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#1
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Obesity on Planes
OK, I've expressed myself repeatedly on the subject of obese people on
planes, and the inconvenience they cause the rest of us. Now comes this letter in the Travel section of the NY Times on Sunday, March 19. It goes in the opposite direction, and is written by a psychologist who works with obese people. I'm throwing this out for general discussion. What does anyone think of her viewpoint? Any answers, pro or con? (as though I didn't know I'll get plenty!) To the Editor: In a recent Q&A (Feb. 19), I read with dismay the query submitted by a reader who complained that the "extremely large man" seated next to her on a recent flight infringed on her personal space because of his size. She wondered whether airlines should request that people who are very large buy multiple airplane seats when traveling. As a clinical psychologist working in a specialist obesity medicine practice at Massachusetts General Hospital, I had a very strong reaction to this. I have met hundreds of people who have struggled — painfully, assiduously and in vain — with obesity. My experience in this field has yielded a great deal of insight into the painful challenges that people with obesity face constantly, challenges that most people with healthy weights have a hard time even imagining. I found this reader's remarks particularly poignant because she spoke of a situation that my patients describe to me over and over again: the humiliation of not being able to fit into airline seats. Although I hear these accounts repeatedly, they never fail to move me; the pain and shame that my patients feel in countless daily situations is heartbreaking, and the lengths to which they must go to cope with these situations are impressive. The bigoted treatment that people with obesity face every day stems directly from a widespread public misperception that one can choose not to be obese merely by exercising self-control, a misperception completely at odds with the overwhelming body of current scientific evidence. The degree of control that people actually have over their obesity is drastically more limited than is commonly believed. Imagine how this woman's reaction would have been different had her fellow traveler taken up "a quarter" of her space because he had had his leg or arm in a bulky cast. I imagine she might have felt some annoyance, but nothing like the righteous indignation implied by her suggestion that the airlines charge heavy people for an extra seat. Stephanie Sogg, Ph.D. |
#2
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
On 2006-03-19 13:42:20 -0500, Asterix said:
Make the fat slobs pay, if they need more space. several US airlines have sensibly started to charge the porkers, if they need more space than is suitable for normal people. Why should neighboring passengers be inconvenienced just because some fat slob, male, female or whatever can't stop being a pig, and is so gross that they need to occupy space belonging to the next passenger? Make them pay for their blubber, and to hell with the nutbar quacks!! If the fat slobs do not want to pay double fares, they can always take the train, or drive. Do you have any views on the "sensitivity" issue raised by Ms. Sogg? (Ha! I bet I know the answer to THAT.) |
#3
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Obesity on Planes
"sechumlib" wrote in message news:2006031912471616807-sechumlib@liberalnet... OK, I've expressed myself repeatedly on the subject of obese people on planes, and the inconvenience they cause the rest of us. Now comes this letter in the Travel section of the NY Times on Sunday, March 19. It goes in the opposite direction, and is written by a psychologist who works with obese people. This letter, just like some of the more offensive ones previously posted, simply misses the point, which has nothing to do with whether obesity is voluntary or involuntary, whether overweight people are offensive or not, whether other passengers are insufficiently sensitive the the feelings of the overweight, etc. No passenger has the right to impose on another passenger by taking their space. Period. That means that if you, for any reason -- obesity, carrying a lap child, having a broken leg, transporting a double bass, whatever -- need more than one seat, then buy more than one seat. No one has the right to demand that a stranger cede part of their seat to to them. No one shares my seat with me except, perhaps, my wife. End of discussion. If you're not intruding into my seat, either because you fit a standard airline seat or because you've purchased two seats, then I have no problem with you at all. Why is this so difficult? |
#4
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Obesity on Planes
"sechumlib" wrote in message news:2006031912471616807-sechumlib@liberalnet... OK, I've expressed myself repeatedly on the subject of obese people on planes, and the inconvenience they cause the rest of us. Now comes this letter in the Travel section of the NY Times on Sunday, March 19. It goes in the opposite direction, and is written by a psychologist who works with obese people. I'm throwing this out for general discussion. What does anyone think of her viewpoint? Any answers, pro or con? (as though I didn't know I'll get plenty!) The degree of control that people actually have over their obesity is drastically more limited than is commonly believed. Imagine how this woman's reaction would have been different had her fellow traveler taken up "a quarter" of her space because he had had his leg or arm in a bulky cast. I imagine she might have felt some annoyance, but nothing like the righteous indignation implied by her suggestion that the airlines charge heavy people for an extra seat. Stephanie Sogg, Ph.D. I don't give a rats ass about someone's feeling when it comes to this subject! If you're taking up my space then you're stealing from me. Seriously, people have to buy extra seats for their tubas, their pets, whatever they're bringing on board that won't fit overhead or under seat, so why shouldn't fat people have to pay for the extra space. Yeah, I'm sorry that they must suffer the trials of their differences, but I do not need to suffer their flesh in my space. They should pay for the extra seat. |
#5
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
Asterix wrote: On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:51:59 GMT, sechumlib wrote: On 2006-03-19 13:42:20 -0500, Asterix said: Make the fat slobs pay, if they need more space. several US airlines have sensibly started to charge the porkers, if they need more space than is suitable for normal people. Why should neighboring passengers be inconvenienced just because some fat slob, male, female or whatever can't stop being a pig, and is so gross that they need to occupy space belonging to the next passenger? Make them pay for their blubber, and to hell with the nutbar quacks!! If the fat slobs do not want to pay double fares, they can always take the train, or drive. Do you have any views on the "sensitivity" issue raised by Ms. Sogg? (Ha! I bet I know the answer to THAT.) Sensitivity issues my butt! To hell with the fat slobs, and make them pay for their space occupied! As for the qucks claiming this that and the other, they can join their fat slobs in hell! How about some sensitivity for the vast majority of normal people instead? Although I agree, the "obese flier" threads have been beaten to death, and are now just plain annoying. Take it up with the airlines. |
#6
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
Maxx. wrote:
Asterix wrote: On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:51:59 GMT, sechumlib wrote: On 2006-03-19 13:42:20 -0500, Asterix said: Make the fat slobs pay, if they need more space. several US airlines have sensibly started to charge the porkers, if they need more space than is suitable for normal people. Why should neighboring passengers be inconvenienced just because some fat slob, male, female or whatever can't stop being a pig, and is so gross that they need to occupy space belonging to the next passenger? Make them pay for their blubber, and to hell with the nutbar quacks!! If the fat slobs do not want to pay double fares, they can always take the train, or drive. Do you have any views on the "sensitivity" issue raised by Ms. Sogg? (Ha! I bet I know the answer to THAT.) Sensitivity issues my butt! To hell with the fat slobs, and make them pay for their space occupied! As for the qucks claiming this that and the other, they can join their fat slobs in hell! How about some sensitivity for the vast majority of normal people instead? Although I agree, the "obese flier" threads have been beaten to death, and are now just plain annoying. Take it up with the airlines. Kids that scream and cry incessantly, plus selfish pax that thrust their seats back when your trying to eat and drink from your fold down table. Makes it even harder trying to get out to go to the WC. I think these are worse than obese pax. |
#7
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
Hello Everyone,
I am kinda new to this newsgroup and would like to use this thread to introduce myself. I am a mother of two beautiful daughters and four wonderful grandchildren. I have used every type of transportation there is here in the good ole US of A. I have been exposed to many types of personalities and body types known to man (or woman). One trip I took, I was constantly exposed to an overwhelming perfume. I dealt with it. Should the person have been made to wash the perfume off, or sit in the restrooms the entire trip? One trip I took, I was seated next to a man that was mentally challenged and talked about some pretty weird stuff. I dealt with it. Should the person have been made to sit alone, or be put off of the flight? One trip I took, I was sitting near a heavy snorer and could not rest. I dealt with it. Should the person have been asked to stay awake? One trip I took, I was seated next to someone who had been drinking heavily and the odor was as bad as the perfumed person. I dealt with it. Should this person have been put off the ride? One trip I took, I was seated next to a down syndrome child that was constantly moving and kicking me. I dealt with it. Should the parents of this child been asked to take the child off of the train? One trip I took, I was seated near a woman who had 2 small children. They were both normal behaved children. The youngest was 2 years old and had a cold. In the middle of the night the 2 year old became uncomfortable with her illness and started crying. The mother couldn't quiet her. A very selfish lady sitting behind the family reported this to the attendant. The attendant told the mother that if she couldn't keep the child from crying, she and her children would have to get off at the next station. I went and spoke with the mother, and found this out, after hearing the child's cry being muffled. (It reminded me too much of a M.A.S.H. episode.) When I heard what the attendant had said to this lady, it upset me. I spoke to the mother some more and found out that she and her babies were traveling to her mother's and that her husband was over in Iraq fighting for our nation. It really upset me to see a family of one of our soldiers being treated so rudely. I spoke to the conductor (who seemed to not care about dealing with the situation). So...I called the corporate headquarters and tore them another...well...you know. I dealt with it. We have many types of people in this world, each with their own little offensive things, be it physical or mental. Life is too short to worry about the other person having more than us, or offending us with their body size. Deal with it. Kids that scream and cry incessantly, plus selfish pax that thrust their seats back when your trying to eat and drink from your fold down table. Makes it even harder trying to get out to go to the WC. I think these are worse than obese pax. |
#8
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
All your examples are behavioral issues, not problems are physical
size. They're entirely different problems, and are dealt with differently. Here's an idea: Next time you're eating a nice dinner out at the table next to me, I'm going to hang my coat on your extra chair, and use part of your table for my cell phone, car keys, and dessert menus, because I don't have room for all of it on my table. You don't mind, do you? |
#9
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
Well...if you introduce yourself first then it would be no problem because I
would see that you needed a little extra space. I might use your cell phone though so you might want to make sure it has a lock on it... "beavis" wrote in message ... All your examples are behavioral issues, not problems are physical size. They're entirely different problems, and are dealt with differently. Here's an idea: Next time you're eating a nice dinner out at the table next to me, I'm going to hang my coat on your extra chair, and use part of your table for my cell phone, car keys, and dessert menus, because I don't have room for all of it on my table. You don't mind, do you? |
#10
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Obesity on Planes - Make fat Slobs Pay
beavis wrote:
All your examples are behavioral issues, not problems are physical size. They're entirely different problems, and are dealt with differently. It is not just a matter of the physical size of the passengers. It is the physical size of the seats on some planes. I have been on some flights where I have been extremely uncomfortable because seats were very narrow and there was not enough leg room, but on other flights I was quite comfortable. There was a recent article about a new model of jetliner that was built with a certain capacity, apparently designed for passenger comfort, and airline companies are squeezing more seats into them. Here's an idea: Next time you're eating a nice dinner out at the table next to me, I'm going to hang my coat on your extra chair, and use part of your table for my cell phone, car keys, and dessert menus, because I don't have room for all of it on my table. You don't mind, do you? So it would seem that it is not really a matter of a person's size that is the issue, just that you are an asshole. |
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