Employers should be permitted to discriminate against the obese in the workplace

Certain job vacancies are more suited to applicants with slimmer physiques, examples include those for: air hostesses; pearl divers; jockeys; human canon balls; strippers; cave swift-saliva gatherers (the main ingredient of Chinese birds nest soup); trapeze artists; astronauts; firemen; limbo-dancers and chimney sweeps. On the other hand, there are job vacancies that fat candidates are more suited for, including those for: grape treaders; opera singers; nightclub bouncers; freak show exhibits; sumo wrestlers; Father Christmas impersonators; human shields and drive-thru restaurant critics. However, in certain jurisdictions in America, notably the state of Michigan, employers are not allowed to discriminate against job applicants on the basis of weight, This is the result of the powerful fat lobby who commission biased surveys and bullies legislators into giving overweight candidates an unfair advantage in the job market. For example, an international survey of the fat published by Weight Loss Resources entitled "Fattism: Discrimination As Real As Sexism and Racism" found: * Two thirds of people concerned with their weight believe employers have a responsibility to help them stay in shape. * More than half (55%) of people concerned with their weight believe fattism should be treated in the same way as sexism and racism. * More than 60% of people concerned with their weight say they have been bullied, made fun of or discriminated against because of their size. * Nearly 80% of those taking part in the survey say weight is becoming more of an issue in today"s society and is 50% more of an issue in the workplace. * Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents say their weight has held back or hindered their career opportunities. * Over a fifth (21%) say their weight leads to work colleagues and associates undervaluing their abilities. The fat lobby even gives obese people advise on how to exploit the law to get compensation from their employers when they get too fat to do their job. For example, in an article entitled "Fattist Employers Need to Work Things Out" an apologist for the obese writes: "If an employee's obesity hinders their ability to perform their job, they may be able to claim under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which, if successful, could result in costly uncapped compensation for financial loss and an award for injury to feelings. The DDA defines disability as 'a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on an individual"s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. While some conditions such as alcoholism, are specifically excluded from protection, obesity is not, so it could fall within the definition." The underlying message the fat lobby wants to project is that if someone is grossly overweight it's somebody else's fault and somebody else's problem to deal with, and that the fat should get special treatment in the workplace. The fact is, however, that obesity occurs when energy intake from food and drink consumption is greater than energy expenditure through the body's metabolism and physical activity over a prolonged period, resulting in the accumulation of excess body fat. in other words, they are greedy and lazy - and employers should not be forced to recruit greedy, lazy workers. Naturally, there is a tiny minority of obese people who are overweight due to medical conditions, and those people should not be discriminated against. To facilitate this, they should present prospective employers with a letter from their doctor, similar to the example reproduced hereunder. "To Whom It May Concern. Re: Mr Slobodan Slobberchops ------------------------------------- This is to certify that, in my professional opinion, the above patient is grossly overweight through no fault of his own. Let's put it this way, even if he were interred in a Stalinist labour camp in Ethiopia for five years and fed on half rations he would still resemble a huge pile of sweating blubber when he was released - it's really not his fault that he"s so fat, he's just got Prader-Willi syndrome (a rare chromosomal disorder with symptoms that include learning difficulties, obesity and behavioural problems), that's all, and I have no hesitation in recommending him for the position applied for. Yours faithfully, Donna Kebab, BSc, PhD (lady doctor)." With this provision in place I believe that employers should be permitted to discriminate against the obese in the workplace. Thank you. SOURCES Weight discrimination legalities: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com... Fattism survey: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk... Article: "Fattist Employers Need to Work Things Out": http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk... The cause of obesity: http://www.noo.org.uk... Prader-Willi syndrome: http://www.bbc.co.uk...