05 February 2008

Quick, get the duct tape!!

Because this will make your head explode!!

Mississippi wants to ban restaurants from serving fat people!!!

House Bill No. 282, which was introduced this month, says: Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.

This is so wrong on so many levels I could write all day. But since this is a health and fitness blog I'm going to focus on that side of it. So they are going to develop criteria that will determine whether a person is obese. What will they use? Scale weight? That won't work because healthy weight is different for everyone. A bodybuilder may weight 300 lbs and not be obese at all. So scale weight can't work. BMI? Well, we know that doesn't work. Since BMI is basically height to weight ratio, that same 300 lb bodybuilder is only 5'8". His BMI is 45.6 and therefore considered obese. Well, one look at him will tell you he's not obese, but the criteria will needed to be applied consistently. How else can they do it? Some massive calculation? Some designation you get from your doctor? A star you have to sew on your clothes? This borders on Nazism, it really does. I am the first person to say this nation has to shape up and obese people need to lose weight, for a variety of reasons. But baning them from restaurants is so not the answer. Okay, the political discussion continues over at The Ones Who Get Screwed.

1 comment:

Irene said...

That's just messed up! I'm all for a healthy lifestyle, but I'm not going to shove my ideals down someone's throat!

Can we say discrimination? Sheesh!

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