Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 20 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 4 months ago by
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I have a neighbor who is on disability leave because he is too overweight to perform his duties as a cop. Currently, he is getting paid for this. I am very confused about why overweight people who did not choose to take care of their body in the first place get paid for it. Shouldn’t we be working toward a healthier society that exercises and eats healthy rather than rewarding people for being over weight??
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Name : Kana, Gender : F, City : Sacramento, State : CA, Country : United States,I don’t know your neighbor’s exact situation, but I do know that it’s harder than most people realize for an obese person to lose weight. More often than not, a lifetime of sketchy (not necessarily bad) eating habits combined with a series of diets that never result in permanent weight loss can screw up your metabolism so bad that some people actually gain weight if they try to diet, because their body thinks it’s being starved and will convert everything to stored fat. Furthermore, for the seriously overweight, exercise is often a difficult and painful experience. It’s very easy to avoid taking a walk when you know it’s going to result in an abundance of sweat, heat, back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, foot pain, etc. Hopefully your neighbor is not just on disability, but is also being provided the resources to really improve his overall health. A fitness and rehab center would be able to design an exercise plan that would not cause too much discomfort. Being on disability, though, your neighbor may not be able to afford it. I hope this is something that would be encouraged and paid for by his union so that he can return to work.
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Name : Cheryl32341, Gender : F, City : Woodstock, State : VA, Country : United States,What if he has a legitimate glandular problem? Also, many people overeat because they are depressed, stressed or have other mental problems. Does your question still stand? Should people who lose their legs or eyes in skiing accidents still get disability payments even though they became disabled in the pursuit of pleasure? I think it is very difficult to decide who does and doesn’t deserve disability payments, and that it is easy to be a victim of prejudice.
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Name : Hero21320, City : Aberdeen, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom,I agree. I work in a hospital, and caseworkers ‘borrow’ our laundry scale to better weigh individuals like that, those weighing more than 400 lbs. The last guy I helped was torked off because he only came in at 384, meaning he couldn’t get disability and had to gain a dozen or so more pounds. I understand there are those with legitimate hormonal problems that cause them to uncontrollably gain weight, but I seriously doubt it’s the majority. Being overweight is nothing that can’t be cured by two hours in the gym each night and substantially less food intake.
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Name : Brian23037, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 28, City : Peru, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : management, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I understand how you feel. A fellow student at school is very overweight, at about 400 pounds. He is unemployed and on disability because of his weight. He also gets food stamps. I applied for food stamps, too. But because I worked 12 hours a week, I was rejected. Working a low-paying job at a restaurant doesn’t cover all my expenses: my car note, insurance, gas, food, books for school, or food for my dogs. Yet this guy who couldn’t control his eating habits lives it up on taxpayer dollars. I understand some people gain weight from certain medications or medical reasons. Those people are in a different category. However, it makes me so ****ing mad to see people like your neighbor and this guy I go to school with get easy access to things that some others are more deserving of. I think we should strive toward eating healthy. In a way, our society is trying to do that. There are many diets out. Many fast-food places are trying to compromise with consumers by coming out with foods for people on diets. People with weight problems should realize they need help. It’s probably easier said than done, but admitting you have a problem is a start. However, until some people realize they have a problem with eating and do something about it, our society is going to continue to have people like your neighbor.
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Name : Melanie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/Sioux, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 19, City : Waco, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower class,I have cops in my family, and I’ve never heard of a police department giving disability for being overweight. More likely is that he’s on disability for a permanent injury that either was caused by his weight, or he got really heavy after hurting himself.
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Name : Marie22259, Gender : F, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States,Overweight has now been recognized by the AMA as a legitimate biological disorder and not a moral deficiency
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Name : Richard, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : various, Age : 42, City : Princeton, State : NJ, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I understand your disgust with the patient upset at not being overweight enough to get disability. My problem is with your last statement about ‘two hours in the gym each night and substantially less food intake.’ I am overweight, yes I do have a thyroid problem which now makes it nearly impossible for me to lose weight. However, I have always been on the chubby side. If I could spend two hours in the gym and thought that would fix it, I certainly would. Being overweight is not a choice. I have thin friends that eat as much or more than I do and they don’t gain weight the same as me, nor do they spend any time in a gym. Everybody and every body is different. You’ve obvioulsy never had a weight problem or had someone close to you that did. It’s not something that is as easy to ‘cure’ as just eating less. Don’t be so narrow minded.
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Name : Nita, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 29, City : Jonesboro, State : AR, Country : United States, Occupation : legal, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I certainly put on weight after I wrecked my spine. I eat less than most people I know, but exercise is just about impossible. It’s kind of a Catch-22.
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Name : Vail24458, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I don’t ahve enough money or time to go to the gym.
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Name : Vail24459, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I think it’s because we’re living in a ‘it’s not my fault’ society. I.E. ‘I’m suing McDonalds because they made me fat’ or ‘I’m suing big tobacco because they encouraged me to smoke’. It’s gotten beyond ridiculous. Telling someone to join Weight Watchers is too often seen as insensitive or uncompassionate instead of good advice. Unfortunately, at this writing, Medicare is considering listing obesity as a disease and our tax dollars may start sponsoring these weight reducing surgeries. As Americans, we’re always looking for the easier way to do ANYTHING, therefore losing the objective of working hard to get what we want. Hence, the support of paying a salary to stay home & be fat instead of providing a gift certificate to a gym.
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Name : Glenda K., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 36, City : Cincinnati, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : hr administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,When it comes to someone else’s medical issues, there could be a myriad of information of which you have no knowledge, (like what is causing the extra weight in the first place?) Some diseases have side affects that cause weight gain…, many medications put on unwanted pounds…. debilatating depression can put on excess weight that takes forever to get rid of when you have no energy, etc. I can think of many, many reasons and I don’t even know the guy. Maybe some faith is warranted here? I am just thinking of the circus of tricks and hoops that I have had to jump through to try to requalify for my disability for debilitating arthritis in my knees, hands and feet. If the insurance company is signing his cheques (and they HATE to do that more than ANYTHING!!!), ya gotta know there is some information you aren’t privy to.
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Name : WildRose, Gender : F, Disability : arthritis, Age : 50s, City : Toronto, State : OK, Country : Canada, Occupation : retired, Education level : High School Diploma,We don’t really know your neighbor’s full situation. He most likely is on disability because something about his dangerous and high stress job has contributed to his weight problem. Nevertheless, you take the position that is taken by many people — even doctors — and that is, ‘fat people just need to use a little self-control.’ Rarely. Eating too much, for many people, is no different than being an alcoholic … except alcoholics can go to AA and get the support to never put another drop of alcohol in their mouth; but, food-aholics must continue to put some type of food into themselves, usually resulting in a relapse and regaining of the weight. Remember, walk a mile in his shoes.
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Name : JW, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 55, City : Tulsa, State : OK, Country : United States, Occupation : Scientist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I used to be well over 350 lbs. Four years ago I finally was able to stop over eating and eating crap. I am now at a healthy weight ( 191lbs 6’2) and I work out daily. The hardest thing I ever did was change my eating habits. Stopping drinking and smoking was easy compared to the food issue. Why is it that alchoholism is viewed as a disease but overeating is just becuase people lack willpower? Consider yourself lucky. The student that is 400lbs and gets food stamps will most likely die before you will after possibly a long painful illness. I doubt you would want to trade places with him.
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Name : dean, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : winnipeg, State : AR, Country : Canada, Occupation : Real estate investor., Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,I’ve never heard of this. Disability is very difficult to get even with what most people would consider a ‘legitimate’ disability. I have several chronic conditions which would normally avail me of disability, but I can’t get it because I do work and work hard. As far as taking the weight off, it’s not that simple. I’ve lost and gained and gained most of my weight on a medically required drug. I’ve been from a size 8 to a size 24. The only difference is the way others treat me.
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Name : Ericka, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Bipolar, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : non-practicing, Age : 36, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : computer specialist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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