Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation. However, the question here isn't what is obesity, but at what point it disables us. In this context, anything can disable us, whether it's a disorder or an injury or simply because we're not strong enough to perform the specific motions required by the job. Many of those functions can be done with the help of tools and machines, which reduces the disability threshold so we can still perform the functions in spite of inherent limitations. But other types of jobs cannot be done this way, we still must do them with our own bodies without the help of tools or machines, and that's where we hit the wall. It's entirely possible to be too fat to perform certain functions, and we are in fact disabled by obesity.
The secondary aspect of obesity is its moral implications. I think that's what the article is trying to address. It doesn't do it very well, though. So let's correct that. Does the moral aspect of obesity enter the equation when we're talking about disability? We're still disabled by obesity, regardless of how it was created in the first place. But let's say it matters how it was created. Imagine somebody trying to get disability benefits intentionally by breaking his own arm or making up a story about how he hurt his neck or something like that. Obviously, I would see this as invalidation of the disability claim, and refuse to give benefits to the claimant. OK, let's apply this same logic to obesity. Did it ever happen that somebody grew fat intentionally just so they could get disability benefits? Maybe, but I doubt that's what happened to the multitude of people who grew fat in the past 30 years. No, most of us grew fat in spite of our best efforts not to. So clearly, nobody is trying to get disability benefits by intentionally growing fat. Case closed on cheating.
We're left with weak willed individuals. Does a weak will enter the equation? I doubt we can make the case that obesity is not a disability just because the fat guy is too weak to prevent growing fatter. Being too weak is also equally unintentional. I mean, it's not like we're all running around trying to be too weak to prevent growing fatter, let alone trying to grow fatter intentionally. Any way we look at it, growing fatter is scarcely intentional. Case closed on intent.
What's left? I don't see anything else. We're left with the simple fact that it's entirely possible to be too fat to perform certain functions required by the job, hence disability. However, we're also left with the equally simple fact that certain jobs cannot be done but with our own bodies, so no tools no machines. If this is our situation, nobody is to blame. Neither the job nor we are fit for each other. If we get fired, well, get another job and that's it for that.
I've seen fat and lean people work in daycare. I remember we used to get taken care of by the lady next door. She was fat and slow, didn't matter either way. She got the job done. Not much to do with kids anyway. Feed them, fix the booboos, wash their little faces. You'd have to be utterly huge to not be able to do any of that. I don't think the guy was too fat. Maybe he was too stupid though. The old lady next door was pretty smart to be able to handle us. Let's see:
Quote:
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Danish child-minder Karsten Kaltoft was fired from his job because he was too overweight – at 25 stone – to tie a child's shoe laces.
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Yep, he could have picked up the kid, put him on a table or something, THEN tie his shoes. Idjit. Any mother could have told him how to do it. They do it like that all the time. They don't bend to the work, they bring the work to them. Some of those mothers are really good too, they don't even need a table, they do it right in their arms or on their lap. Smart ladies these mothers. I know a guy who weighs 450ish. He bends over and picks up stuff from the ground all day long. It's kind of his job or hobby. No, I don't think he got fired cuz he was too fat. If he could not perform his job - regardless of why he couldn't do it - that's why he got fired. On the other hand, failing to tie a kid's shoes once is hardly reason enough to fire anybody. Was that the only instance, is that the only kind of failure to perform? Sheesh, talk about severe.
Obesity is not a disability
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