Poll: Should being obese be considered a disability?

[Soviet Steve]

It's a disability if you can't do something about it.
You were born without a face? That's a disability.

You ate too many cheeseburgers and can't be arsed to work it off?
Sucks to be you. Or me. D:

captcha: sûtra gestorys

 

[moretimethansense]

Speaking as someone that is obese and has hard time shifting it due to genetics, fuck no!
Even if your DNA sucks you almost have to work at being so fat you can't walk.
There was a time where I ate nothing but deep fried food and never left the house and I could STILL walk several miles if need be.

After a point it's just laziness.

 

[cyber95]

Whether or not it's your own fault for having difficulties with doing things normally, it should still be considered a disability. Yes, you're a fat idiot for shoving cheeseburgers into your face until you can't see your dick without a camera feed and an unfortunate friend, but if your obesity is in fact giving you trouble with, well, living normally, you are kinda basically disabled. I mean, if you decide to stick your legs under a tractor to see what happens, just because you caused your leg removal yourself doesn't make you any less disabled. It just means you're subject to ridicule despite things.

 

[SpikeyGirl]

It should depend on a variety of things like their lifestyle. If they choose to eat unhealthy stuff excessivly then not really.

If how ever they have something physically wrong with them, then its not completly their fault. While some physical problems can be overcome, you need to be able to recognise them.

The process of eating so far is thought to be the result of an 'on swith' in the brain and an 'off switch' in the brain. If the 'on switch' is overstimulated or the 'off switch' is damaged it can result in hyperphagia(over eating). This can be helped by close monitering of your diet.
Also it takes a while for your body to recognise that you have eaten enough and in some people that can take longer and so willl eat until they feel full. Again it can be controlled by close monitering of your eating.

Also, in response to stress the body produces extra quantities of the hormone Ghrelin which boosts appetite (as well as reducing deppresive and anxious behaviours in response to the stress) this leads to comfort eating. This may imply that the obesity is due to a stressful situation that they may not realise is affecting their eating.

A few people have pointed out that loosing a leg is a disability because you've lost it and it's difficult to function without it. If you lose that 'off switch' then does that count as it's based on the same principle. With prosthetics, people who've lost limbs can still regain some of their mobility but it takes time. With therapy or drugs, most people can overcome mental disorders, also takes time.
Just because you can't see the disability though doesn't mean it doesn't exist, with brain damage only the effects can be seen unless you scan for it.

So in conclusion, depends on the cause. Obeisity isn't just caused by one thing specifically but can be the result of many things, some controllable, some not so much.
<color=white>I did a whole module on eating disorders in psychology

 

[Zizzousa]

You know, the only time I ever think of obese people tends to be when I go into a public toilet cubicle with a suitcase or several bulky bags. It takes maneuvering and some squishing to get both yourself and all the stuff you're carrying behind the door - how's an obese person meant to pull it off? I've seen people bigger than those spaces, and assume they have to use disabled toilets when out and about, since they have space for wheelchairs.

Also, how to obese people handle small lifts? They must feel hella conspicuous. Similarly, when moving between carriages on trains, through the little spaces. And the very very small lanes between the bookshelves in my University's library - I know there are obese people on campus, I have seen them - how do they get books? Do they have to ask for help? If someone in a wheelchair asked for a book out, nobody would think twice before helping (might be worth noting here that the University has almost finished building a new library, with more than one lift and wheelchair-accessible shelves) but for a fattie? How embarrasing would that be?

Spend more time in the gym than you do in KFC and all of these situations can be avoided.

Obesity is self-inflicted. If you've got a slower metabolism, sucks for you - everyone has that ultra-irritating friend who can eat whatever they feel like and not gain a pound. Doesn't change the facts about your own physiology. Obese people may render themselves practically disabled, but they choose to be that way.

 

[skyfire_freckles]

Whatever, you guys. Someone should get disability if they can't work because of the condition of their body, whatever the cause. They should have to see a doctor and be actively managing this condition, whatever it is, and trying to get so they can get back to work.

For those of you who said that obesity is caused by a person's habits so they shouldn't be considered disabled, would you say that someone who is paralyzed because they were drunk driving and had an auto accident is not disabled? It's his own fault!

EDIT: the five-year success rate for weight loss diets is 5%. That means that 95% of people who diet will either not lose weight, or lose weight initially and then gain it back. This is the only treatment we know of for obesity, and it only works 5% of the time? That sounds pretty incurable to me.

 

[SanguineSymphony]

Whatever, you guys. Someone should get disability if they can't work because of the condition of their body, whatever the cause. They should have to see a doctor and be actively managing this condition, whatever it is, and trying to get so they can get back to work.

For those of you who said that obesity is caused by a person's habits so they shouldn't be considered disabled, would you say that someone who is paralyzed because they were drunk driving and had an auto accident is not disabled? It's his own fault!

EDIT: the five-year success rate for weight loss diets is 5%. That means that 95% of people who diet will either not lose weight, or lose weight initially and then gain it back. This is the only treatment we know of for obesity, and it only works 5% of the time? That sounds pretty incurable to me.

You forgot exercise and a healthy activity level... I would be ok not allowing people who harmed themselves to be considered disabled. Be hell to regulate.

On the flip side I can see calling people who got fat from Medications or Disease disabled.

 

[Beryl77]

No, with the possible exception of some people who are obese because of a sickness (only about 2% of all obese people) but only if they can really prove it.

 

[TelHybrid]

It's interesting that this "disability" known as obesity is only known to be in developed countries, in circumstances where the "sufferers" are in a position to over indulge their gluttonous desires.

It's just a social construct. Same as alcoholism and smoking addictions.

 

[TelHybrid]

No, with the possible exception of some people who are obese because of a sickness (only about 2% of all obese people) but only if they can really prove it.

Even then obesity isn't really a disability. It's a symptom of the primary medical condition (the cause).

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I think there are a limited number of people who are obese and it is a genuine disability. They have some kind of genetic fuck-up where no matter what the do they cannot shed the pounds.

The majority of so called "obese" people just need to get off their lazy arses and do something about it. It's a lifestyle choice. I'm not fat, but if I don't watch what I eat and stop going to the gym I start stacking on the weight. I certainly don't go to the gym for fun but it's part and parcel of being healthy. My dad had heart problems before he was 60 and I don't want to follow suite.

 

[Talespinner]

If you have a disease that truly makes it impossible for you to NOT constantly gain weight, then you'll die well before you hit an age where you can receive disability benefits

If you have a condition that makes it HARD to not gain weight then it's called being human. We all face different challenges and while failing to meet these challenges may qualify you for some professional help it most certainly does not justify to cease trying.

Labelling obese people "disabled" legitimize it. It would be the same as granting early retirement to alcoholics (Choosing that particular group as example because I'm an alcoholic myself). If you remove the incentive for fighting the fights in your life you will stop people from developing. That's bad. That's really really bad.

 

[Altorin]

Noone says "I'm gonna be a fat guy".

Nobody says "I'm going to eat all I want and not excersize and gain 300lbs"

Noone says that. It's not a "choice", a choice occurs when you look at the options and you choose something.

If you become fat, it's because something has gone wrong, either in your physiology or your psychology. It's a symptom. The attitude that these people can just "Stop eating so goddamn much and exercise" certainly doesn't help. If they overeat, it's a compulsion, and probably one they feel bad enough about without people making them feel worse (which of course will have the opposite effect). Again, noone says "I'm going to eat this whole cake". A fat person with an eating problem will see the cake, and unless there are clearly evident reasons at that moment NOT to eat the whole thing, they'll eat the whole thing. It's not a choice. It's a compulsion. Everyone has a compulsion to eat. Every single human being on this planet that isn't dead, has a compulsion to eat. People with eating disorders however, don't have the same triggers, both physiological or psychological that tell them when to start or stop eating. That's what the disorder is.

As for exercise, I don't think any of you understand what getting a morbidly obese person to exercise is really like. They can't just "go for a run." Even walking in some extreme instances can cause severe injuries. For even less severe cases, they don't generally have the stamina to go very far, or work very hard. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are so strained just existing that they can't put in the work to make them stronger.

So take an eating disorder, one that is not scene as a problem, as opposed to anorexia or bulimia, which are seen are horrible horrible things and is often ridiculed, let that fester for a few years doing the activity that isn't any more sedentary then their peers, and suddenly they're fat. Now that they're fat, they can't even do the non-sedentary stuff they did before as easily, so they do less and less of it, until finally they do nothing. But because they have an eating disorder and human beings CANNOT JUST STOP EATING, they get fatter and fatter, and less able to do things and more disgusting. Friends start going away, eventually, they're alone, and fat, and ugly, and have no emotional support. They just look at themselves in the mirror (If they can even stand to do that), and say 'Well, fuck it, I guess I'm just a really really fat guy now'

All that, and really I never covered "genetically predisposition", because I think it's largely a crock. Fat people have fat kids because fat people don't know how to eat properly, and they feed their kids in the same way that they feed themselves, hence, their kids get fat and don't learn how to properly feed themselves. There are of course physiological problems, such as thyroid problems that can screw with a person's weight, but those are usually treatable with drugs, and if that's all it really is, then it's really nothing. I think when we talk about fat people, we're talking about people that are just fat because that's what their outlook on life and drilled in habits have made them.

Are they physically disabled? Yes technically, but I'd go so far as to say people who are morbidly obese are mentally disabled as well. No one with a right mind would let themselves get to that point. It's not like being classified as disabled makes their lives really all that great. If they can't physically work anyway, then really, all you're doing is elevating them to the point where they can exist. If you don't think they should exist, then really, fuck you. They're human fucking beings. If you think that somehow being disabled makes them feel important or makes their lives so great, fuck you again, you have no idea what you're talking about. No one is proud to be on disability. Noone WANTS to be disabled. Noone's like Hell, I think I'll just be disabled, and that's what my life will be like. They may want to get on disability, but that's just so that they don't have the added stress of being possibly homeless on top of being fat and disgusting. They would much rather a life where they didn't have to go on disability.

I really don't think I have much else to say about this. I wasn't even going to post anything, and ended up posting a huge rant, but I really think you people have no clue what you're talking about, for the most part. If you don't know what you're talking about, chances are you probably shouldn't talk, or else you just make yourself look stupid.

 

[LikeDustInTheWind]

In my opinion, if you can cure your "disease" by doing or not doing an activity, it's not a disease. (For example bulimia is not a disease, obesity is not a disease, and [flame shield activate!] alcoholism is not a disease)

 

[shadowsoul222]

Noone says "I'm gonna be a fat guy".

Nobody says "I'm going to eat all I want and not excersize and gain 300lbs"

Noone says that. It's not a "choice", a choice occurs when you look at the options and you choose something.

If you become fat, it's because something has gone wrong, either in your physiology or your psychology. It's a symptom. The attitude that these people can just "Stop eating so goddamn much and exercise" certainly doesn't help. If they overeat, it's a compulsion, and probably one they feel bad enough about without people making them feel worse (which of course will have the opposite effect). Again, noone says "I'm going to eat this whole cake". A fat person with an eating problem will see the cake, and unless there are clearly evident reasons at that moment NOT to eat the whole thing, they'll eat the whole thing. It's not a choice. It's a compulsion. Everyone has a compulsion to eat. Every single human being on this planet that isn't dead, has a compulsion to eat. People with eating disorders however, don't have the same triggers, both physiological or psychological that tell them when to start or stop eating. That's what the disorder is.

As for exercise, I don't think any of you understand what getting a morbidly obese person to exercise is really like. They can't just "go for a run." Even walking in some extreme instances can cause severe injuries. For even less severe cases, they don't generally have the stamina to go very far, or work very hard. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are so strained just existing that they can't put in the work to make them stronger.

So take an eating disorder, one that is not scene as a problem, as opposed to anorexia or bulimia, which are seen are horrible horrible things and is often ridiculed, let that fester for a few years doing the activity that isn't any more sedentary then their peers, and suddenly they're fat. Now that they're fat, they can't even do the non-sedentary stuff they did before as easily, so they do less and less of it, until finally they do nothing. But because they have an eating disorder and human beings CANNOT JUST STOP EATING, they get fatter and fatter, and less able to do things and more disgusting. Friends start going away, eventually, they're alone, and fat, and ugly, and have no emotional support. They just look at themselves in the mirror (If they can even stand to do that), and say 'Well, fuck it, I guess I'm just a really really fat guy now'

All that, and really I never covered "genetically predisposition", because I think it's largely a crock. Fat people have fat kids because fat people don't know how to eat properly, and they feed their kids in the same way that they feed themselves, hence, their kids get fat and don't learn how to properly feed themselves. There are of course physiological problems, such as thyroid problems that can screw with a person's weight, but those are usually treatable with drugs, and if that's all it really is, then it's really nothing. I think when we talk about fat people, we're talking about people that are just fat because that's what their outlook on life and drilled in habits have made them.

Are they physically disabled? Yes technically, but I'd go so far as to say people who are morbidly obese are mentally disabled as well. No one with a right mind would let themselves get to that point. It's not like being classified as disabled makes their lives really all that great. If they can't physically work anyway, then really, all you're doing is elevating them to the point where they can exist. If you don't think they should exist, then really, fuck you. They're human fucking beings. If you think that somehow being disabled makes them feel important or makes their lives so great, fuck you again, you have no idea what you're talking about. No one is proud to be on disability. Noone WANTS to be disabled. Noone's like Hell, I think I'll just be disabled, and that's what my life will be like. They may want to get on disability, but that's just so that they don't have the added stress of being possibly homeless on top of being fat and disgusting. They would much rather a life where they didn't have to go on disability.

I really don't think I have much else to say about this. I wasn't even going to post anything, and ended up posting a huge rant, but I really think you people have no clue what you're talking about, for the most part. If you don't know what you're talking about, chances are you probably shouldn't talk, or else you just make yourself look stupid.

You pretty much win this thread. Thanks for being an understanding, thoughtful, well informed individual. I myself am not fat and have the luck of having a fast metabolism (for now at least), so this isn't an issue for me atm. But I know people who have a true problem with it and I can definitely attest personally to the fact that eating as a compulsion is a hard thing to resist. If I didn't have that fast metabolism I would probably be over 300lbs by now seeing as I'm incredibly lazy and love food. But then again if I didn't have this fast metabolism and I knew that if I didn't work out and eat healthy then I'd get fat, well I wouldn't let myself get to the point where I couldn't help myself. As much as it's a compulsion, it's still a compulsion that can be regulated to some extent. Much like smoking and drinking, while they do cause an addiction and compulsion, there are ways to resist these urges and to get help before it becomes a real problem if you want it to stop and can see the signs. However, as you pointed out, sometimes it's hard to see the signs before it is too late. I used to be on the "if your fat it's your own damn fault" side of the argument. and while I still hold that belief to an extent, after reading this thread I'm beginning to see the other side's argument.

EDIT: I realized I never answered the OP so: If the person is to the point where they are physically unable to work or move then yes by definition it is a disability. But should they get benefits? I say no, as it encourages those who are already "on-the-fence" if you will about doing something about their weight to do nothing.

 

[WingedIncubus]

You know how you can cure obesity? By eating less calories, about 500 calories below maintenance daily. 100% full proof method.

Those who say they can't out of any supposed "health condition" are just rationalizing their laziness and lack of resources.

 

[Taunta]

Yes, there are some people who are more fortunate than others in the weight department. To put a personal spin on it, my boyfriend had kidney failure. Now he's on the waiting list for a transplant and he's on dialysis, and his blood pressure medicine makes him gain weight, but he's not allowed to do any heavy lifting or cardio exercises because of his condition. In his case, yeah, being obese isn't really a choice, but obesity is a side effect of his condition, not the condition itself.

In other cases, the whole thing reeks of enabling those who don't want to take responsibility for their own bad lifestyle choices. A lot of addicts, for example, don't want to take responsibility for their choices and will blame anything within arm's reach to avoid facing the fact that you are the barrier between you and good health.