Writing in The American Prowler, Sara Rimensnyder takes a close look at the bloated rhetoric coming from the “oversized community”:

Here’s the executive director of the American Obesity Association, talking about Southwest’s policy [of requesting that persons unable to fit into a single seat purchase a second seat at a discount] with the Guardian: ‘It’s a return to the worst kind of discrimination. It’s like putting African-Americans at the back of the bus.’ She also mentioned that her group would look to the feds for relief from such policies.

The civil rights movement comparison also pops up on the website of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, on a page intended to convince the overweight not to diet. Dieters, we find out, are not only foolhardy but craven, too: ‘You probably will receive better treatment if you get thinner, but this is an individual personal solution to a general societal problem. Where would the civil rights movement be today if African Americans were still searching for the perfect skin lightening cream or hair straightener?’ Rather than change yourself, says NAAFA, ‘why not change other people’s attitudes or challenge a few laws?’

[A protein wisdom editorial aside: This strikes me as infuriatingly wrongheaded; far from brave dissent marshaled against oppresive social norms, this sentiment is instead desperate and faux-proud blustering borne of defensiveness and shaped by some noble-sounding acronym into a “movement” that hopes to establish a specialized “culture” we should all embrace — much like the culture favored by some extremists among the deaf, who actively encourage deafness (as if being deaf were of itself a badge of honor. Cathy Young has a brilliant piece on curing deafness vs. “cultural genocide” here). For more on the movement to make obesity a disease, keep reading.]

People, please: If kinky hair were all black Americans had to worry about, there might never have been a civil rights movement. But beyond that, there’s a second problem with the comparison: a major wing of the fat activism movement wants obesity classified as a disease, suggesting that the fat are powerless to control their expanding bellies. In fact, it’s in the AOA’s mission statement: to ‘move society to re-conceptualize obesity as a disease’ and ‘to fashion appropriate strategies to deal with the epidemic.’ (NAAFA meanwhile seeks to end fat discrimination by getting the fat and everyone else to embrace their rolls — both kinds — as natural and good.) Rhetorically, it seems a little irresponsible to classify obesity as a disease — i.e., something nasty to be eradicated — and then compare it to the historical plight of black Americans.

[…] Demanding that society share the burden of girth isn’t going to kick the discrimination problem — it’s going to exacerbate it. First, it invites the professional nags to interfere with people’s eating habits and health care decisions. But almost worse, it hastens the humiliating scorn of the cramped, irritable airline passenger who either has to share some of his seat or watch while a fat customer sprawls out over two chairs for the price of one.

Personally, I like Jacob Sullum’s idea: weigh Americans once a year and charge them each a fat tax based on excess poundage. That seems more “fair” than forcing me to pay double for a bacon cheeseburger or a Clark bar…

As for the Southwest airlines policy… What percentage of Americans can’t fit into a single seat? Less than one-half of one percent? Until that percentage becomes significant, I’m going to continue to assume that the problem ain’t with Southwest’s seat size, but rather with the seat size of a handful of its passengers.

You want to celebrate your girth? That’s fine. You can do so by treating it to first class. Otherwise, pony up for a second seat.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a blog bash to bikini wax for.