to be ridiculed for smoking, or drinking, or having crooked teeth, or dressing in ratty clothes, or many of the other things that you could also make changes about.
Overweight and obese people have been ridiculed and talked so badly about that they feel they have no choice but start a movement for acceptance.
If all that these people do is take up a little bit of extra space on an airplane seat, and possibly drive up health care costs (just as smokers, drinkers, thin people who eat unhealthy diets, etc.), then are they really having THAT much of an impact on your life? Is it really necessary to be that mean?
Personally, it would make me feel like a horrible person to be so mean and hateful to someone who has done nothing to me personally. I'm not sure how some people deal with themselves.
I addressed a poster who specifically asserted the obese don't physically affect others. My post was an example of how obese persons can and do affect others, Aredhel.
But as 2mares has illustrated, the obese are hardly the only people who affect others - yet they take a disproportionate amount of flak for doing so. Now, why would that be the case, if the real issues (and not simple bigotry) are driving the complaints?
But as 2mares has illustrated, the obese are hardly the only people who affect others - yet they take a disproportionate amount of flak for doing so. Now, why would that be the case, if the real issues (and not simple bigotry) are driving the complaints?
In my opinion the fat acceptance movement is a very unhealthy movement as opposed to an anti-bulling, anti-bigotry movement, which is a healthy movement for society.
There is a difference between condoning cruelty towards others and mandatory embracing or celebrating of obesity. The former is wrong and the later equally wrong.
But as 2mares has illustrated, the obese are hardly the only people who affect others - yet they take a disproportionate amount of flak for doing so. Now, why would that be the case, if the real issues (and not simple bigotry) are driving the complaints?
I think it's because people are unreasonably bothered by the appearance of overweight individuals. Yet, they feel as if they have to justify their desire to ridicule these individuals -- they do have a little bit of a conscience, after all. That is why they grasp for straws, like being "concerned" about the health issues or saying that fat people make them uncomfortable on a flight (when they probably only fly a few times a year and probably don't find themselves beside an overweight or obese person every single time.) I'm sorry, but a few hours of discomfort a few times a year doesn't seem like an appropriate excuse to be completely mean and hateful to the overweight as a whole. That's kind of like being mean to every mother that you see simply because a baby cried and disrupted your flight once last year.
In my opinion the fat acceptance movement is a very unhealthy movement as opposed to an anti-bulling, anti-bigotry movement, which is a healthy movement for society.
There is a difference between condoning cruelty towards others and mandatory embracing or celebrating of obesity. The former is wrong and the later equally wrong.
I cant say for sure because I have not experience this fat acceptance movement as promoting obesity or bad eating habits. Perhaps there are some extreme groups that are getting media attention or they just exist on obscure web sites. From what little I have experienced this movement is encouraging overweight people to accept themselves, be proud of the person they are while at the same time still encourage weight loss, weight management, and a healthy life style, which is more difficult for some than others.
There are still lots of weight loss groups and diets being promoted. Many gyms target those that are overweight, offering a different environment than your typical body builder gym. There are shows like biggest looser. Schools and fast food restaurants offer healthier choices. So I think overall its a movement to become more tolerant and understanding of obesity while still promoting overall health and fitness not a celebration of obesity.
Also I have never been in a public situation where an obese person declared their beauty or insisted I go out of my way to accommodate them or be inconvenienced in anyway because they are obese so I'm not sure how people are being offended by this fat acceptance movement.
Honestly, I think some of the anger about the fat acceptance movements is about them being told that it's not okay to be rude to fat people. I don't know of any other explanation. It's not like fat people do anything to them, day in and day out. (A vague, general "objection" to health care costs is too nebulous to qualify as "doing" anything, and besides, many other people with bad health choices would be also "doing" something as well, yet they don't get the same amount of hate for it.)
So what else is there? Fat people "look bad" and people angry about the fat acceptance movement must feel like they should be able to do/say something TO the fat person (be rude or nasty) without judgment (being considered an a-hole for it).
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