Is being fat a disability??

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Replies

  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
    I really dont have anything to say....I said I understand weight with medical issues...yet I am still getting bashed...

    I guess I rather not spend my friday being called an *kitten*, a douche and my favorite....a sociopath....

    Yes that happened because of absolutely nothing you said, you're just a "victim" in all this. Like your co-worker!
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    My granddaughter was born without a rectum..so she was rushed to egleston for emergency surgery. Her condition has a name and luckily she had the lightest case of it because all her organs were where they needed to be and they only had to "create" her rectum...as my daughter was filling out paperwork there was a disability form included when she asked why the dr explained because she had this conditioni, she was eligible...even though she had the lightest form. My daughter asked if she would have any issues as she got older and the Dr said no after this surgery she will be fine. My daughter said well then she doesnt need to be on disability.....now at 3 yrs old Brylie is fine and you cant even tell she was born without it, but if my daughter wanted to, she could be getting a check now.....I fully agree that every situation needs to be looked at alone, but I also believe people are too quick to take the easy way out....

    I agree, things should be looked at on a case by case bases, however, no one should make snap judgments or broad generalizations on what you perceive. I agree there are people that milk the system, however, I do believe that number is far lower than people think it is.

    PS glad your granddaughter is doing awesome.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    Maybe you need to stop focusing so much on her life and deal with your own stuff. Seriously.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Humanity is a personal thing. It's about personal choices, not the choices of another. If you get lung cancer and someone offers you aid, it's because they are a decent human being, and not because you deserved to be treated with decency.

    Yes, but my point is, in my view, there are others who do deserve that aid and empathy. There's not a surplus of assistance in the world today, and it should go to the woman who got breast cancer for no other reason than she's a woman and has boobs, before it goes to someone like me who made a conscience choice to do something stupid.

    So what exactly are you saying is that even though there are people who don't judge you for your personal choice that they should. I'm sorry, but that's not how human decency works. Give without judgement, care without judgment, and love without judgment.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    I'm glad that you are such an expert on this person's life...and that she has somebody both knowledgeable and compassionate to support her.
  • nancy10272004
    nancy10272004 Posts: 277 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    She could be telling you a story because she's afraid you'll mock her if she tells you she sees a psychiatrist and/or is on medication for it. She might be getting a vibe that you think she's weak and doesn't need to give you any more ammo to use against her.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Having a rather serious, sometimes debilitating medical condition that no one can see, I'm just going to say I wish people would stop making assumptions about people in general, and specifically about their abilities.

    +1

    ...and i'll add that for 10 years I disabled myself by not exercising. my chronic pain got so bad in that time that I tried to kill myself. only after I hit rock bottom in this way did I start doing what everyone (drs espesh) told me to do: exercise, stupid! it's the most effective tx for fibromyalgia! (also the most effective tx for something else IYKWIM) now that I am exercising regularly, my condition is only sometimes debilitating. for this reason I put myself squarely in the same camp with others who could vastly improve their health/quality of life if they only exercised IYKWIM.

    so, how much shame should I feel for having formerly disabled myself?? and that's not sarcasm, by the way. I really feel like some degree of shame is appropriate in my case. I had a great deal of control over my condition, and I completely abdicated it for an entire decade. :embarassed:
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    I will say, that if it's not the right kind of counselor, it won't work. Since the trauma I had at age 9, I was immediately put into therapy, that therapist sucked. I hated it, it obviously didn't work. I tried again at 25, again, not the right kind of counselor. I found one a year and a half ago and she's absolutely amazing. I still fight every single day, but I'm much better than I was. I've been taught how to deal with the PTSD I had, how to love myself and accept myself. Most importantly how to not blame myself for my fathers death (the trauma - bad car wreck and I was in the car with him...I was asleep...blah blah...).

    Again though, it's like weight loss, someone has to WANT to get better, they have to want to get help. So whether she's clinically depressed or just depressed, if she's with the wrong kind of counselor, and actually doesn't want to get better she won't. I do agree that some use it as an excuse, however, it's not like a light switch someone can just turn on, they have to want to turn it on first.

    You don't know what's in her head. Like the other poster said, she could be not telling you the full story, because she's sensing your judgment and thinking it's bs. She could be filled with self hate, which is a horrible horrible vicious cycle and it's hard to get out of. HARD.

    So I hope what you'll take from this is to take a step back from your current feelings about her, try to just have compassion, even if she's making it an excuse, who are you to decide that for her? If she is making excuses that is actually her problem/issue, not yours.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    My granddaughter was born without a rectum..so she was rushed to egleston for emergency surgery. Her condition has a name and luckily she had the lightest case of it because all her organs were where they needed to be and they only had to "create" her rectum...as my daughter was filling out paperwork there was a disability form included when she asked why the dr explained because she had this conditioni, she was eligible...even though she had the lightest form. My daughter asked if she would have any issues as she got older and the Dr said no after this surgery she will be fine. My daughter said well then she doesnt need to be on disability.....now at 3 yrs old Brylie is fine and you cant even tell she was born without it, but if my daughter wanted to, she could be getting a check now.....I fully agree that every situation needs to be looked at alone, but I also believe people are too quick to take the easy way out....

    If I wanted to, I could easily be on disability (and not because I'm fat). I choose not to, but I absolutely do not judge someone who has chosen differently. We're in a position where the extra income isn't needed, thankfully. Not everyone is so fortunate - though that seems a hard concept for you to grasp.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    Rewarded would mean given a good thing.

    Being helped out with cancer - that's so the opposite of a good thing that I'm a little baffled.

    Look at it this way.....you help me with my lung cancer, the lung cancer that I got because I made a stupid decision in my teens; a stupid decision that kept making for 20+ years, because you're a good person. However, in doing this, you may be taking resources and/or time away from another person suffering from a cancer that they got not from making a stupid decision, but because sometimes bad things happen to people. In my view, it is that person who deserves your time and effort, not me. "Reward" might not be the best word to use there, but I hope the above conveys what I was getting at.

    Luckily, we're not a Randian society. We're better than that.

    When someone in society suffers, we all have the potential to be impacted. A man who needs money for his life saving medications will fall to theft to survive. That's his fault for his actions, but a significant societal failure that he was pushed to that. The stupidity of a decision notwithstanding, without belaboring examples, economically and socially it behooves us to ensure that these folks are cared for.

    It's a matter of empathy and taking a long view on social issues, which is something we don't do or have anymore. *shrug*
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    Rewarded would mean given a good thing.

    Being helped out with cancer - that's so the opposite of a good thing that I'm a little baffled.

    Look at it this way.....you help me with my lung cancer, the lung cancer that I got because I made a stupid decision in my teens; a stupid decision that kept making for 20+ years, because you're a good person. However, in doing this, you may be taking resources and/or time away from another person suffering from a cancer that they got not from making a stupid decision, but because sometimes bad things happen to people. In my view, it is that person who deserves your time and effort, not me. "Reward" might not be the best word to use there, but I hope the above conveys what I was getting at.

    I know somebody who ended up with lung cancer and never smoked a cigarette in her life.

    How would you know that your lung cancer was a direct result of your smoking?
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    So, I guess you will be paying out of pocket for all medical expenses, not using insurance, medicaid or medicare, and if it is bad enough that you can no longer work, instead of taking disability, you plan on living on the streets because it was all your fault for smoking? I doubt it.

    Why would I not use my insurance? I paid for it. In fact, I paid more for it because I was a smoker. Don't have medicaid or medicare (even though I help pay for those), so I can't use it. If it was to the point that I couldn't work, that would also mean I'm not long for this world, so living on the streets or not wouldn't be an issue. I believe in being responsible for my actions and don't believe in burdening society and/or my family for my poor choices. Your doubting my conviction is irrelevant.

    It isn't doubting your conviction, though I would add that I find it to be a bit selfish.

    But you did doubt my conviction on what I would do should the situation arise. That's your opinion, based on zero knowledge of me, which is why I said it is irrelevant (I should have added, "to me"). As for selfish, what is selfish about not wanting to burden my family with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills? What is selfish about not wanting my kids around a hospital bed while their father is coughing up blood and dying? It's not that I'm ready to punch my ticket; it's that I want my family to be able to get on with their lives as soon as possible, with as little burden and/or trauma when that time comes. If that's selfish, then I guess I'm a selfish *kitten*.
  • ELMunque
    ELMunque Posts: 136 Member
    My daughter has TBI and left side paralysis, she was on disability when she was younger, the only reason she was on disablity was because that was the only way she could get medicaid. Then on a annual assessment they decided that she wasn't disabled anymore because we made too much money. The lady at the SS office told me that I needed to quit my job if I wanted my daughter to remain on disablitly. I have a family of 8, I pay a little over $900 a month in insurance. We pay out of pocket $15,000 a year on her medical needs. I'd love to meet the people that are milking the system in my state, I'd beat their *kitten* and have them teach me how to do it, lol.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    Rewarded would mean given a good thing.

    Being helped out with cancer - that's so the opposite of a good thing that I'm a little baffled.

    Look at it this way.....you help me with my lung cancer, the lung cancer that I got because I made a stupid decision in my teens; a stupid decision that kept making for 20+ years, because you're a good person. However, in doing this, you may be taking resources and/or time away from another person suffering from a cancer that they got not from making a stupid decision, but because sometimes bad things happen to people. In my view, it is that person who deserves your time and effort, not me. "Reward" might not be the best word to use there, but I hope the above conveys what I was getting at.

    Luckily, we're not a Randian society. We're better than that.

    When someone in society suffers, we all have the potential to be impacted. A man who needs money for his life saving medications will fall to theft to survive. That's his fault for his actions, but a significant societal failure that he was pushed to that. The stupidity of a decision notwithstanding, without belaboring examples, economically and socially it behooves us to ensure that these folks are cared for.

    It's a matter of empathy and taking a long view on social issues, which is something we don't do or have anymore. *shrug*

    You are so silly. Of course we still do. My neighbor's job is to schedule hearing tests for preschoolers. Human society isn't at 100% and it will never be, but we help each out in innumerable ways.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    So, I guess you will be paying out of pocket for all medical expenses, not using insurance, medicaid or medicare, and if it is bad enough that you can no longer work, instead of taking disability, you plan on living on the streets because it was all your fault for smoking? I doubt it.

    Why would I not use my insurance? I paid for it. In fact, I paid more for it because I was a smoker. Don't have medicaid or medicare (even though I help pay for those), so I can't use it. If it was to the point that I couldn't work, that would also mean I'm not long for this world, so living on the streets or not wouldn't be an issue. I believe in being responsible for my actions and don't believe in burdening society and/or my family for my poor choices. Your doubting my conviction is irrelevant.

    It isn't doubting your conviction, though I would add that I find it to be a bit selfish.

    But you did doubt my conviction on what I would do should the situation arise. That's your opinion, based on zero knowledge of me, which is why I said it is irrelevant (I should have added, "to me"). As for selfish, what is selfish about not wanting to burden my family with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills? What is selfish about not wanting my kids around a hospital bed while their father is coughing up blood and dying? It's not that I'm ready to punch my ticket; it's that I want my family to be able to get on with their lives as soon as possible, with as little burden and/or trauma when that time comes. If that's selfish, then I guess I'm a selfish *kitten*.

    Suicide is pretty traumatic on a family.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    Thank you for acknowledging the brash way you phrased your statement. That is worth a lot.

    However, many of my closest friends and relatives had no idea how badly I struggled with self harm, depression, and anxiety. It really is that simple for others to overlook your disability when they can't see it. Compassion, compassion, compassion. Even if it seems like you're just being patronizing, you could make her day that much better by showing her love and support rather than judging her.

    Also, I've totally lied about therapy sessions and what the therapist told me. Wouldn't surprise me if she went to therapy at someone's behest, was told she had x, y, z whatever and needed to be medicated, was ashamed because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, and then started telling everyone the doc said nothing's wrong.

    ETA: I realize I damaged my own credibility by calling myself a liar, but it was years ago and I was afraid to admit that I had a problem.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    She could be telling you a story because she's afraid you'll mock her if she tells you she sees a psychiatrist and/or is on medication for it. She might be getting a vibe that you think she's weak and doesn't need to give you any more ammo to use against her.

    Hell, based on the OP's follow up comments, I'd be afraid to tell her anything personal, I know I'd get mocked asap.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Having a rather serious, sometimes debilitating medical condition that no one can see, I'm just going to say I wish people would stop making assumptions about people in general, and specifically about their abilities.

    +1

    ...and i'll add that for 10 years I disabled myself by not exercising. my chronic pain got so bad in that time that I tried to kill myself. only after I hit rock bottom in this way did I start doing what everyone (drs espesh) told me to do: exercise, stupid! it's the most effective tx for fibromyalgia! (also the most effective tx for something else IYKWIM) now that I am exercising regularly, my condition is only sometimes debilitating. for this reason I put myself squarely in the same camp with others who could vastly improve their health/quality of life if they only exercised IYKWIM.

    so, how much shame should I feel for having formerly disabled myself?? and that's not sarcasm, by the way. I really feel like some degree of shame is appropriate in my case. I had a great deal of control over my condition, and I completely abdicated it for an entire decade. :embarassed:

    And then you got a handle on it. Good for you.

    The majority of the successful people on this site wished they would have figured it out earlier. It's a learning process. Don't bash yourself for not having learned earlier. You did when you were able to.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    She could be telling you a story because she's afraid you'll mock her if she tells you she sees a psychiatrist and/or is on medication for it. She might be getting a vibe that you think she's weak and doesn't need to give you any more ammo to use against her.

    Hell, based on the OP's follow up comments, I'd be afraid to tell her anything personal, I know I'd get mocked asap.

    Not just mocked. Called out in a staff meeting, for God's sake.
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
    Humanity is a personal thing. It's about personal choices, not the choices of another. If you get lung cancer and someone offers you aid, it's because they are a decent human being, and not because you deserved to be treated with decency.

    Yes, but my point is, in my view, there are others who do deserve that aid and empathy. There's not a surplus of assistance in the world today, and it should go to the woman who got breast cancer for no other reason than she's a woman and has boobs, before it goes to someone like me who made a conscience choice to do something stupid.

    So what exactly are you saying is that even though there are people who don't judge you for your personal choice that they should. I'm sorry, but that's not how human decency works. Give without judgement, care without judgment, and love without judgment.

    Where does that put respecting one's wishes? If assistance was an infinite resource, I'd probably concede this point, but there's only so much to go around. Again, in my view, people who need this assistance due to no fault of their own deserve this assistance more than someone like me who would be in the position due to a conscience choice.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    So, I guess you will be paying out of pocket for all medical expenses, not using insurance, medicaid or medicare, and if it is bad enough that you can no longer work, instead of taking disability, you plan on living on the streets because it was all your fault for smoking? I doubt it.

    Why would I not use my insurance? I paid for it. In fact, I paid more for it because I was a smoker. Don't have medicaid or medicare (even though I help pay for those), so I can't use it. If it was to the point that I couldn't work, that would also mean I'm not long for this world, so living on the streets or not wouldn't be an issue. I believe in being responsible for my actions and don't believe in burdening society and/or my family for my poor choices. Your doubting my conviction is irrelevant.

    It isn't doubting your conviction, though I would add that I find it to be a bit selfish.

    But you did doubt my conviction on what I would do should the situation arise. That's your opinion, based on zero knowledge of me, which is why I said it is irrelevant (I should have added, "to me"). As for selfish, what is selfish about not wanting to burden my family with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills? What is selfish about not wanting my kids around a hospital bed while their father is coughing up blood and dying? It's not that I'm ready to punch my ticket; it's that I want my family to be able to get on with their lives as soon as possible, with as little burden and/or trauma when that time comes. If that's selfish, then I guess I'm a selfish *kitten*.

    Suicide is pretty traumatic on a family.

    And so is watching a loved one die cold and alone out on the street (probably still coughing up that blood). I know plenty of people who have made decisions that could end up being much more of a health impact than smoking, and I'd still help them in any way I could, because I love them and that is what we do.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?

    Yes.

    That's not even a question. Morally and legally.

    We'll have to agree to disagree there. As a former smoker, should I develop lung cancer in the future because of it, I do not want, nor do I think I deserve empathy and assistance from society. I was stupid for smoking in the first place. Stupid shouldn't be rewarded.

    So, I guess you will be paying out of pocket for all medical expenses, not using insurance, medicaid or medicare, and if it is bad enough that you can no longer work, instead of taking disability, you plan on living on the streets because it was all your fault for smoking? I doubt it.

    Why would I not use my insurance? I paid for it. In fact, I paid more for it because I was a smoker. Don't have medicaid or medicare (even though I help pay for those), so I can't use it. If it was to the point that I couldn't work, that would also mean I'm not long for this world, so living on the streets or not wouldn't be an issue. I believe in being responsible for my actions and don't believe in burdening society and/or my family for my poor choices. Your doubting my conviction is irrelevant.

    It isn't doubting your conviction, though I would add that I find it to be a bit selfish.

    But you did doubt my conviction on what I would do should the situation arise. That's your opinion, based on zero knowledge of me, which is why I said it is irrelevant (I should have added, "to me"). As for selfish, what is selfish about not wanting to burden my family with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills? What is selfish about not wanting my kids around a hospital bed while their father is coughing up blood and dying? It's not that I'm ready to punch my ticket; it's that I want my family to be able to get on with their lives as soon as possible, with as little burden and/or trauma when that time comes. If that's selfish, then I guess I'm a selfish *kitten*.

    Suicide is pretty traumatic on a family.

    Yep, this!

    My ex's uncle got cancer. Who knows why? The guy was a health freak. But he chose not to treat it because he was vegan and the treatments used animal products or animal testing or something like that. Anyway, he died, and his whole family was devastated. They begged him to accept treatment. He just simply refused based on his principles. He didn't care at all about the feelings of his children.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I think it depends... I am "fat" even technically obese, but I can still do what the majority of other people can do... well within reason... I don't have health issues (yet)... I don't have bad joints (yet)... but if I don't take care of this weight while I still don't have health issues I will and that's when the disability comes in.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I should have said the depression thing differently,BUT I do stand behind my words about this person. I have sat next to her for 14 yrs and I know that she had to go through counseling and was not clinically depressed(this came from her). For HER, it is an excuse...

    She could be telling you a story because she's afraid you'll mock her if she tells you she sees a psychiatrist and/or is on medication for it. She might be getting a vibe that you think she's weak and doesn't need to give you any more ammo to use against her.

    Hell, based on the OP's follow up comments, I'd be afraid to tell her anything personal, I know I'd get mocked asap.

    Not just mocked. Called out in a staff meeting, for God's sake.

    Yeah, am I the only one that physically CRINGED?
  • felonebeats
    felonebeats Posts: 433
    No it's a choice,unless it's for medical reasons
  • tjl2329
    tjl2329 Posts: 169 Member
    Omg really. Being fat isnt a disability but dont make fun of it. It is a condition we allow to happen. I have diabetes but thats not why im fat. Eating too much food and junk and lack of exercise. Its the same for everyone just some have obstacles and special dietary needs but it is all up to each person. Ive lost 50 lbs now. I just now am learning this. Youre right i agree with you
  • bidimus
    bidimus Posts: 95 Member
    dis·a·bil·i·ty
    /ˌdisəˈbilitē/

    noun

    noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities

    a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.

    Being FAT does not limit movemt or activities. However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.

    Therefore, depending on how you use the term "fat", it can be considred a disability. It doesn't matter if you can do something about it or not, in that state, it is a disability. The only difference is you can easily fix this disability, compared to other disabilities.

    ETA: I will argue that being obese is indeed a disability. Have you ever seen an obese person walk, clap their hands, or tie ther shoelaces? It's nto exatly easy for them. You would go so far to say that their movement is limited, not unlike a disability.

    Being fat is not a disability. That being said, most people are only considered fat by society when, in fact, they are actually obese.

    By that definition, a sprained ankle or even a broken bone would appear to be a disability. That's a really simplified definition.

    The ADA goes to a little more trouble.
    Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Definition of Disability

    How Does ADA Define Disability?

    The Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) has a three-part definition of disability. Under ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who: (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; OR (2) has a record of such an impairment; OR (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

    A physical impairment is defined by ADA as "any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine."

    Neither ADA nor the regulations that implement it list all the diseases or conditions that are covered, because it would be impossible to provide a comprehensive list, given the variety of possible impairments.

    Last Revised: April 22, 2014
    http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disabilities/physical/definition.htm

    By that definition Obesity can become a disability. I personally believe that it's self inflicted and reversible. And that's speaking from personal experience just like many of us here are.

    So can it be a disability? Yes. Is it always a disability? No. You can be functionally obese and that's not a disability in my opinion. Further you can chose obesity and such you can chose to be disabled. I don't understand why someone would chose this but I see so many people who do.
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
    I know somebody who ended up with lung cancer and never smoked a cigarette in her life.

    How would you know that your lung cancer was a direct result of your smoking?

    Anecdotal evidence aside.....
    1) No form of cancer runs in my family
    2) I smoked for over 20 years

    While I don't know the in's and out's of being able to pinpoint the exact cause of a cancer, what would be more likely:
    1) I got lung cancer out of the blue?
    2) I got lung cancer because of the carcinogens I was putting into my body for all that time?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    This looks like fun
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
    Unless it is because of a medical condition being fat is a choice, nothing more - nothing less.