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Yesterday, there were several threads about people who discriminate against overweight and "fat" people simply on the basis of their weight.
One of the predominant sentiments running through the threads was complaining that many of these weight "offenders" was the reason that health care in this country was not only so expensive, but that so many of the diseases and illnesses in this country are caused by overeating and unhealthy lifestyles.
I now offer a different viewpoint:
1) Smokers should be executed, then, because the second-hand smoke they produce is killing others, and they are knowingly contributing to the ill health of others. Indeed, it is a proven fact that children with smokers in the house have higher incidents of asthma and other lung problems. Should we then raise the rates for all smokers in this country, or try once again to prohibit the sale of cigarettes?
2) We ALL know that people should not drink and drive, but they do anyhow. And as a result, there are multiple deaths of both the offenders and victims of such clashes. From now on, no crap about "three strikes" anymore--first offenders of any kind of accident caused by drinking and driving should result in 25 years to life regardless of their age or the fact that it's their "first" offense. First offense implies that there WILL be other offenses. AND we can't forget how many victims who end up in hospitals as a result of accidents who have no insurance--as a result, hospital fees try to collect costs from everyone else who happens to come into the hospital who DOES have coverage.
3) We must not forget drug offenders. Their habits have any number of potential crimes against others, as well as crimes against themselves. The appearance in any relatively big ER testifies to this. Not only are many drug addicts without health insurance, and thus their care and feeding are a burden on those who pay taxes, but the government spends a WHOLE lot of money on drug crime enforcement that could be used in other, crucial areas.
4) Homelessness. Who can forget that we must all bear the cost for those who are homeless! Between shelters, soup kitchens, tents, charities in general, death, and crimes against and by homeless folk, the burden that they inflict is astronomical.
5) Anorexia, bulimia and other disorders related to eating: Are those of you who are anti-fatties really going to tell me that those on the opposite end of the spectrum are somehow more "normal" than those who are overweight? Those with serious eating behaviors such as anorexia are often in FAR worst health than those who might be a higher BMI. There comes a point where someone with anorexia will be damaging every organ in their bodies, and death is not only more likely, but there is little cure for those for whom such illnesses are addictions or biological. And, once again, health insurance for many of these is non-existent.
6) And we must not forget sex! Those who engage in sex practices who end up with HIV or other STDs are only putting themselves at risk; yes, blame that on all those "homosexuals" (:sarcasm:) who are spreading AIDS and HIV around, nevermind that STDs in general have been around for a couple of hundred years already, and that the number of those who acquire HIV or full blown AIDS has grown for heterosexuals, as well as the number of those who acquire it from other sources (tainted blood transfusions, illegal intravenous drug use) has risen.
Someone once said that those who are addicted to substances such as drugs, alcohol, or other substances can find ways to be cured by eliminating those things from their lives. Those who are addicted to food have no such recourse--we all must eat to survive.
Those who are obese because of bad diets or overeating is only a percentage of those who have a higher BMI. Hypothyroidism, inherited high triglycerides, slow metabolism, propensity to a higher weight, pain, athrititis, and a hundred other factors play a part in one's weight. For an example, some nationalities simply have a higher weight from genetics, while many people were born with high cholesterol, triglycerides, or some other other factor, even if they ate a perfect diet all their lives. While many factors which lead to such addictions as alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, and sex are just as dangerous, and in fact most often are even greater risks, those subjects are considered to be cause for concern by liberals.
Many of those who are overweight don't even overeat. Many follow more restrictive diets than many others, and still the weight does not come off easily or quickly. Even those who aren't on diets eat less than most "normal" people, therefore belying the image of some glutton chowing down on a ton of food at each session.
If you have made fun of someone who is larger than you, try taking a small timeout and put yourself in their shoes. Think about how these people are ostracized, made fun of, thought of as inferior to "normal" people, and then think of the list above. I'd rather that NO one be discriminated against, frankly, but it's never going to be stopped in my lifetime. Children who experience such bigotry during their childhood because of factors that they can't control or should never need to, grow up to be people with severe self-esteem problems, or who practice some form of self-abuse every day. Why not? When they were younger, they were told by so many strangers that they shouldn't live because they were fat, or that they were a pox on society, ot some other derision based on absolutely nothing other than the fear of the individual who made the remark. A child doesn't have the ability to distinguish between an asshole making a stupid comment or someone making a contructive remark--they only know that they have been told they aren't good enough, and as a result, deserve to be punished. When that happens, we are ALL instruments of destruction, and not just insensitive bastards who don't have the good sense to keep our mouths shut.
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