EU court rules fatness now officially a disability

[Big J]

I think one of the things that is going to cause headaches is possible discrimination cases in our industry. I'll set the scene:

 

You advertise for a job, interviewee comes along (looks OK on paper) and they are massive. The might have some tickets and on paper experience, but we all know that really means nothing. Who is going to employ someone who is by the nature of their obesity is going to struggle with the physical tasks of day to day work? You can't easily say "Lose 5 stone and come back to me" though can you?

 

On principle, I wouldn't employ anyone with a serious weight problem. They are not going to be able to keep up carrying all that extra weight, and frankly I don't have time to hear their excuses about slow metabolisms and big bones. Anyone with an actual disability causing their weight problem should know better than to seek employment in areas of work where it's going to be a major issue. We all have our limitations. My back and leg injury are such that I cannot stand still for long periods without a lot of pain. Consequently, I'm not going to sue a nightclub for not providing me with a chair for manning their doors....

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

For years, up til three years back, I could eat on demand, eat loads, then loads more and not really gain much weight. I was a steady 14ish stone. One of the lucky ones. Hard work and good food kept a good level for me, so easy. Then I fell critically ill, my thyroid went doo lally and went into overdrive, chemically poisoning me. Then I crashed health-wise with UC which turned my life around somewhat. Everything I ate caused severe bleeding and my body shut down in sort of defensive mode. I lost weight rapidly, dropped to 9st in a month. The following weeks were a sort of hell, drip fed while all around were fed normally. I got so I just relied on a bag of drip feed daily, 24/7 for several weeks. Then post surgery I was able to eat again. But now it's to survive, no pleasure at all, afraid of every mouthful in case it caused problems. Three years on I'm 16st 2, weight has levelled out, I can't gain or lose much but I'm fairly well muscled and a little loose around the surgery area. It'd have been easy (having been told to eat loads to put the weight back on) to have over done it, but common sense makes you keep a check on progress, and adjust diets accordingly to suit your NEEDS, not your WANTS. Sorry for the ramble, just trying to explain my theories, and my reasoning why obese people could help themselves.

 

 

Tough break there Andy. I'd lose one of the big pleasures in my life if I lost the enjoyment of cooking & eating.

[Andy Collins]

Tough break there Andy. I'd lose one of the big pleasures in my life if I lost the enjoyment of cooking & eating.

 

 

I did 😔

[Stubby]

From the age of 15 up to the age of 50 I had a 24" waist a 6 pack 15" biceps and all the self look at me stuff that goes with it . Then at the age of 50 I was smashed to bits by a car . I am 62 now and have a 32"waist 12" biceps ( on one side only , nothing worth measuring on the other ) and skinny legs . . I want to be as active as my brain tells me but my physical condition wont allow it . What I describe to you is lame compared to people who were fit as a butchers dog but have suffered debilitating injury's serving their country . I did claim incapacity benefit for a time , I was in a wheel chair . Being how I was I wanted to get back to how I was before but that will never be . There are genuine cases out there . Not every one is a genuine case but some are . ......

[Billhook]

From the age of 15 up to the age of 50 I had a 24" waist a 6 pack 15" biceps and all the self look at me stuff that goes with it . Then at the age of 50 I was smashed to bits by a car . I am 62 now and have a 32"waist 12" biceps ( on one side only , nothing worth measuring on the other ) and skinny legs . . I want to be as active as my brain tells me but my physical condition wont allow it . What I describe to you is lame compared to people who were fit as a butchers dog but have suffered debilitating injury's serving their country . I did claim incapacity benefit for a time , I was in a wheel chair . Being how I was I wanted to get back to how I was before but that will never be . There are genuine cases out there . Not every one is a genuine case but some are . ......

 

 

I do not think anyone here is saying that there are not genuine cases. and those people should be given all the help possible. Many of them, including yourself, have a good attitude to life and do their best to overcome their problems and all the best to them for that.

 

.

 

I went to Skegness the other day which must be the mobility carriage centre of the universe. It is really quite dangerous to walk down the street window shopping as you are likely to be mown down by one. Many of them seem to be enormous girls who are still in their thirties.

 

I also spent a week cycling around Copenhagen recently. What a contrast! Firstly I am quite fit and cycle regularly and I was trying hard, but unsuccessfully, to chase the beautiful blondes with their hair streaming out behind, but I could barely keep up with the grannies on their bikes. There is only one speed which is full speed!

Not a mobility carriage in sight in the whole week and there was one old man who must have been in his nineties, riding a tricycle.

On the front was a special frame in which he carried his crutches!

Now that's what I call spirit!

[TIMON]

I went to Skegness the other day which must be the mobility carriage centre of the universe. It is really quite dangerous to walk down the street window shopping as you are likely to be mown down by one. Many of them seem to be enormous girls who are still in their thirties.

 

We really do live in a very sick world...

NHS mobility (or obesity) scooters for people who are gorging themselves literally to death on food.

 

Then millions starving to death without access to clean water.

 

I think mankind in general has become disabled.

[Bren.]

I did 😔

Man that's rough, of all the pleasures of life, the enjoyment of food would be in my top 5 of ones I wouldn't want to lose.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

The really worrying thing (I think) is the acceleration in rates of registered disabled in the UK. I did have a quick look to see if I could find the figures to compare '70s. '80s, '90s, '00s. Couldn't find what I was after but I recall looking it up a while back and finding an exponential increase.

 

So what does that tell us? As a nation we're getting sick real quick and in ever increasing numbers? If so, what is the government doing about it? If not, what is the government doing about it?

 

I still believe the greatest crime is being committed by those that have the choice and they choose to deprive those that don't have the choice.

[Mull]

The really worrying thing (I think) is the acceleration in rates of registered disabled in the UK. I did have a quick look to see if I could find the figures to compare '70s. '80s, '90s, '00s. Couldn't find what I was after but I recall looking it up a while back and finding an exponential increase.

 

So what does that tell us? As a nation we're getting sick real quick and in ever increasing numbers? If so, what is the government doing about it? If not, what is the government doing about it?

 

I still believe the greatest crime is being committed by those that have the choice and they choose to deprive those that don't have the choice.

 

 

You actually sound a bit left wing!

[Big J]

The really worrying thing (I think) is the acceleration in rates of registered disabled in the UK. I did have a quick look to see if I could find the figures to compare '70s. '80s, '90s, '00s. Couldn't find what I was after but I recall looking it up a while back and finding an exponential increase.

 

So what does that tell us? As a nation we're getting sick real quick and in ever increasing numbers? If so, what is the government doing about it? If not, what is the government doing about it?

 

I still believe the greatest crime is being committed by those that have the choice and they choose to deprive those that don't have the choice.

 

It's a very British/American issue. Only difference is that we have a welfare state to subsidise people's abuse of their own bodies.

 

I was in Sweden in summer and there are only a tiny fraction of people with severe weight issues compared to here. Similar in Germany also.