Those who are fat, larger than they want to be, say that fat is the last group you can still discriminate against and get away with it.
People may have little to say on major political issues of the day, but everyone seemed to have an opinion of the Kevin Smith-Southwest Airlines battle over fitting into a seat.
Kevin Smith did something very smart that has drawn little attention. The saga was presented as Smith getting removed from a flight on Southwest Airlines for being "too fat."
But Smith had purchased two seats on a later flight, and if he had been in that flight, there would be no story.
Kevin Smith was smart because he knew that in order to have a discussion out in the open, there had to be a controversy. Smith triggered the event to draw attention to this policy.
This is an emotional topic: some weighed in (pun intended) saying the airline did the right thing, and others said the policy was discriminatory especially since Smith was apparently able to put down the armrests (the mitigating factor in establishing size).
When you are trying to lose weight, when you've lost 15-20 pounds and complete strangers roll their eyes when you say that because, well, there is still a long way to go, having to deal with public reactions can be tough and demoralizing.
Even if you have discovered a better way to go in terms of eating better, you can't snap your fingers and become un-fat. And you won't get the benefit of the doubt, as you say you are eating better, since the stereotype is that people try, fail, and try again, only to fail again.
If you took you a long time to gain the weight, it will likely take you longer to lose the weight. And you still have to travel in the meantime.
Keeping from being discouraged can be almost as crucial as eating better or cutting down on portion sizes. Airline seats are in vogue, but buses, trains, and other public transportation sources can be difficult. Nobody wants to sit down next to you because you exceed the room in your seat. And those standing might resent you for taking up too much space.
This past fall, I took a tour of Fenway Park in Boston, my first trip ever to Major League Baseball's oldest park. Fenway Park opened in 1912. And you can tell by sitting in the seats in the lower grandstand that people were thinner in 1912 than they are 98 years later.
And airline seats were suited for the era of "Mad Men" rather than the time of "Men of a Certain Age."
But people are getting larger, especially in gaining the weight in the spots (stomach, hips, love handles) likely to affect others trying to sit right by them.
Whether you are in the "don't block my seat" camp or the "leave them alone" faction, we need to agree that changing food policies and exercise traditions are the best ways to reduce the number of fat people and literally the fat they have.
The seats aren't getting any smaller, so the people have to adjust.
And the adjustment needs to work both ways. We don't have to love the idea of sitting next to fat people, but we do need to try and accept that they are people.
Those who are thinner who don't accept fat people want those who are fat to try harder; those who are fat just want to be accepted. If you are large, understand people's reluctance to sit next to you, and make things more comfortable for them. And if you are fortunate not to be large, smile at a fat person to make them feel comfortable.
It can be fun to get emotional over the issues of girth, but being logical helps all of us to come to a better understanding, an understanding from all sides.
The obesity epidemic has a lot of layers, and will take a lot of time and work to make things better. A sprinkle of understanding is a well-timed ingredient.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.