EU - obesity is a disability

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Discussion

McClure

Original Poster:

2,173 posts

145 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
quotequote all
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30529791

Not helping - they'll get even less exercise now they can park in the disabled spaces at the supermarket to pick up their chocolate & crisps & coke.

Grumfutock

5,274 posts

164 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Woohoo, this means I can get a blue badge so I can park right outside my kebab shop.

chris watton

22,477 posts

259 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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How can consuming a lot more calories than you use per day be considered a disability?

wolves_wanderer

12,356 posts

236 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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simoid

19,772 posts

157 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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The ECJ ruled: "The Court finds that if, under given circumstances, the laziness of the worker entails a limitation which results in particular from physical, mental or psychological impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder the full and effective participation of that lazy bd in professional life on an equal basis with other non-lazy workers, and the laziness is long-term, such laziness can fall within the concept of 'disability' within the meaning of the directive."

Incredible scenes.

Yazar

1,476 posts

119 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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This is why Britain needs to leave the EU, we just have more common sense....

"Jane Deville Almond, the chairwoman of the British Obesity Society, said obesity should not be classed as a disability.

She told the BBC: "I think the downside would be that if employers suddenly have to start ensuring that they've got wider seats, larger tables, more parking spaces for people who are obese, I think then we're just making the situation worse.

"[It is] implying that people have no control over the condition, rather than something that can be greater improved by changing behaviour.""

JagLover

42,266 posts

234 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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The biggest worry about this ruling is that airlines making the grossly overweight buy two seats could be sued for discrimination against the disabled.


Grumfutock

5,274 posts

164 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Using this rationale does this mean my being a smoker is an addiction? Can I get my tabs on the NHS?

simoid

19,772 posts

157 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
quotequote all
Grumfutock said:
Using this rationale does this mean my being a smoker is an addiction? Can I get my tabs on the NHS?
I thought you could get NRT free on the NHS...?

McClure

Original Poster:

2,173 posts

145 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
quotequote all
Yazar said:
This is why Britain needs to leave the EU, we just have more common sense....

"Jane Deville Almond, the chairwoman of the British Obesity Society, said obesity should not be classed as a disability.

She told the BBC: "I think the downside would be that if employers suddenly have to start ensuring that they've got wider seats, larger tables, more parking spaces for people who are obese, I think then we're just making the situation worse.

"[It is] implying that people have no control over the condition, rather than something that can be greater improved by changing behaviour.""
Agree. Decisions like this are for me tipping the balance in favour of leaving the EU. The impact on employers, owners of commercial premises etc will be horrendous.

Grumfutock

5,274 posts

164 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
quotequote all
simoid said:
Grumfutock said:
Using this rationale does this mean my being a smoker is an addiction? Can I get my tabs on the NHS?
I thought you could get NRT free on the NHS...?
Yes but you just try light one on those!

Mr GrimNasty

8,172 posts

169 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Listening to a local government spokesman saying how 50% of their cash is pent on 2% of the people, I think the last thing we need is another bunch of freeloading opportunities open to abuse.

(Although to put things in context, the legal bloke on the radio said this ruling would actually only potentially apply to the morbidly obese.)

PugwasHDJ80

7,522 posts

220 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Purity14 said:
Id hardly call it a disability.
It is an addiction.
They are addicted to sugar and the convenience of fast food.
This includes food in supermarkets labeled as healthy when it is actually just as bad.

Eg:
Dolmio Bolognese Original Sauce 500g = (0.6g fat) + 29.5g of sugar (7.3 teaspoons of sugar)
Dolmio Bolognese Low Fat Original Sauce 500g = (0.1g fat) 21g of sugar. (5.25 teaspoons of sugar)

These aren't even the worst culprits, look at "Old el Paso Fajita Mix" - for every 100g of the product, it contains 54g of sugar!
What is all that about?

The problem is, if you told these fatty-bum-bums to create a healthy dish from scratch and showed them how to do it, the following would result:

Day 1: Cry because they are fat and want to loose weight, and decide to man-up and create the meal from scratch.
Day 2: Can't spend time making the meal, because they need their sugar fix as fast as possible.
Day 3+: Can't see instant weight loss and the craving for sugar get greater, experience sugar withdrawal symptoms, then begin creating excuses for eating sugary foods again.

Take away the sugar, and they will lose weight, they need to be treated as someone with a drug addiction.
Fomr my personal experience I'd agree with a lot of that (apart from the cooking stuff from scratch)

I've quite smoking, drinking and dabbling in drugs when younger. I can't seem to quite the sugar thing though.

Sheets Tabuer

18,898 posts

214 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Fat Bloke said:
"I don't see myself as disabled. It's not OK just to fire a person because they're fat, if they're doing their job properly."
Oh it is, nothing worse than having some pile of lard sweating and panting opposite your desk all day and don't get me started on the ones constantly eating with their fat gobs open.

snowley

183 posts

125 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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This frustrates me immensely, that is all I will say!

chris watton

22,477 posts

259 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Purity14 said:
I don't drink either.
I used to smoke, but I quit.
In comparison, I found it easier to quit smoking than quitting excess sugar.
I craved, experienced headaches, I was very irritable, I would eat food and never feel full or content with what I have eaten.
At the beginning I would eat one square of chocolate after a healthy meal as a dessert, for my brain to register that I was content.

Now I can taste things better, flavours in food are enhanced when I eat them now, its great.

I was forced to eat a cup-cake the other day at some event. I was literally climbing the walls, my head was going crazy fast and I felt dizzy and didn't know what to do with myself. - I can't imagine how much sugar went into it, but I felt like vomiting. The whole cupcake mind-melt lasted about 4 hours. Never again!
Have you tried a small teaspoon of honey for your sugar fix?

98elise

26,376 posts

160 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Obesity is a lifestyle choice, and can be dealt with by simply eating less. It can't possibly be a disability.


otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
quotequote all
Purity14 said:
The problem is, if you told these fatty-bum-bums to create a healthy dish from scratch and showed them how to do it, the following would result:
I cook "healthy" dishes from scratch all the time - were I to eat as much and do as little as I would like, I would be just as enormous as if I were living on take-aways.

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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otolith said:
Purity14 said:
The problem is, if you told these fatty-bum-bums to create a healthy dish from scratch and showed them how to do it, the following would result:
I cook "healthy" dishes from scratch all the time - were I to eat as much and do as little as I would like, I would be just as enormous as if I were living on take-aways.
And most people I know who would be considered extremely fit and healthy think nothing of having a chippy tea - their lifestyle and metabolism is sensibly balanced to allow occasional diversions from the ideal. The crux is though, they are not lazy, telly-gazing, crisp-grazers the rest of the time.

BGARK

5,493 posts

245 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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chris watton said:
How can consuming a lot more calories than you use per day be considered a disability?
It will be moved onto becoming a mental health issue next, as an excuse for not being able to think before eating.