In this world of the politically sensitive, where hate speech is a crime in a growing number of countries, the list of what provokes hatred among a society is expanding. Most of us would agree that vilifying a person or a group on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion is just patently wrong.
But what about vilifying someone because of another characteristic, one that is self-inflicted. I’m thinking of those who smoke and those who are obese. The argument can be made that they choose to be that way, regardless of their arguments about addiction. Face it, depending on the society and the culture, most groups of people who participate in actions or habits deemed as inappropriate or damaging have to endure stigmatization.
Is that fair?
I have written about obesity and my personal concerns that the so-called war on obesity is fueling a lynch mob mentality that targets a certain population in this country, and quite frankly, encourages harsh judgement and even abject abuse. I don’t like it when we black-and-white any issue, as nothing is as simple as certain people would like to make it appear. Yes, there is plenty of evidence that what we eat has a major impact on our health. Yes, there is evidence that carrying around extra weight is detrimental to our health. Of course, it’s healthier to live an active lifestyle.
But who says that someone who’s fat doesn’t know all of these things? Is it simply a matter of eating salad instead of chicken wings? Anyone who has gone through weight loss programs–and believe me, it ain’t easy–knows that weight isn’t just a number on the scale. It’s way more complicated than that. And I have a problem when we as a society exercise harsh judgement instead of compassion. I have to ask, is weight the only measure of good health?
The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) for years has worked to bring the issue of size discrimination to the public arena. The motto, “We come in all sizes” is one of tolerance and understanding. Recently, in New Zealand, a professor of human development has come forward, calling for the ban of “hate speech” against fat people, pointing out that it’s not only the obese who suffer from societal hatred, it’s the rest of society as well.
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I don’t believe anything should necessarily be “banned” per se, but hatred towards any demographic should carry a social scourge. Mean spirited, hateful, hurt inducing behavior should never be tolerated.
I believe you touch upon a greater societal issue. Health is much more than just how one looks. Skinny doesn’t equate to being healthy anymore than being heavy equates to being unhealthy. The problem with “judging” heavy people is that you don’t know where they are on their journey. You could look at a heavy person who recently lost 50lbs, but still has another 100lbs to lose before they are “accepted as being healthy.”
Yes, being heavy carries increased risks in many aspects of health. That point cannot be debated, however I think our culture needs to have more compassion towards people who struggle with health issues. There are multi-billion dollar companies out there pushing the mantra “eat less, exercise more.” Although this formula is effective, it isn’t so simple or easy. Heavy people know this formula, but there are so many more complexities involved. Simply repeating the mantra, “eat less, exercise more” merely discourages people further because they begin to believe they are a failure because it isn’t so easy for them.
Ban hate speech against heavy people? I say no. Free speech is free speech. I say promote compassion, kindness, and the golden rule instead. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not at all.