Poll: Should being obese be considered a disability?

[TheRightToArmBears]

Not necessarily. In certain minor occasions (helping people with carrying things, etc) then yes, but I'm against the idea of giving them allowances in things like plane tickets and such. Almost all of the time obesity is the result of parenting or lack of care. Losing weight in your teens isn't unbeleiveably difficult and that's usually the time that you're most self concious too. So, if you're only obese out of lack of ambition then I don't see why you're going to get special treatment. This is almost like giving benefits to someone who just can't be bothered to get up.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

No. If you're fat, the LAST thing you need is less exercise. This is common fucking sense.

For Christs Sake, no wonder my country is so goddamn fat is people are thinking about obesity this way. "Disablity".....for christ's.....I am trying so hard not to rant right now. And this is coming from someone who...Well, I'm not morbidly obese or anything, but I carry a little wieght. You know what I'm doing about it? I GO TO A FUCKING GYM!! TO LOSE WEIGHT!!! BECAUSE I DON'T MIND DOING SOME FUCKING WORK IN MY LIFE!!! GOD FUCKING DAMN-OK, ok. I'm done. It's all good.


[small][small]fucking disability you have to shitting me...[/small][/small]

Do you have any idea what would happen to an obese person if they just said - fuck it - and jumped on a stair climber? You would have a very large dead person.

Hmmm....

That's....a terrible reason to not lose weight. It's not like one step on a treadmill will kill 'em, they just have to start small. Easy.

 

[timeadept]

Yes, you are physically less able. There are ways of becoming thinner, but they aren't instantaneous, and the quicker you loose that weight, the unhealthier the method is

I treat people who don't respect this with the same contempt that I treat racists or homophobes

You can't choose to be black, you can't choose to be homosexual, you can choose wether you want to eat that delicious chocolate cake and watch TV or go outside and eat some celery while you run.

You'd be surprised exactly how much choice people have in the matter. Some more than others, but i think many of them don't have much self control, which is an entirely different problem. Not all do mind you, but a lot of obese people i know either lack the self control or their bodies have just gotten "used" to being fat and it incredibly hard to louse weight and keep it off at that point.

It's not as simple as just "not" eating that delicious chocolate cake.

 

[Verlander]

Yes, you are physically less able. There are ways of becoming thinner, but they aren't instantaneous, and the quicker you loose that weight, the unhealthier the method is

I treat people who don't respect this with the same contempt that I treat racists or homophobes

You can't choose to be black, you can't choose to be homosexual, you can choose wether you want to eat that delicious chocolate cake and watch TV or go outside and eat some celery while you run.

That's irrelevant. You are judging someone based on something they are, not what they do or how they behave.

Funnily enough you can't always choose. Becoming obese is remarkably easy to do, especially when you are older, without realising. It's far harder to become fit again.

Many adults in our society are obese, and it's because we, as a people, do far less physical work than our bodies are supposed to. It's easy for children, or teenagers, as they are using stupid amounts of energy to grow. Our bodies are incredible things that are built to survive, and they do that by storing fat.

When someone gets too fat to work, it is a disability. They need to loose that fat, and can do, but because it's not recognised as a disability by self righteous arsewipes, they do not get the help that they need to overcome this problem. You can't just start feeding them less, because as anyone with the slightest knowledge of nutrition will tell you, that won't loose the fat. Exercising without supervision when you are in such a circumstance is also very dangerous.

I'm not saying that they should be given the same sympathies as mentally disable people, or those who have other physical disabilities, but then I agree that every situation demands it's own unique amount of help and support. So, yeah, someone who can't understand this is pretty much a dick in my opinion.

 

[fix-the-spade]

One of the main arguements behind this debate is the Obese=Genes arguement.

That argument is a load of crap. The prime causes of obesity are all environmental. Genes can cause pre-disposition to gain weight. They don't make you sit on your ass and do nothing while you get fat.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetically caused disability, it causes genuine problems and whilt treatable, it is not curable. True genetic disorders are horrific things that I would never wish on anyone. Obesity as a side effect of one of these is perfectly legitamate, but not the disability in of itself.

Nobody is born a fatass, you have to work at it.

 

[lacktheknack]

No, because they have control over whether or not they're obese.

If they DON'T have control due to mental issues or digestive issues, then THAT'S a disability. The obesity is a symptom.

 

[TiefBlau]

If you're physically unable to do something, you're disabled in that regard.

Yes, this means that fat people are, to some extent, disabled.

No, they still don't get as many rights as everyone else. I'd say this should be treated like a drug addiction. Yes, you have a problem. And if it impedes your ability to work, employers should have a right to hold that against you if you don't seek help or attempt to treat the cause of this problem. Drug abusers go to rehab. Obese citizens ought to do the same.

You people throw around that word "choice"...it's a funny word, really. Everyone's a fucking expert these days, right?

 

[Breyder]

According to the oxford English dictionary a diability is defined as:

1 a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
or
2. a disadvantage or handicap, especially one imposed or recognized by the law.

So yes, unfortunately, obesity is considered as a disability due to fact that mental conditions are mentioned even though I feel that this definition was originally brought about by the casual use of narcotics and alcohol but has been bent to the will of the lawyers so that the definition is as vague as possible to include as many people as possible.

If a person suffers from a mental condition (eg. gluttony or lethargy) which causes them to lose weight then they're disabled.

Personally I think people need to start taking more responsibility for their own actions, man up and do something about their problems rather than blaming it on something else.

I got a scare recently when I found out that I was clinically obese and I joined the gym. I did well, lost the weight and gained some muscle which resulted in me being quite proud of myself. Until recently when I injured my back playing football and some of the weight has returned due to inactivity =(

I even know of one guy at my gym who is 5'8, nearly 300lbs and he does a much more strenuous workout than I ever do in an attempt to lose the weight. I got talking to him a few weeks ago and he just said "I did it, now I'm undoing it". This guy is my hero, if I had been in his shoes I'd have just said "F*** it" and done nothing. Now if I'm ever tired when I'm at the gym I look across at him (he's always there) and realise that whatever I'm doing, its much harder for him and I should quit complaining and work harder.

It may not be easy or fun but its a damn sight better than been a blob sat in the corner complaining how you can move because the only time your mouth is stationary is when you're asleep!

 

[Eri]

Not unless they have a doctor diagnosed problem that prevents them from helping it, otherwise, time to get off your fat ass and work it off.

 

[Sjakie]

If being Obese is gonna be a disabillity...
then i am gonna have a 'disabillity' that makes me masturbate in public!

keyword: self-control!

 

[logiman]

You`re fat, run a mile and lose weight
You`re an amputee, you can`t grow your arms/legs back

 

[ultimateownage]

It depends, there are two types of obese. There is a disorder where you literally cannot lose weight which should be considered a disability, but if you just like cheeseburgers then no. My body is crap at losing weight, but I don't consider that I have a disability. I just can't be asked to eat lots of celery and do loads of exercise to counter my body's shortcomings.

 

[Alden Hou]

this is one of those threads that made me wtflol? if u are seriously obese that it hinders everyday life, then maybe. but if you have a little fat around the waist, then hell no!

 

[AndyFromMonday]

No. It should be considered a byproduct of the comercialized world we live in. We live in a world where we ban any depiction of smoking in the media or otherwise but we have no problem with allowing fast foods to be advertised on TV/Billboards/Media. The same way you can make smoking cool and appealing the same way you can make fast foods appealing and "cool". Besides, the society we live in encourages a very, very busy life style. Most of the times people don't have time to cook. What would you rather do after a busy day? Sit back and relax, order some pizza and eat away or spend the time needed to cook a decent meal? All the problems with obesity can be traced back to the busy life style society imposes on us. I will go as far as to say most obesity cases in todays world are not the fault of the person but of society itself.

 

[Zorg Machine]

yes.

Spoiler

tell me this man is not disabled and I will call you a liar.
even if he got that way by choice he probably stays like that due to a mental issue/block (in other words, laziness and procrastination but that's not the point)
tell me that he can walk to the supermarket from the parking space far away. the man would probably fall over with a heart attack halfway there.

he is disabled, not by choice but because he simply can't do shit about it (due to lack of restraint or something like that) how can we say, "big deal, I/other people have managed to slim down, why can't you" when every person is different.

I hear some forms of paralysis can be cured through surgery nowadays, look at all those lazy bastards who are too lazy to get some money and pay the doctors, they should be ashamed of themselves for asking me to help them up from their fallen wheelchair. <---extremely offensive only to get the point across btw.

 

[Yoshemo]

No, because there's always a way around being obese. Even when your genetics make it harder for you to lose weight, it's always possible to lose weight.

Hell, I have a disease that gives me blisters any time I do any kind of physical work. And that includes on the hands when I use weights, my feet when I run, or even my ass if I ride a bike. But you know what? I found a way around that.

I can't do anything about my skin but I can do something about my weight. Anyone can. Genetics is not an acceptable excuse because no one is genetically 400 lbs. Genetics only means that your metabolism doesn't work as well so you just have to work harder at it than others. Eat a little bit less, watch what you eat, do even a small amount of exercise here and there. It works.

Hmm.. I think I might have that. I got blisters after just shoveling my sidewalk. Plus other times..

 

[FalloutJack]

Sure, in their head.

Seriously, though. No! This is not a disability. This is a self-inflicted injury. If you ate yourself fat and now it's rendering you immobile, STOP EATING. Being overweight is not a sin, but Jabba The Hut is disgusting! Counting this as a disability will just make it easier for the obese to get MORE food, which is BAD.

(The user will not apologize for any of this. There is no argument to be made here.)

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

No. Losing weight is something that can be done. Being obese is no reason to be labeled 'disabled', no matter how much that rhymed.
Though to me, it's more because it just seems like wallowing, rather than trying to actively better the problem.

 

[Rottweiler]

The problem is that 'Obesity' is very, very rarely an actual 'condition'. While the 'tendency' can be shown, actual being obese no matter what you do is incredibly rare.

Disability should only apply for inescapable or treatable issues which end benefits when the treatment is successful.

 

[Lilitu]

I would say: That depends on the reason why somebody is obese.
Is it because someone really likes to eat and eat stuff with a lot of fat or sugar and doesn't like to move or even *gasp* do sports. Then the answer is: No!

A friend of mine has a quite seldom disease. Muscles turn to fat, no matter what she does. She eats healthy and does sports but all this can slow that process down but cannot stop it.
She is considered as disabled and I think that's just right. She can't walk anymore (I knew her already when she was still able to walk at least some steps).
She really would like to get rid of that disease (I don't know the name of that disease) and would like to have a healthy body, get married, have kids. But propably that will never occur. Not because of her shape but of that disease. She does not know how old she can get.
She does a lot to slow down that process of muscles turning into fat, but well...

Being obese is surely not easy and losing weight is a hard fight but most people are not ill, they can change their bodyweight. Those people should not be considered as disabled as long as they are able to do something against that.