If discriminating on the basis of race, religion and creed is not acceptable, is it acceptable to discriminate on the basis of appearance (overweight/underweight)? If so, why is it acceptbale to you? Conside this: if you were obese or severely underweight and constantly maligned for your physical appearance, would you agree with those that sought to discriminate against you because of how you look?
And yes, this is a reality for many people- overweight individuals are not treated in a respectful manner, do not get the same pay as the healthy counterparts for the same jobs and are generally passed over for promotions (gender studies will enlighten you on this subject.)
2006-08-05 06:29:33 · 16 answers · asked by Simplystunning 4 in Social Science ➔ Sociology
Does the question sound like I agree with this practice? Obviously I do not. Check my answer history- you will see that I posted this is response to those questions that sought to allow discrimination. I am a staunch opponent of discrimination on the basis of gender, appearance and age.
2006-08-05 06:49:17 · update #1
I am talking to you pO- do you better understand the question and my view on the subject?
2006-08-05 06:50:01 · update #2
La India- how is this a stupid question? Clearly you have not thought this through. Do you understand the question? Do you understand at all? Have you ever been discriminated against on the basis of your appearance? If so, you would know that this is not a "stupid" question- if you werent stupid. FYI: I am not 6, are you?
2006-08-05 06:52:22 · update #3
Let me re-iterate: I have been discriminated against on the basis of my appearance, my gender and my age. What part of this are you that answering "if you experienced it you'd know it wasnt ok" do you fail to understand? Really, READ THE QUESTION AND DETAILS CAREFULLY and you may actually understand!!!!!!!!!
2006-08-05 06:56:19 · update #4
Cold hard truth:
Apparently, it is okay. Because our society accepts it for the most part. Even those who, like the above answerer(s), claim that it is so wrong are guilty of it in some form or another. They may deny it until they are blue in the face, but I'm sure you know what I mean when I say you can observe it in their actions and/or comments. I don't condone it, but there it is.
2006-08-05 06:39:20 · answer #1 · answered by Fox Paws 6 · 7⤊ 0⤋
I would say it could be ok depending upon the circumstance. You are born to a certain race and do not have a choice. The same goes with gender. Obeseity is something that is developed by the individual. You don't wake up one day and say, "Oh my god I am 100 lbs overwieght" There are alot of shows that try to make you feel like it is not your fault that you are obese. They blame it on your childhood, genetics, lifestyle, McDonalds etc. But in the end, you have free will and are able to make your own decisions. There are some jobs where being overwieght won't matter. There are some where it does.
I am not some skinny dude saying this either. I currenty wiegh 260. I have lost 40 pounds so far over 4 months and am committed to bring myself back down to an acceptable level. So I speak from experience.
2006-08-05 13:40:26 · answer #2 · answered by bjmarchini 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Discrimination is great! It isn't good or bad, but it is very useful. The snap-decisions people are prone to making based solely on appearance have been the source of much of my influence, career advancement, and money. Stereotypes are very useful to a person who knows how to harness them for the purposes of manipulation and control.
Discrimination has nothing to do with treating people with respect. Respect is something that has to do with having manners and good social skills. Discrimination is a value judgement based on appearance. Judgements like these don't have to be voiced or directed at the person being discriminated against. Like the old saying goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say....."
Reality isn't written in stone, it is ever-changing and very much a fluid thing. If over-weight people feel disrespected, maybe they should practice more self-control over their lives and bodies. The disrespect they feel is probably their own lack of respect for themselves. Discrimination is not going anywhere, so they better learn to adapt and use it to their advantage and that goes for everyone.
2006-08-05 13:51:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Descrimination No!
Profiling YES!
Affermative action NO!
Afirmative action had it's course, and it's time is up. We really needed it at the time, and at the time a black man or woman did not have a snowballs chance to work in a bank. Today is a different day Martin Luthers Dream has taken a hold. But if I see a Black man running down the neighborhood carrying a TV and the Cops chasing him what else is there to think? Same thing if it were a white guy!
2006-08-05 14:00:52 · answer #4 · answered by battle-ax 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, discrimination is not okay in any form. How a person looks does not dictate how intelligent or how competent a person is, nor does it make a person any less deserving of equal treatment or respect. A lot of times, those who discriminate miss out on dedicated, hard-working employees, or just nice, friendly people in general simply because they didn't want take the time or make the effort to look beneath the surface.
2006-08-05 13:44:12 · answer #5 · answered by SugrNspyce4 :) 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any form of discrimination is not ok. By discrimination you are alienating other people from the rest of the society, it doesn't matter if it is ethic background, religion, disability or appearance, age, it makes them feel unwelcomed. Most people judge others based on their own standard, often using themselves as an image of their own perfection. What they don't realize is that they are also subject for discrimination. I mean, I can totally discriminate any one who doesn't show respect for other people. But to truly stop discrimination, you have to start from yourself, do you hold some negative stereotypical view over people who are different from you?
2006-08-05 13:32:42 · answer #6 · answered by p0 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that this country is littered with discrimination, and i see a lot of it on this site. it makes my stomoach turn everytime i see a racist question, or joke.
i think that society, and television have a lot to with the portrayal of people being overweight. you see celebs with eating disorders, and trying to lose weight. you very rarely see an overweight person on tv, yet a lot of americans are overweight. we are brainwashed by the tv telling us that being overweight is bad. the truth is that some people have medical issues that affects their weight.
the same goes people that are not beautiful, do you ever see an "ugly" person on tv starring in a role.
these people then develop low self esteem, and think they are worth nothing.
it is sad, very sad, but what can we do about it?
2006-08-05 14:02:10 · answer #7 · answered by rabika97 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on what you're discriminating against.
For example, some guys don't like redheads. Are red-haired girls going to file a discrimination suit because a certain guy won't date her because she has red hair?
Some discrimination is good, some is not.
2006-08-05 16:46:46 · answer #8 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no type of discrimination is right..but people do it all the time..
we even had hired a very overweight girl at my job this year..but i had to let her go...cuz actually her weight kept her from doing all parts of the job..i really did not want to let her go...cuz her other job performance was great..but she was too large to perform all of her job requirements..and other people had to do her work.. that i will say was a very hard decision to make..but i could not keep her when others had to do her work...but we all treated her with respect...
2006-08-05 13:45:57 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, but our culture is more accepting of discriminating against size and gender.
2006-08-05 13:34:47 · answer #10 · answered by rainyday 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋