Is Being Fat A Disability?
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I think a clear understanding of this woman's attitude can be garnered by this sentence alone, "I read my body as impaired and unchangeable." That alone shows that she would not fit into the MFP community. Her conclusion ends up as a question, is she disabled because she is fat? Well that is the topic question here. IMHO, no, she is not disabled; she is just fat and trying to justify it.
Not going to quote the entire above comment, but this poster pretty much sums up my feelings about the article and the OP's question. (Side note, did anyone else find the article rather poorly written and/or organized? It was a little painful for me to follow the logic being applied. It may be because I did not agree with the author's position, but I'd like to think I could still recognize the difference.)
To expand the discussion a bit more, the article's author and several commenters have mentioned the potential impact of mental illness on an individual's ability to avoid or "cure" obesity. My question, then, is this: what is the actual disability--obesity resulting from the mental illness, or the mental illness itself? And if obesity can at some point be deemed its own disability (I would tend to agree that someone too obese to leave the house is at that point disabled), how can one distinguish between the two? Or is it just an extreme symptom of the underlying mental illness?0 -
"Being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, remaining slim is hard. Choose your hard"
Oooooo. I like this quote. Stealing it.0 -
I think it is a slippery slope.
By a literal definition, severe obesity is a disability.
Do we ask the man in the wheelchair WHY they are in a wheelchair, and then deny them the rights to the label because the reason they are in the wheelchair is due to bad choices?
I WISH that I got fat from eating "just one too many chips". LOL!
I was born 10lbs11oz and I have stayed large since then. Eventually, my weight became a good defense against personal and physical intimacy following some traumatic events in my childhood. It is far more complicated than one-too-many-chips can describe.
With that said, I would feel uncomfortable labeling myself as disabled, and would have even when I weighed 325lbs. I think it is always important for ANY person with a disability of any kind to endeavour for health and progressive forward movement in their life.
This is perhaps my favourite line from this discussion:
"That doesn't mean that they should be pandered to as someone who needs special privileges, per se, but like all disabled people, they should have equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. "0 -
This is why she is NOT disabled:
"This is not to say that I am not now proud of my body, in some ways, I feel very lucky to be fat, I have never wanted to conform or be 'normal', so I often feel blessed in my difference."
A disability is not something that someone feels lucky to have... no one without arms is glad they don't have arms.
If you can control the thing that is making you disabled, then I do not believe you are disabled. Perhaps if someone has some uncontrollable, debilitating endocrine disorder (not just an addiction to food) then that would be a different story. But the thought of the government supporting overweight people the same way it should support those who are blind, deaf, amputees, etc - ridiculous!0 -
I think a clear understanding of this woman's attitude can be garnered by this sentence alone, "I read my body as impaired and unchangeable." That alone shows that she would not fit into the MFP community. Her conclusion ends up as a question, is she disabled because she is fat? Well that is the topic question here. IMHO, no, she is not disabled; she is just fat and trying to justify it.
Not going to quote the entire above comment, but this poster pretty much sums up my feelings about the article and the OP's question. (Side note, did anyone else find the article rather poorly written and/or organized? It was a little painful for me to follow the logic being applied. It may be because I did not agree with the author's position, but I'd like to think I could still recognize the difference.)
To expand the discussion a bit more, the article's author and several commenters have mentioned the potential impact of mental illness on an individual's ability to avoid or "cure" obesity. My question, then, is this: what is the actual disability--obesity resulting from the mental illness, or the mental illness itself? And if obesity can at some point be deemed its own disability (I would tend to agree that someone too obese to leave the house is at that point disabled), how can one distinguish between the two? Or is it just an extreme symptom of the underlying mental illness?
right... so if i have the mental issue but I am not obese, am I disabled? There is a severe, stark and very important difference between "disabled" and "sick."0 -
No. In my opinion a disability is something you have for life that you have to learn to live with. Such as losing your arm in a car accident, a mental illness, deafness, going blind etc. You don't HAVE to learn how to live with being fat. You can lose weight, even if it's hard.0
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I think a clear understanding of this woman's attitude can be garnered by this sentence alone, "I read my body as impaired and unchangeable." That alone shows that she would not fit into the MFP community. Her conclusion ends up as a question, is she disabled because she is fat? Well that is the topic question here. IMHO, no, she is not disabled; she is just fat and trying to justify it.
Not going to quote the entire above comment, but this poster pretty much sums up my feelings about the article and the OP's question. (Side note, did anyone else find the article rather poorly written and/or organized? It was a little painful for me to follow the logic being applied. It may be because I did not agree with the author's position, but I'd like to think I could still recognize the difference.)
To expand the discussion a bit more, the article's author and several commenters have mentioned the potential impact of mental illness on an individual's ability to avoid or "cure" obesity. My question, then, is this: what is the actual disability--obesity resulting from the mental illness, or the mental illness itself? And if obesity can at some point be deemed its own disability (I would tend to agree that someone too obese to leave the house is at that point disabled), how can one distinguish between the two? Or is it just an extreme symptom of the underlying mental illness?
right... so if i have the mental issue but I am not obese, am I disabled? There is a severe, stark and very important difference between "disabled" and "sick."
I agree with you; however, it seemed like the author was trying to argue that the underlying sickness was, in itself, a disability.0 -
Not a disability. It's a choice.0
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I think it is a slippery slope.
What would be expected of an employer to provide resonable accomodation?0 -
Yes obesity is considered a disability. You can get paid SSA benefits for it. But usually its in conjunction with another impairment like diabetes or heart issues.0
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One is "disabled from", and "unable to..." Being fat, which I am, makes one UNable to go up stairs, not disabled from going up stairs.
Victim mentality at its worst.0 -
Apparently it is, since 99% of the people on 'scooters' at Walmart are obese. The weight probably destroys their knees. I guess.
Being fat can and will definately MAKE you disabled, eventually.0 -
I don't think so. Maybe someone gains FROM a disability, but being overweight in itself, wtf?0
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I think being fat is a mental disability, but that's pretty much the end of it. People with "big genes" (like my family) aren't fat....they just aren't small. But being FAT, that's a mental problem, and NOT one that warrants special disability, or that parking spot right up front. Make 'em walk.0
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Tried to read it. Blah blah blah. If you're overweight, change your life! Fat is a disability alright, but one that is within the control of the person. A selectively acquired disability? Whatever you call it, it kills and maims and is a burden not only to yourself but to your family, and society as a whole.0
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For the majority, nope. For some, there may be legitimate biological issues that make it 'extremely' difficult for them to lose weight. And then it depends on how fat we're talking about. If you weight 600 pounds, that might cause problems in mobility and whatnot. If you're just carrying around an extra 20, meh. Lay off the soda, chips, and fried chicken for a few months and dump it. Not a disability.0
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I think 2 years ago I felt defeated. I was morbidly obese and I didn't realize there was a way to resolve it. I didn't care. I ate fast food, because I had to work long hours. I had a long commute and wanted to sleep all the time.
I felt like I was disabled, but enabled as well. I was being enabled by my husband and daughter to eat however I wanted because I had excuses.
Now, NO EXCUSES. No more! I can walk, and I can use my brain, which means I can make better choices. Yes it was expensive to buy healthy food and to make healthy choices, but it's cheaper than health care in the USA!!!!! This is the best thing I have done in my life. I'll try to help anyone I can to lose the weight because I know how great it feels to have the mobility and strength and energy.
The only part of disability in an obese person is the mental part!! Until they get their head around what they need to do to lose weight, they wont' lose.0 -
Not gonna read all of the other replies, I just would like to say that I don't believe it should be classified as a disability. My dad who had two artificial knees put in has a disability. He didn't get this way because of his weight, he got this way from working hard his whole life.0
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I wouldn't say so. I would say Severe Obesity is a Disorder. If you don't do something about it, and let it go and don't care, you have a severe disorder in my opinion.0
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If you are obese because of your lifestyle choices then you are not disabled.. I don't think you should receive any benefits and be awarded because you are overweight...
Now if you are on medication, have another medical condition, or something that is causing the weight gain that is out of your control.. then yes thats a whole different issue.
As was mentioned in this thread, if I see you at McD's or any fast food place and you are obese.. or if I see you in a scooter smoking and picking your life choices.. then no sympathy.. Life is hard, most of us don't have things handed to us, a lot of us have experienced life altering events, don't use it as a crutch.
(I know cold, heartless statements)0
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