Comments on: So Is It a Disease? United Airlines to Double-Charge Obese Fliers

By: AJ's Two Cents

AJ's Two Cents — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:01:55 +0000

I’m going to weigh in (ha ha) on the side of the obese folks. Since I am one. And some of it is due to poor choices I made, and some of it is probably genetic (obese people run in my family… or don’t run, I guess) and some of it is other health issues I’ve been struggling with over the last year or so. Do I blame myself? Heck yah. Now, last fall I had to travel on business. My employer only bought me one seat although I clearly indicated I’d require two. I would purchase two seats myself any time I traveled (although I don’t agree with FORCING obese people to do this, personally, I don’t want to inconvenience someone) and have on the bus in previous times (speaking of things with small seats!). Anyway I was very fortunate as none of the flights but one was full, so the flight attendants and the people stuck sitting beside me were able to be moved around so we’d all be more comfortable, and on that full one we rearranged seats so my co-worker could sit beside me, bless her heart. At least that way I wasn’t inconveniencing a total stranger!

I guess the point of my story is – most obese people know what we are. Sometimes we don’t have a choice (like my employer leaving me dangling) but we certainly are aware that we are inconveniencing others. Am I working on losing weight? Heck yes, with healthy lifestyle changes and exercise. Is it going to make me skinny tomorrow? Heck no, no diet in the universe can do that. Would life be easier if people were more understanding and less judgemental of the obese? Definitely.

Oh and for those weighing in on the disease vs. choice debate and saying that doctors should be treating it – most doctors see an obese person and diagnose “Fat Hypochondriac” when you go see them. I’ve been struggling with something not related to my weight, most of the struggle being to get someone to see past the weight to actually try and treat me. NOT ONE of the doctors I’ve seen has done anything to help me lose weight except to say ‘lose weight’. NOT ONE. No nutritional guidance, nothing. Even when I’ve asked for help and options. I finally went to a naturopath (and I would recommend finding a good licensed one to ANYONE, what a fabulous experience). Anyway, I don’t think doctors should be the exclusive ones to treat obesity as they are all to apt to ignore it or throw drugs at it which don’t solve the problem in the long run.

By: Apu Nahasapimapetalon

Apu Nahasapimapetalon — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:16:17 +0000

I must say about the obese peoples in America that they are taking too many seats on our planes, and the skinny people cannot sit anywhere. In my country, you get kicked off the plane when you are too fat! My mother suffered that problem many times, and I know that it hurts, but fat people shouyld pay for three seats! i hope they don’t have a window seat!

By: Achmed zhu (im chinese)

Achmed zhu (im chinese) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:09:16 +0000

i dont like obeses people one stole my peanuts

By: From the Mind of J

From the Mind of J — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:38:49 +0000

I guess Chicago Guy is having his period. Or was. Or whatever.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:49:02 +0000

Obesity is NOT a disease; it is an addiction. I am obese and am addicted to food when stressed. Please people, take responsibility for your own actions. Alcohol is NOT a disease, it is an addiction. Quit making excuses for overweight people. Help people to get exercise and change their diet; this the only way to lose weight and keep it off. Hearing that obesity is an addiction just infuriates me. Get REAL…

By: How Much Actual Hamburger Is in Your Big Mac? Frighteningly Little | Discoblog | Discover Magazine

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:55:46 +0000

[...] Related Content: Discoblog: So Is It a Disease? United Airlines to Double-Charge Obese Fliers [...]

By: geeta

geeta — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:01:48 +0000

A lot of diseases are preventable/curable by a proper life-style choices of oneself. Some, like cancer could often be a result of someone else’s lifestyle choice, that pollutes others’ natural resources. Eating less and getting exercise is an easy choice, except for the ones that choose to be lazy and depend on medication for illnesses being lead by the overly weight.
That said, the airlines policy is based on pure logic and reasoning – the cost of flying an airplane is largely dependent on the weight it carries and the number of people it can comfortably carry depends on the extent of containment of each person in his/her own seat. Over-sized, over-weight people, especially shorter and heavier ones (height that adds to a person’s weight is not quite controllable), must pay a higher fare simply because it is more expensive to haul them around.

By: Chicago Guy

Chicago Guy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:22:43 +0000

Wow. First a cogent article about airlines and the decision they have made to handle obese passengers. A well balanced look at the discussion as to whether or not the condition known as obesity should be rightfully classified as a disease.

That is followed by enough bullshit from uninformed morons and hate filled self loathing sacks of shit to fertilize every field on the planet. How is it that so many stupid people read science magazines and still don’t have a clue. Are you all so incredibly clueless that your own bigoted opinions must now pass as religion to be crammed down every one else’s throats? You don’t have the problem so, since your are the yard stick by which all of humanity must be measured, no one has the problem? There are some disgusting people in the world alright but to see them most of you need to stand in front of the mirror. And since you’re probably too stupid to realize I’m talking about you… Clive, Dayna, karl, From the Mind of J, bob,…

By: Dave in Calif

Dave in Calif — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:48:43 +0000

So, how are the airlines determing who is obese, BMI? Fat calipers? impedance, tossing them in a tank of water? Asking them what their belt size is, or dress size is and if your belt or pants is say, >38 or your dress size is >14 you are considered obese and must buy two seats? Will the person at the airline counter have a tape measure and have the “suspected” fatty stand on what used to be the luggage scale and do a quicky BMI?

Or maybe you have to have a card (or on your drivers license, you betcha the DMV would be able to handle this) from your health care provider stating you are obese or not. Yep, I am now a card carrying fat person and can prove it! The state can even make the ID cards thicker and round!! Why not just make them (you disgusting fat people) take trains only, you can stuff a LOT of fat people in those box cars.

We are about to have universal healthcare why not universal health camps? All the fat people who are increasing the carbon foot print by eating too much can be put in them and shown (or forced) how to eat less.

Humm it seems to me this was tried around 65 years ago, but I can’t seem to remember where or if it worked or not..box cars and camps…? hummm…

By: Lauriann

Lauriann — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:04:56 +0000

Lest someone read my above comment and think that I am saying that lifestyle and the kinds of food and beverages that one consumes, I want to add that I regained my ability to enjoy life again after a car accident and subsequent diagnosis of fibromyalgia by changing my thinking; switching to a mostly raw,alkaline diet; adding a regular, gentle exercise routine; meditation; and drinking good quality water, and using high quality supplements (with understanding of what I was doing). We are bags of chemical and electrical reactions. Anything that we eat, drink, think changes our chemistry, it just depends on which direction – healthy or unhealthy. For some people, simple life style changes CAN make a great deal of difference. For others, it requires more detective work to find the underlying “WHY(S)”.