Re:Charging for obesity

From: empresstheodora@juno.com
Date: Thu Jun 20 2002 - 00:23:26 MDT


---------- Max More <max@maxmore.com> writes:

From: Max More <max@maxmore.com>
To: extropians@extropy.org
CC: max@maxmore.com
Subject: Charging for obesity
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 20:05:18 -0700

"God *damn*!"

my thoughts exactly Maxwell

"So, someone has the guts to do this."

read blatant greed

"Obesity is an out-of-control epidemic in the U.S.A. "

Well when you can't have your ration of millet because bandits took it or you have to walk everywhere because your can't afford the $5/gallon fee for gasoline then there might be something to it.

"Those of you who have been squashed on a long plane trip may
feel that justice is being done in one small way"

*sarcasm*
Ohhh the horror that someone would have to be accomodiating to someone else!

--------------------------------------

Southwest enforcing ‘large’ fees
Airline charging ‘people of size’ for second seat

DALLAS, June 19 — Bigger may not be better at Southwest Airlines Co.
Passengers whose love handles cannot fit between the arm rests of
Southwest’s seats will be charged double for flying on the low
cost-carrier, the company said Wednesday.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/769372.asp?0dm=B1DPB

--------------------------------------

"Having just returned from Sweden, I couldn't help but immediately see with fresh eyes how amazingly fat are so many Americans."

I feel some good old fashioned American bashing going on.

Yeah and Ugandans are painfully thin your point?

"I fully expect Southwest to be blasted with outraged statements and lawsuits by those who
have excess fat but insufficient personal responsibility"

How exactly do you assume that there is anything to do with responsibility in being fat? Why do I as a member of the human race have to take any instructions about my mean body weight or fat content? The wants of societies and corporations do not invalidate individual choice.

" (- Self-Direction)."

Being fat has nothing to do with having a lack of direction in any sense. Perhaps some more work on this.

"If Herb Kelleher and the rest at Southwest have the fortitude to hold the
line on this, eventually these oversize people might start going to the gym
and stop supersizing their fast food."

Ohhhh this is waaaayyy to easy to call them on. I believe that various provisions in the ADA would be the best to deal with.

"I presume they will apply the same policy to any super-large bodybuilders who also need to spread well into a
second space."

That is just a smoke screen. I doubt that this is much of a problem. This solely targets individuals of size.

" Since the policy is based on space usage not on weight, this
would only be consistent and fair."

How many times do you think that someone who is large and not fat would be affected. It could be assumed that this is in fact a disability and such. People have no conception of exactly how the world should work. I believe there was a period in America called the progressive age maybe people should look it up.

Max

_______________________________________________________
Max More, Ph.D.
max@maxmore.com or more@extropy.org
http://www.maxmore.com
Strategic Philosopher
President, Extropy Institute. http://www.extropy.org <more@extropy.org>
_______________________________________________________

*****************
"The death of one man is a tragedy the death of a million is a statistic.

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