Probably offensive to overweight people
Well, this is probably going to be kind of offensive, but oh well.
I have admit that often times I have no sympathy for overweight people. Sure, you can be fat all you want, it's your own choice, but the reality is that it does not affect just you. I'm not even going to get into the healthcare cost aspect of it, I'm mostly just thinking of it in terms of personal space. This whole thing was brought to my attention as I sat at a concert the other night. I was there in my seat, with a larger woman next to me, and it was rather irritating that in addition to the fact that the seats in arenas are incredibly small, I couldn't use the entirety of the seat I was in.
This is one example, but it happens everywhere, probably most notably on planes. My theory is that if I pay a lot of money for a tiny ass seat, why can't I use all of it? Or more importantly, why should the little comfort that I can have be impacted because I'm stuck next to someone who is large? This is where the grey area is. Sure, it's a personal choice (or arguably, maybe not) to be overweight, but regardless, why should normal size people impacted by someone who takes up more space than they should?
I have admit that often times I have no sympathy for overweight people. Sure, you can be fat all you want, it's your own choice, but the reality is that it does not affect just you. I'm not even going to get into the healthcare cost aspect of it, I'm mostly just thinking of it in terms of personal space. This whole thing was brought to my attention as I sat at a concert the other night. I was there in my seat, with a larger woman next to me, and it was rather irritating that in addition to the fact that the seats in arenas are incredibly small, I couldn't use the entirety of the seat I was in.
This is one example, but it happens everywhere, probably most notably on planes. My theory is that if I pay a lot of money for a tiny ass seat, why can't I use all of it? Or more importantly, why should the little comfort that I can have be impacted because I'm stuck next to someone who is large? This is where the grey area is. Sure, it's a personal choice (or arguably, maybe not) to be overweight, but regardless, why should normal size people impacted by someone who takes up more space than they should?
3 Comments:
At 1:22 PM, Diana said…
As a fat girl who has regularly read and enjoyed your blog, I have to take exception to today's remarks.
Alas, my friend, it is not always a "choice" to be fat, and to make that broad assumption is to do a grave disservice to a lot of people.
While I will admit that some people are fat because they need to put down the Big Mac and get off their asses once in a while, a great many of us try to live in a healthful way, and have other factors to thank for our heft. For example, I have my extra 80 pounds thanks to some fantastic steroids and other drugs used to treat a serious and very rare immune system disorder. Without those drugs, I might have died by now. With those drugs, I have become someone that shops in the Plus size section of the store, and whose butt overflows into your portion of the airline seat. Believe me, I'm not a fan of being on your side anymore than you like having me there.
At 3:01 PM, Russ said…
I appreciate your comment Diana. I realize there is no right side to this argument, and I knew that when I was writing it. I also realize that I am lucky to not have to battle a problem like this. I understand that large people have much more to worry about than whether or not they are making someone uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it's an issue with two sides, and those were my feelings when I wrote this... Now at least I know people read my blog, lol. I don't see your visits in my stats since you appear to read from feed in Bloglines.
At 1:20 PM, Shabiggity said…
It's no secret that America as a whole is becoming more and more obese. It's a by product of our hectic, fast paced, Capitalistic lifestyles (hey, that's a different story all together). Corporate America continues to profit from this epidemic from the Healthcare sector to the makers of airplanes and movie theatres whose only goal is to stuff as many people as possible into a confined space all in the name of profit. Your comfort as a consumer, regardless of your weight or how you got to that weight, is of no concern to them. Blame them, not overweight people. Now excuse me why I finish my double quarter pounder with cheese.
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