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| Yes | 56% | 191 votes | Total: 342 votes | |
| No | 44% | 151 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesWithout question, this debate inspires impassioned views on both sides. Some frame it in terms of civil rights. Some argue from a health standpoint. Both sides make well-reasoned and compelling arguments, but in my opinion, they are missing the point. Pure and simple, this is an issue about physics and economics.
In any shipping business, the larger the package, the more it costs to transport. Pretty simple concept. The more something weighs, the more resources it takes to transport it from point A to point B. Fuel, energy to load and unload, and the space it requires are all tangible things that have a direct impact on costs. If you wanted to ship a car and a banjo to Europe, you certainly wouldn't expect to pay the same rate.
By the same token, if I want to fly from my home in Missouri to Los Angeles, it's absurd to think that the cost should be the same for me and my 290-pound body as it is for my twelve-year-old son and his hundred-pound frame. It takes more resources to move me to LA and I should be charged accordingly.
It matters not whether I have a glandular disorder or a Twinkie disorder. The argument that if its not your fault, you shouldn't pay extra doesn't hold water. If you're blind , you are not able to obtain a driver's license. It doesn't matter why. You could have hit yourself in the head with a hammer every day until you had no more ability to see or you could have lost your sight making a dramatic rescue of forty-three children and six puppies from a burning orphanage. The end result and its inherent restrictions are identical. No driving.
There is also a secondary factor at work here. That's the issue of basic consideration for your fellow human being. As a large man and a frequent flier, there are numerous time that I have an aisle seat and one of my fellow "Bulge Brothers" has a window seat. Invariably, there will be some small, unassuming fellow human sandwiched between us. I've always wondered how that worked. It seems to happen too frequently to be a simple twist of fate. Maybe it's the revenge of the airlines for all of the complaining and surly attitudes that seem to be the norm for air travelers these days.
We can debate endlessly about the causes of obesity, the ramifications on our healthcare system, and the contribution that fast food and marketing make to getting and keeping us big. All of those are valid subjects that deserve calm and rationed debate in their own right. However, when it comes to paying extra to move your well-marbled frame from coast-to-coast, I rely on the wisdom and logic of Newton. That's Isaac Newton, not Fig.
Learn more about this author, Scott Steehn.
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No
This might be the worst case of "profiling" that has raised its ugly head. "Step on the scale, please." This could be the new age slogan for charging more for people over a certain poundage. If that becomes the norm, then airlines, buses, and trains will have to standardize the size of their seats. This would cost billions of dollars. Discriminating against a certain population because of weight is not new, but making the overweight shell out more money to travel from place to place is absolutely ridiculous.
If obesity is defined as fifty pounds over the "normal" weight for a person, who is to dictate the standard? Having large body frames, bigger breasts, wider hips, and more hair on one's body would cause that weight gain in some and not others. Society is always picking on someone: the minorities (whoever they are these days), women, gays, seniors, and now the obese. Isn't it enough that these people have to suffer major health issues and psychological/person al issues? Why would we want to charge them for their extra weight?
We all know that the airlines are making their seats smaller and closer together in order to make more money. Some have decent sized seats, but most cramp everyone together as close as possible. It is very uncomfortable for tall men as well as hippy women, especially the older ones. Those small seats should be outlawed as discriminatory. In some extreme cases when a person cannot get into one seat on a plane, then there should be a row or two of over sized seats put into use on all airlines. As it is, one has to pay for a seat that has more leg room; that same charge could be applied for an over sized seat...not the cost of two tickets.
The world is getting to be a scary place to live because we profile people. We are falling into the prophecies of the Bible. Soon people will be asked to implant their sex, religion, sexual preference, race, political party, height, and weight onto a chip inside their bodies. Wherever we go, someone will scan us and make conclusions and decisions based on these attributes. Where have we gone wrong, world? How long will we be individuals instead of numbers?
Those scales and scanners are already out there. Should we add one more threat to our society's views on body image? Aren't our young people already fearful of gaining weight? Aren't they already dying? We keep hearing about tolerance when it comes to the gay community; what about the obese community? Unless you have walked in the shoes of an obese person, don't judge them. Many have incurable illnesses; many have deep scars from childhood and use food as consolation and love. How sad that we as a society will even consider to pile on some more pain!
Learn more about this author, Ann Palmieri.
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