Scarlett O'Hara

I'm not talking about the average overweight person, I'm talking about the obese to morbidly obese people who are so fat that they can't work and rely on benefits. Once on these benefits they proceed to use tax payers money to eat and become even bigger, often resulting in serious health problems and being able to claim the weight as a disability. They don't have to take any responsibility for their actions as many western governments seem to allow this kind of behaviour.

Do you think that this is fair? Do you believe that being over-weight should be classed as a disability? Do you think it's beyond belief that people get to these weights? Should there be some kind of program/boot camp they should be put into before being allowed to just sit on benefits for the rest of their lives? This would cost money yes but perhaps not as much in the long term.

Now in regards to people on benefits, I am only talking about obese people here, I'm not talking about lazy people, genuinely sick people, those made redundant, etc etc.

My final question is, do you think that it is being more accepted to be overweight now due to the number of people who are overweight. Does this give people the excuse to not take care of themselves?

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Mykonos

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, yes, they are a burden. But then, so is every other kind of disability, and I wouldn't ever agree with just letting these people die. I'd say your idea of trying to help obese people recover would be good. Chances are many of them will never actually lose much weight, but for those that do and manage to get back into (relative) health, it will be worth it. You could also argue that it's best to assist these people before they actually reach the dangerous stage, such as when they hit the clinically obese mark. After all, they've got a lot less weight to lose at that point.

Scarlett O'Hara

I also just want to mention, not only is the tax payers taking care of their day to day living and food, they are also paying for any health issues that arise such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.

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Dirty

Obese people who can't work and claim disability are huge burdens to all of society. I don't think they should be provided any more beneifts than your average person. It is their choice to live that type of lifestyle and shouldn't be rewarded with disability money for being fat and lazy.

Fat family claims disability

This country hands out disability checks like hotcakes it seems. Seems to me like it's way too easy to claim disability for just about anything. Hell, I think Paloma could claim disability if she wanted (what a joke). It promotes being lazy and worthless to society and I don't like it. Taxpayers basically pay for some obese loser to eat themselves to death. I don't want to hear any bullshit excuses from fat people either about their genetics or hereditary obesity or whatever. Christ, you don't even have to exercise, just eat at a calorie deficit everyday. You won't look like a supermodel but at least you won't be morbidly obese. I want to be clear that I don't personally hate these people and feel for them and their families if and when they become sick, but it's a joke that they get paid for being fat. Stop paying them, and they can either be responsible human beings and change their eating habits or they can become poor and die.

Kirby

It is possible for it to be caused by genetics, though, sir.

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Sparky

Seriously, when they receive benefits all they want to do is eat and get fatter? I'm not so sure about this.

I don't think you can get disability from being fat alone, it's more the actual health concerns associated with obesity, like respiratory problems or something.

A lot of medications make you fatter, combine that with higher overall stress from having difficulty in normal situations all day(ex trying to sit on the bus) and disability starts making a little more sense.

I'm not saying there aren't plenty of people who abuse it, but I would rather it exist and help some people then just not exist at all.

Howard the Duck

there are no such benefits here

morbidly obese either shape up or they ship out (off the mortal coil) here

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Kirby

This thread makes me think some of you don't understand how hard/how long it takes to get disability.

My dad had a back injury/surgery and had to get disability.
It took a couple years for them to even hear his case.

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Scarlett O'Hara

It's easy over here, you get a doctor to proclaim you are ill enough not to work and bam you're on the sickness benefit. On the news tonight a well known boxer has been on the sickness benefit because he had hurt his elbow, yet he is still going to fight on telly in a couple of nights. He claimed he 'forgot' he was on it. Yeah right.

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captaincaptain

I'll agree that people that lead unhealthy lives are a burden on the state. Whether it's the 6 pack of cigarettes a day or six pack of Twinkies. What guidelines should governments go by declaring someone obese. One person's obese is another person's extra weight from the holidays.

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LAST.FM

RYM