I came across a story last week that got me fired up.
From Reuters Health: “Obese Have Right to TWO Airline Seats.”
“Obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.”
“The high court declined to hear an appeal by Canadian airlines of a decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency that people who are “functionally disabled by obesity” deserve to have two seats for one fare.”.
For the love of sugar free gummy bears, what the hell is going on here? The last thing we need is for the “functionally disabled by obesity” to think that they’re entitled to free shit. Before we know it they’re going to expect free gas for their cars (cars carrying more weight burn more gas, why should they be penalized?), free seconds at restaurants (heck they need to eat more, why should they have to spend more?), and discounted lap dances at the strip club (they um, have more lap to cover?)*.
Let me just say that I have nothing against the obese, but there are times where I feel that we as a society are just playing the role of enablers. I mean just the other day I was talking with one of our athletes, and he mentioned to me how his school is cutting down the required amount of days that students need to attend health/PE class from two days per week to once every six days! Even he found this to be absurd. And we wonder why we have an epidemic of childhood obesity and adult onset diabetes!?! When you think about it, we’re setting people up for failure right from the start.
On the other hand, while I can’t deny the role that society plays, I also feel that there has to be some degree of accountability here. I get so tired of people trying to pass things off as if they’re the victim; as if someone forced them to eat McDonald’s everyday for breakfast. Or that it’s my fault they haven’t been able to see their “boy down there part” while standing since 1994, and that somehow entitles them to make the rest of us feel like jerks for getting miffed about this. What gives? I don’t know, I understand it’s a fine line and it’s obviously a very debatable issue, but it just bothers me. What do you guys think?
*Speaking of lap dances, check out the trailer to Jessica Biel’s new movie, Jessica Biel Plays a Stripper So No One Really Cares About the Title Powder Blue.
I love how they try to make the trailer seem like this is going to be some Oscar worthy, art house film with real feelings and emotion. The only thing that’s going to be Oscar worthy is the full frontal nudity. GET SOME!
PS: Did I mention that Jessica Biel plays a stripper?
