“What if a war on obesity only makes the problem worse”? argues Author Daniel Engber in his article “Glutton Intolerance”. Discrimination against the obese in our society makes the obesity problem worse. The treatment against these people have caused, for example, “severely obese white women [to] lose out on of their potential income” (Engber). In another survey, those who were overweight lost 9% of their wage also (Engber). People are losing out on the money they could be earning, but of course only if they were “allowed” to work…. Discrimination is defined as unjust towards categories of people…is the term obese not people who are grouped as overweight? I agree adding fuel to the fire only makes matters worse.
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'The Problem of Discrimination Against The Obese People'
People who are overweight, mostly women, do not maintain romantic relationships for long, their chances of getting married are reduced by 20% (Engber). Women miss out on walking down the aisle, while all overweight people miss out on the proper attention needed in the medical facilities. Those who work in the field have the tendency to poke fun at obese patients rather than properly assisting them. Engber states “doctors describe [obese patients] as ugly, lazy, weak-willed, and lacking in motivation to improve their health”. To solve a problem, there must be a will to fix it, if obese people do not receive the help to maintain their health, the problem will only get worse. My brother has “childhood obesity”, according to his doctors, weighing at 180lbs being 5ft 7in tall. All his visits have consisted of the doctor looking him up and down, and simply telling him to lose weight, in which he tries do. He was not able to lose much because he was put to shame for his size by his doctor, instead of being motivated to change. He was able to transfer to a new doctor, who provided him with the respect and care he needed while creating new ideas of becoming healthy, not just losing weight.
If people are put to shame for their weight, it becomes its own medical risk. Engber cites epidemiologist Peter Meunnig and his theory about how the anti-fat bias makes obesity worse; “the more abuse you take the worse the disease” (Engber). Society forces people, specifically women, to always live up to body expectations. If these expectations are not, they are put to shame. “[Women have a greater risk developing an eating disorder than men] and they are also 7 times more likely to experience to significant illness or death as a result of being overweight” (Engber). I believe difference should be put to the side, and we create solutions.
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People who are obese suffer lower income wages and cannot maintain long-term relationships (Engber), because of discrimination in places such as the medical facilities and society. If there is discrimination, there is hate. Discrimination means unjust towards a group of people. Discrimination against obesity; unjust against PEOPLE. If the mindset is changed, we will solve the problem. “Stop hating” states Engber as he provides his solution to fixing the obesity problem “The Rudd Center has called for a new federal ban on weight discrimination” (Engber), in which if it is followed through Engber states “reconsider[ing] our tendency to blame obesity” will “protect the 2/3 of all Americans who are classified as overweight or obese”.
