Some girls mothers
August 4, 2003 2:19 PM   Subscribe

Twenty-seven percent of Americans are obese. And now, more than ever the obese are rolling into court with workplace discrimination lawsuits.
posted by the fire you left me (42 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: a big fat lemon of a post



 
rolling into court... hah!
posted by zekinskia at 2:21 PM on August 4, 2003


Please don't let this turn into a pick on the fat people thread....
posted by Red58 at 2:26 PM on August 4, 2003


Man do I hate fat people.
posted by jonson at 2:27 PM on August 4, 2003


Wow, poor choice of words. Rolling into court..... jeeze.
posted by mkelley at 2:31 PM on August 4, 2003


In the news today, twenty-seven percent of Americans are obese, while the other 73% just have a really fat ass.
posted by Outlawyr at 2:42 PM on August 4, 2003


The thread IS about picking on fat people... isn't it?
posted by Witty at 2:43 PM on August 4, 2003


<cartman>I'm not fat, I'm just big boned.</cartman>
posted by turbodog at 2:51 PM on August 4, 2003


The guy in question is a bit more than fat at the weight given. Now, fast food places have been taking it on the chin for getting our youth fat, and they came out with salads to show what thoughtful folks they are. But if you get a guy over 300 pounds behind the counter serving food in a place already beginning to be known as fat heaven, that is not a wise choice to make for an employer.

In fact we have biases against ugly people; we tend to favor tall obver short; slim over fat etc etc...but it is one thing to be born short and another to over indulge and then blame someone else (law suit) foryour weight problems, granting of course that some are born who will be genetically given to be heavy.

I have lately watched in public places (beaches esp.) parents that are a bit overweight with a kid or two hta is very young and already fat...that is not genetic.
posted by Postroad at 2:59 PM on August 4, 2003


Some girls' mothers indeed, the fire [...] me,
posted by Fezboy! at 3:07 PM on August 4, 2003


But if you get a guy over 300 pounds behind the counter serving food in a place already beginning to be known as fat heaven, that is not a wise choice to make for an employer.
how he cooks, not how he looks."(from the article)

Mr. Connor's main legal argument is that McDonald's treated him as disabled. ???Lawrence Peikes, a lawyer for McDonald's, insisted that Mr. Connor was not discriminated against because of his weight. "He was offered a job, there's no dispute about that," he said. He said that while McDonald's was waiting for special-order pants with a 54-inch waist for Mr. Connor, McDonald's sold the restaurant to a franchisee who evidently knew nothing about plans to hire Mr. Connor. The suit has not yet come to trial.
Food does not need a uniform that says McDonalds to fry; what was wrong with his own clothes until his uniform arrived?
posted by thomcatspike at 3:13 PM on August 4, 2003


Weight-related FPPs tend to be high up in the top ten that the Metafilter community is rock-bottom-worst at discussing. Nobody is ever enlightened and people are often offended. I'm avoiding this one and I'd encourage others to do the same.
posted by clever sheep at 3:22 PM on August 4, 2003


it is one thing to be born short

Lousy excuses. I am like 5 feet taller than when I was born. If you are short, it's your fault.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 3:27 PM on August 4, 2003


Food does not need a uniform that says McDonalds to fry;

That clause should be a benchmark for any new natural language parser. Guess it's easier if you put the needed quotes around "McDonalds" though...


Oh, obesity? Yep, big problem there, really big problem...
posted by badstone at 3:30 PM on August 4, 2003


Funny how so many Americans suffer from "genetic" fatness while the rest of the world doesn't seem to have such dire obesity.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:53 PM on August 4, 2003


McDonalds and Coca-Cola are doing an excellent job of exporting obesity/diabetes culture to Japan. Rates of both are climbing steadily here, thanks largely to junk food and sugar drinks.
posted by planetkyoto at 4:09 PM on August 4, 2003


yes, and how genetic obesity has only seriously started affecting our population in the last few decades...

Bigger portions, more grease, more sugar, and far less opportunity for natural (job or transport related) exercise unsurprisingly leads to a cultural phenomenon of weight gain. It's not so much an individual weakness as an issue for our entire society. A large percentage of slim people over a certain age (30ish?) these days have to be constantly mindful of diet and exercise. Nearly everyone I know who's in shape has a serious exercise regimen and many also have specific diets. Our lifestyles no longer take care of this for us.
posted by mdn at 4:11 PM on August 4, 2003


Lazy, lazy fatties. I hates 'em!!! Their chubbiness chaps my hide!!
posted by jonson at 4:37 PM on August 4, 2003


Haven't they proved that fat people are stupid?

/when I say stupid, I mean stupid fresh.
posted by hellinskira at 4:49 PM on August 4, 2003


stupid dope fresh?
posted by inpHilltr8r at 5:07 PM on August 4, 2003


Funny how so many Americans suffer from "genetic" fatness while the rest of the world doesn't seem to have such dire obesity.

Yes, and how black people are supposedly more "prone" to sickle-cell, and asian people are more apt to be lactose intolerant. That's bullshit if you ask me. They're just lazy.
posted by Hildago at 5:48 PM on August 4, 2003


I'm not fat, I'm just big boned.

Oh, sweetie, those were all lies.
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:54 PM on August 4, 2003


Or look at it this way: There *IS* a genetic proclivity to obesity, which manifests itself most clearly in an environment which provides large portions of sugary and fatty foods. Or is that too sensible and obvious?
posted by condour75 at 5:56 PM on August 4, 2003


The problem with fight obesity in this country is that we have too many 'quick fix' messages. For a person who is 300 lbs (of which I used to be), telling them they can lose 100 lbs in 2 months with a pill will do nothing but discourage them when they fail.

Instead, the government needs to force the issue and say, 'hey, those pills might not work, try exercise for once'. How about instead of tax credits for kids, we give them for being healthy, and encourage people to see their doctors regularly and to diet reasonably.

With regular exercise and a proper diet, just about anyone can lose some weight. So far I've been at my new exercise plan for almost 4 months now, and I've dropped just around 45 pounds (roughly). But when I realized I won't drop the weight overnight, and that I will stop losing for a while as I work through my body, I realize it takes time, and I can work towards my goals, instead of having them thrusted at me by companies out for a quick buck.
posted by benjh at 6:23 PM on August 4, 2003


Yes, and how black people are supposedly more "prone" to sickle-cell, and asian people are more apt to be lactose intolerant. That's bullshit if you ask me. They're just lazy.

Since when was being american genetic?

There *IS* a genetic proclivity to obesity, which manifests itself most clearly in an environment which provides large portions of sugary and fatty foods. Or is that too sensible and obvious?

Far too sensible. Probably a cultural element as well, but since moving to america, I've become too lazy in the head to work out an angle on that one.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 6:27 PM on August 4, 2003


McDonalds and Coca-Cola are doing an excellent job of exporting obesity/diabetes culture to Japan. Rates of both are climbing steadily here, thanks largely to junk food and sugar drinks.

Yeah, I just hate the way those awful corporations are just force feeding those poor helpless Japanese.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 6:32 PM on August 4, 2003


Oh don't lets go down the road of blaming the fast food companies for obesity. That's utter rubbish and we all know it. We *choose* what we eat, nobody forces us. For cryin' out loud, I'm going to guess that food is cheaper in the US than in most other places based upon the massive portion sizes and $.99 cent menus popping up all over the place.

I've lived in Europe for the better part of five years and through this period in Spain I have noticed a *frightening* increase in obesity, particularly among youngsters. Some of it is genetic, but much of it is a change in lifestyle and quality of food that is ingested. Spain is rapidly transforming into a fast-food nation like many others and their health is paying the price.

But again, it is *choice*. As a consultant, I had a discussion about this with several workers in an office I was visiting last week. One of the ladies asked me what my 'diet' is like. I said, "it's simple. I don't eat crap, and when I do, I moderate myself." She was utterly shocked. More to the point she then starts with, "well, I'm doing the Atkins thing and so I can eat a McBurger, but not the bun." I said, "Sure, do as you wish, but in my book, you're still eating crap." To this she fell back upon the typical, "yeah but it's the only thing out here to eat and I don't have time."

Time. *sigh* Go and cook yourself a week's worth of chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon. Go buy an assload of veggies and greens to eat. Stop drinking soda all day long and switch to water. Choice, people. Choice. You've got choice, so choose wisely with a sprinkle of common sense.
posted by tgrundke at 7:22 PM on August 4, 2003


Got your beliwheel yet? :)
posted by aeschenkarnos at 7:24 PM on August 4, 2003


yeah, i'm sick of the general population gorging themselves silly with fried food, and giving our country the general image of a diabetic severely overweight man, 'disabled' by this progressive disease- and forced to get around in an electric scooter. on taxpayer money. wooohaww! America!

It's harsh, I know- but i find it repulsive.
posted by shadow45 at 7:44 PM on August 4, 2003


Calories in, calories out. That's it. Eat less, exercise more.
posted by moonbiter at 7:48 PM on August 4, 2003


Blaming fast food companies is simple-minded, yeah, but the results of the pressure have been voluntary efforts by fast food companies to make their products safer for public (massive, vlountary) consumption, no?

I don't know what to think of that, except that maybe extremes in the political discourse can be useful, in that they are going to be weeded out by the inherent peer-review process. Maybe if they have any shred of truth, it can get synthesized into more tenable points of view during the process?
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 8:21 PM on August 4, 2003


Irrational anger toward fat people aside, is anyone worried about employers poking their noses further and further into our private lives, on account of the fact that some of us cost them more money than others? Do you care that your ability to find work might be seriously threatened if you someday fall into one of these potentially expensive categories of people (being fat, or being a woman of child-bearing age, or having a high cholesterol level, etc.)?
posted by boredomjockey at 8:37 PM on August 4, 2003


"....Jazzercise ultimately agreed to give franchises to overweight instructors, in accordance with a San Francisco law that bars discrimination based on weight or height, exempting the Police and Fire Departments and the 49ers football team."

So: in SF, discrimination based on weight is wrong, very wrong, except for police, firemen/women, and SF 49'ers players?

OK then.
posted by troutfishing at 8:43 PM on August 4, 2003


Steve_at_Linnwood :Yeah, I just hate the way those awful corporations are just force feeding those poor helpless Japanese.

Way to crank down the average IQ in this thread a couple of dozen points. High five!

Here's some hard data about recent increases in obesity in Asia.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:04 PM on August 4, 2003


Haven't they proved that fat people are stupid?

/when I say stupid, I mean stupid fresh.


I hate you guys.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 9:18 PM on August 4, 2003


Don't worry, I think the poor helpless Japanese just may have found a solution: A way of transforming blood sugar into electric power.
posted by condour75 at 9:20 PM on August 4, 2003


It's ok to be a bigot if you're bigoted in a socially acceptable venue, I guess.
posted by Hildago at 9:35 PM on August 4, 2003


For what its worth, this situation does remind me of the tobacco company litigation. Many people initially took the side that smoking is a choice and only the smokers themselves were responsible for the consequences. In the end, it was revealed that the tobacco companies had done studies and knew of the addictive nature of their product and attempted not only to manipulate the addictive ingredient, but to conceal their manipulation and their knowledge of its addictiveness.

People do choose what food to put into their bodies. Just like tobacco, most people would agree that fast food is unhealthy. However, I think that the issue here is economics and deception.

The reason that fast food is so unhealthy is because the cheapest ingredients are also the most dangerous. In the quest for profit margins, the fast food companies are processing their food products to such extremes and pumping them full of all kinds of unnatural and unhealthy ingredients.

In addition, there are some studies which have shown that fatty and sugary foods are addictive. Could this be the nicotine of the fast food industry? How much do they know and how much are they covering up?

My favorite example is Margaret Thatcher. Before she became Prime Minister, she actually was a food scientist. One of her responsibilities was to see how much air could be whipped into ice cream before the ice cream would collapse on itself. Why? So that the company could put less actual ice cream into the same size container and sell it for the same money -> more profits!

Of course, air isn't a threat to anyone's health.

Another friend of mine is a food scientist at Nestle. He is working on chocolate substitutes. They have an army of scientists and taste-testers trying to come up with a cheap chocolate substitute. At this point, they still have to put some chocolate in their chocolate bars, but for how much longer?

Recently, I've been reminded of the Margaret Thatcher story by a new line of 'whipped' yoghurts on sale here in the US. Gee, same price as the old product, but whipped full of air. Less yoghurt = more profit. HOORAY, let's market the fuck out of it and ride the wave of money to the bank.
posted by PigAlien at 9:45 PM on August 4, 2003


We're all supposed to be fat, some of us are just evolving a little more slowly than others.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:49 PM on August 4, 2003


A large percentage of slim people over a certain age (30ish?) these days have to be constantly mindful of diet and exercise. Nearly everyone I know who's in shape has a serious exercise regimen and many also have specific diets. Our lifestyles no longer take care of this for us.

This is a good and fundamental point. Staying in shape is difficult. Letting yourself go is easy.

Also, ever notice when a new movie gets released or there is a popular night club or you go to McDonalds there's always a line to get in? Going to movies and night clubs is fun and effortless. I've never had to queue up to get into my gym though. It's a less popular destination. Not so fun.
posted by vito90 at 9:52 PM on August 4, 2003


I've never had to queue up to get into my gym though. It's a less popular destination. Not so fun.


Yeah, I'd much rather go to McD's and sit at a fibreglass table and look at fat, poor, prematurely middleaged people with their screaming kids, than go to a gym and look at buff people who take care of themselves using exercise equipment in such a way that keeps their firm, sweaty boobs and buttocks in a constant state of motion.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:57 PM on August 4, 2003


In all seriousness, Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation explores this at some length -- why obesity is disproportionately affecting the poor, in a striking reversal of the historic situation. Fatty fast food is the cheapest prepared food you can buy -- particularly in per-calorie terms. What's an extra value meal going for these days? Barely four dollars, right? That's a shitload of food for that amount of money, and it's got all the palatable fat and salt and sugar it needs to have to keep people coming back.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:09 PM on August 4, 2003


I'd much rather go to McD's ... than go to a gym and look at buff people who take care of themselves

You're not there to look at those people. You're there to work hard and sweat.
posted by vito90 at 10:15 PM on August 4, 2003


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