Can Obesity Be a Civil Rights Issue?

I never really know what to think about these things. Because, really, if you make the attempt to be healthy, you will not be so overweight that you are spilling over into another seat. I do not think it is possible for a healthy lifestyle to support that level of obesity. I think the argument can be made if you have been living an extremely unhealthy lifestyle and are making the transition to a healthier one that allows you to lose weight, but I can't think many of the morbidly obese are, given my own observations.

In any event, calling for civil rights is a bit much. Civil rights (and yes, I am fully aware this is only my opinion) should be reserved for those things which cannot be changed or which a person feels they should not change. Gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, yes, but being severely overweight/obese doesn't fall in this category. Having a genetic tendency to be heavier is one thing, but I don't think that is the category of people who are needing a different sized seat on the plane.

No normal person is an advocate of social discrimation. It is politically incorrect to say otherwise. This is why you will see the advancement of the "right" to be fat and free from "discrimation".

In the west, being fat is much more tolerated now than it was 50 years ago. Unless there is a backlash against the whole "Rights" Industry you will see an increase in obesity and the tolerance of it. Countries with universal health care are really going to pay through the nose. The goverment will pass the increase on to the tax payer. It is all madness.

I always have a hard time with this question too. How do we balance the rights of the individual vs what is fair for the group?

I don't think someone should be discounted from jobs or other opportunities where weight is not a factor. I have a sedentary job (Systems Analyst). As long as you can get to the office and sit in a chair for 8 hours and type, you are physically capable of doing my job. In this case, weight should not be a contributing factor in an employer's decision to hire someone for a position like mine.

When it comes to things like plane seats, I think it's fair for someone to pay extra if they don't fit. In this instance, you have paid for a piece of real estate on a plane for the duration of the flight. If that isn't enough space for you, you should pay for extra. Airlines aren't asking for everyone to be 5'1 and 90 lbs. Heck, even when I was 300 lbs, I still managed to fit and do up the seatbelt and meet their requirements. Genetics don't determine who will be fat, they only determine who can be fat. There is also a strong genetic component to addictions such as gambling and alcoholism, and we still hold people responsible for the consequences of their addictions. Why not the morbidly obese?

I don't think weight control is as clear-cut as many people seem to think. Even on this blog, I see plenty of hateful ignorance, self-righteousness, intolerance. And most aren't concerned for anybody's health, they just don't like the way overweight people look, whether they admit it or not. I think, also, that our culture is set up in such a way that if you don't actively work against it (and you're not blessed with inefficient metabolism), you will gain weight. Why would it be fair to discriminate against fat people? Can I discriminate against people who drive SUVs? Get plastic surgery? Don't recycle? Those are all lifestyle choices I don't approve of.

What in the hell is "social discrimination"?

Discrimination can be a good thing. The Government discriminates all the time. Look at the qualifications to be the President. Look at the tax code. Look at all of the Government hand out programs you have to qualify for.

Don't throw around retarded phrases like they mean something.

I don't think civil rights applies to something that a person can voluntarily do something about. Skin color, being handicapped, etc., are things you can't do anything about and it's completely ridiculous to discriminate against people based on those characteristics. But being morbidly obese is different...you can control, at least to some extent, your weight. Whether or not you choose to is different, but shouldn't people who choose not to give a rat's ass about their health be obligated to pay the consequences for their decision? If I had a gambling problem, I wouldn't expect all the rest of the country to pay off my debts. I know not everybody can be a skinny minnie, but even if you're overweight, you can still be as healthy as you can. My aunt is a bigger woman, but she does yoga 4 times a week, eats a healthy diet, and has very good cholesterol and blood glucose levels. She's probably about a size 18 or so, but she's living a healthy lifestyle.

People who are super morbidly obese aren't genetically doomed to be that size forever...their choice of lifestyle is making them that way. Granted, many of them are so obese that they physically can't exercise, but they can at least make an effort to eat fewer calories to lose weight. Anyone ever seen that show about the Brookhaven Rehab Center in New York? Very obese people (we're talking 400+ lb people) go there to lose weight and be able to live a normal life again. They get food from the staff, but a good bunch of them secretly order takeout food and will eat burgers and fries in addition to the healthy food that they're being served. No one can tell me that they can't control that...they are making the decision to cheat the program and remain obese, so they need to be held accountable for that decision.

I do think there is active discrimination out there but quite honestly, plenty of studies that say "not so attractive people or ugly if you want to be blunt with a word" are discriminated against as well. Different races , colors & religions have been discriminated against. It is al out there.

I do agree that there should not be discrimination in the workplace & things like that BUT as for buying seats on a plane, events etc., if you are moving into another person's paid spot, then there is an issue.

I have been heavy too so it is not that I don't know what it is like to be overweight & have people call you names, so when you look at my little pic, don't think I am ignorant about this. I may not have been 100 pounds overweight but 40 pounds on a 4'10" person is a lot & as a kid & younger adult, yes, people are mean. But someone above wrote that the deck is stacked against heavy people to lose weight. It only is if your mind says that. I know plenty of people that have lost weight including myself. Yes, it is hard but it is doable.

I do like the sentiment of just getting healthy no matter what weight you are...

It isn't that I don't feel sorry for and commiserate with the morbidly obese. I do. But, I agree that civil rights protection should be for those things that we have no control over. We can control our weight. No, it isn't easy. I am not a skinny minny, however I work hard to stay in the high end of the healthy range. The reason 99% of the people who are morbidly obese became that way is that somewhere along the line, for some reason, whether psychological for physical, they decided that their desire for food was more important than their desire to be healthy.

What if someone was 560 pounds and has been working like crazy to lose weight, and is now 360 pounds? Should they still be discriminated against? (I'm totally against weight discrimination in any form. I think high school sports are PROVEN very dangerous and tax the health care system with numerous injuries at a young age - like my ankle, that still puts me in the docs office and surgery every few years, but hey,I don't want to see the jocks discriminated against either.)

Speaking as someone who has lost over 100 pounds and have maintained the lost weight for close to three years, I think that it's ridiculous to talk about obesity as a civil rights issue! My grandparents were share-croppers in North Carolina, and my mother grew up picking cotton, so discrimination and civil rights abuses were/are real in my family's history.

Discrimination is here and it's not going anywhere. We live in an unfair society, and you can't legislate morality. Does this give folks a right to discriminate against the obese? Of course not, but will it stop? Yeah right! To any morbidly obese person reading this, please keep one thing in mind: You're not a victim and you have more control than you think!

Noone should be discriminated for their weight - I hope we all agree on this one.

And I feel noone who is moderately above the weight which is commonly perceived as most attractive should feel pressurised into slimming down to a lower weight which may not be natural for them.

But I agree that it is plain wrong to encourage people who are clearly obese and putting their life/health at risk to stay how they are, for the very reason that they are putting their life/health at risk. Realistically, the focus is usually on physical appearance/attractiveness here but obese people should be encouraged and supported in losing weight for health reasons.

I was always somewhat overweight (close to the top of the "overweight" BMI range) but worked extremely hard to bring my weight down to about a BMI of 22. I did this twice actually, through eating moderate amounts healthy food and tracking all my nutrition information, and doing cardio and strength training - basically, doing it as close to the "right" way as I possibly could. Both times, however, I gained the weight back, right back up to my starting point. I haven't given up on myself - I'm still trying, but I do believe in weight "set points," and I think some are far unluckier than others in this department. I even believe that the forces within us that drive our weight toward its set point can be stronger over time than free will.

Having said that, if someone were unlucky enough to have a set point that put their weight in the morbidly obese category, it would be SO unfair to discriminate against them. Sure, they could work on lowering their weight, but eventually messages from their bodies screaming at them to eat and gain back to set point may win.

Not sure if I'm right, but my personal experience definitely supports the "set point" theory, unfortunately. I guess I'm lucky that my "set point" is only in the overweight range and not the obese range.

Apparently there needs to be an obesity civil rights movement.I like so many people here see the fallicy in the belief that overweight are solely to blame for the weight issues. We know one thing for the sure the "move more eat less mantra" as someone else here put it, isnt working. So that is NOT the cure. Why do people keep on pushing for a cure that isnt working. Don't they realize people who are overweigt aren't stupid and would love nothing more than to lose weight to just even keep peole off thier back if nothing esle. But, it's not that simple.
I also agree with another poster that most people arent concerned with the health of an overweight person but rather the appearance and the stereotypes that go along with it.

I think obesity is kind of a civil rights issue--as in, people have the right to be obese. There are so many laws being passed right now, banning junk food and such. My old high school got rid of the supposedly bad candy and filled the vending machines with healthier stuff. Anyone who wanted to fund raise by selling candy couldn't do that anymore either.

It's getting a bit ridiculous. I just read a book called Junk by Christopher Largen where all junk food is illegal, to the point where people equate junk with the same stigma as drugs. I'm starting to fear something like that happening now. People should have the right to do what they want with their bodies, as long as it isn't hurting anyone else. I mean, what about the millions of other people who aren't overweight? Why should they be punished?

Of course, I'm not saying being obese is a good thing. It's horrible. People should focus on being healthy. However, I just worry the government is starting to turn this into a "You HAVE to be healthy" instead of "You SHOULD be healthy". No matter what, personal choice is a right, and it shouldn't be taken away.

...and I'm sorry, but eating less and exercising more does help you lose weight. It's just science. If it doesn't work, you're not doing it. It might be uncomfortable, and there are definitely easier and better ways of losing weight, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work.