Why Should This Photo Incite Fat-Hatred...?
This photo was (apparently) snapped by an American Airlines flight attendant. Amazing what responses the photo invokes.
Fuel to the fire of the ongoing debate on obese airline passengers, and how much they should be paying.
This might be a photo - but it is an image of a real living person, with thoughts, feelings, and a soul. Just remember that if you want to get vicious and personal.
Written By J. Foster on Dec 2, 2009
that poor man.
ReplyWow, I took a look at some of the comments and it is too bad some people do not know how to express themselves very well (constructively).
I would have thought the correct way for this man to fly would have been for him to purchase two seats and not hang out into the isle.
To me the problem is the airline should have stuck to their rules for the sake of all.
I have no problem with obese people flying (I am still one) but if the airline's rules say you cannot hang into the isle, why don't they enforce their own rules?
Why is the fat hatred being debated rather than a fair set of rules?
ReplyThe gate agent failed to tell him he needed two seats. The picture above it pre-flight boarding. The flight attendant asked the guy in the middle if he'd voluntarily bump himself - he did - he was compensated and given a first class seat on the next flight. So the big guy above had two seats. The flight was booked solid.
ReplyI find it very sad to see hatred directed at anyone. Like Jim says, this is a *person* -- with just as much value as any of us.
Also, people do not become obese for no reason at all: medication, childhood trauma, physical or mental illness can all play a role
ReplyI don't think the situation should have come down to that. This is clearly embarrassing for the obese man. He must have known that one seat would not have been enough to accommodate his girth. Also, the airline associate surely could have anticipated what the picture represents above. Some kind of seating arrangement for this man should have been made beforehand, instead of waiting for him to be seated and then addressing the problem.
ReplyIt really hurts my heart to read some of those comments..how people can be so hurtful to someone they don't know or will ever know. That is someones family member, he didn't deserve the humiliation that this flight attendant put him through. Like Ali Hale said, he could have been obese for many other reasons then self induced.
ReplyI don't buy it.
No way they let this guy fly with his leg in the aisle. If he could not use extenders to fit into 2 seats they would not let him fly.
ReplyI agree, the airline should have enforced FAA and airline company rules. This individual would be a great candidate for Empower Me Photo.
ReplyI would much rather sit with that man than next to a screaming child on an airplane!
ReplyAnd my purse can't extend out from under the seat in front of me because it's a safety hazzard? This guys body would easily block ANYONE From being able to exit the plane past him in the event of an emergency!
ReplyI'm sorry but the airlines need to wake up. They make the seats so small and so packed together that even some "normal" sized people have problems sitting in a seat.
We know as a nation we are getting larger so why can't the airlines make some concessions and put in 2-3 rows of wider seats? Or, offer the second seat at half price? No one wants to pay an extra $600 for another seat!
I feel sorry for that guy...all he wants to do is fly to see his family, his friends, his kids...
ReplyThat poor guy. I'm sure it was an error on the part of the airline that they didn't tell him he needed to get two seats. I have several friends and family members that are too large for a standard airline seat and voluntarily buy two seats when they fly to avoid situations like this.
I know at the movie theater in our town, we have 2 or 3 "extra large" seats that are there for the very large patrons. I think airlines should have something similar available so the obese fliers won't have to deal with that kind of embarassment.
ReplyIt is sad on so many fronts. I think there is so much in the media about weight & obesity & then on the other hand you have the craziness of the entertainment industry where people are willing & have to be so underweight to get roles in a lot of cases.
I always wish there was a way to correct all this media craziness but I think it is too ingrained...
ReplyIt must be difficult to perch on a seat like that, and it must be difficult for the airline staff to do their jobs.
Seats are small enough for even average sized folks, but in this situation, it seems to me that 2 seats needed to be booked.
ReplyDid the plane tilt to the right?
ReplyPug, you're an ass, ya know that?
ReplyYesterday I observed an obese woman who had to walk up a flight of 3 steps to enter a store. She had to stop on the middle step and wait for her husband to extend his hand to help her up the final step. I felt very bad for her. Her size must adversely affect even the smallest aspects of her daily life. I'm sure the same is true for the man in this photo. I don't hate obese people at all; but I do hate sitting next to them in confined spaces. I'm not sure they appreciate how very uncomfortable it is for their seatmates to maintain a contorted position for hours on end and have to pay full price for the privilege. Moderately-sized people have rights also.
ReplyIf the guy bought another seat so he could fly, fine. I've been on several flights next to a plus size passengers. On a few occasions they were contrite and embarrassed. I tried my best to accomodate. Then I've been next to those who couldn't get their tray all the way down and gorged on twinkies and other snacks plus whatever carbs were in reach all the way. I'm not the skinniest guy in the world (by far) but when you have seatmates who take up a lot of space and feed their addiction, I see no reason to accomodate.
ReplyThat guy isn't *just* obese, he's abnormally large to begin with and very tall, too. I think that even at a normal weight, he'd be uncomfortable in one seat. But would the world be picking on him then?
He shouldn't be allowed to hang out into the aisle like that, but I think the situation could be handled with grace and sensitivity.
ReplyI feel so incredibly sad looking at that picture. In agreement with what has already been said, this man is a living human being... imagine how humiliated he felt!
Frankly, I don't care what his reasons are for being this size, no-one deserves to have hateful comments like this.
ReplyI'm a super frequent flier. I fly about 2 round-trips a month. The one thing that I dread more than anything is sitting next to a fat person. Their fat not only takes up the entire armrest, but it also seems to ooze onto my side. Airlines REALLY should start making them buy two seats.
For those of you that want the airline to make bigger seats, why don't you go lose some weight instead? It'd be easier and cheaper for all of us. Every time an airline changes something on the plane, it costs money, and that cost gets passed on to the passengers. Why should we, fit and healthy people, should pay for your inability to control your snack gorging?
ReplyA fund could be set up to financially assist people whom need 2 seats; providing money to pay for that 2nd seat. Those who are large because of a medical condition beyond their control would receive benefit unconditionally, over eaters as a requirement for receiving must agree to get help; attend a free program like OA or another program at their own expense
Replymost airlines have reduced their seat sizes in order to fit more people on each flight. if they just returned their seats to the sizes or previous decades everyone would be more comfortable!
ReplyI hope the poster of the picture will be identified and sacked from the Airline.
ReplyThe picture makes me sad and frustrated. The airlines are not very sensitive to the obese at all. Obviously, this guy should have been noticed and his situation addressed BEFORE he got on the plane.
Flying is so stressful to me as an obese man. The last time I flew, I was able to secure business class seats which helped out some. However, I still needed a seatbelt extender.
Upon boarding, I asked a flight attendant for the extender three times before I was given one. The plane was about to move, and they were preparing for their safety demonstration. I almost flipped out.
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