Mississippi to ban Fat People from eating in Public?
If Mississippi is anything like Georgia, they have their share of overweight people. I would have to admit that I am one of them, though I have successfully lost much of that and have gone from “obese” to merely “overweight.”
However, are we really in such a crisis that Big Brother needs to step in and forbid overweight people from eating in restaurants? Is this going to be like the public smoking ban, except that if you’re overweight, you can’t be seen in public anymore? A few Mississippi politicians are trying to do just that, with their bill HB-282.
What is going to be the criteria? Are they going to discriminate against only morbidly obese people, or would I fall into the cut, having only a little extra padding? Is it a size restriction? Only size zeros allowed?
This will do nothing to help overweight people in the long run, but it’s cheap, and therefore attractive to the politicians, whereas the alternatives that would prove helpful will cost money.
Whereas in previous centuries, thinness was a symbol of starvation and poverty, today obesity has become the emblem of the poor. Weight counseling, gyms, trainers, are, for the most part luxuries afforded to the wealthy. Weight Watchers, a fairly simply structured program, requires a monthly fee. The only gym in my hometown costs $100/month for the most basic membership.
So, instead of asking the restaurants to police obesity by discriminating against the overweight, why not build some public gyms, where anyone can work out, regardless of income, or provide weight counseling and support groups through the local health departments. Yes, it will cost money. It will mean having to raise taxes. It will also actually help people instead of discriminating against them and making them feel like pariahs.
Recent Comments