is there a word for discrimination against "fat" people?

Question

i have an uncle who is pretty overweight, and a lady saw him on the street and she said "DA-amn"
everyone within an earshot heard her, does my uncle have a right to sue because as family i have the obligation to help

Answer 1

your uncle has the right to lose weight

Answer 2

Hi there, to be honest with you...I really have no idea. I mean, It would be pretty hard for you to prove whether or not the women was referring to your uncle or not. I don't doubt that she was talking about your uncle, but unfortunitly I don't think you would have a case. She could easily claim she was referring to something else that she had seen. Especially if she was with a friend or something.

Anyways, I like that your trying to defend your uncle in this but I don't think any effort you put into this would pay off. I think you should just let it roll of your back and just accept the fact that their are just mean and ignorant people in this world. Good luck though if you do try and persue a law suit.

Answer 3

While it's true that fat people are discriminated against (I weigh 360, so I know) this particular incident is not something he could sue about. 1) You can't PROVE in a court of law that his size was what was on her mind. 2) Even if it was, she is entitled to her opinion, and if you live in the USA, as I do, then she has a right to free speech. I have had job interviews where they loved my resume, they were VERY enthusiastic over the phone, but when they saw me in person, the job was suddenly no longer available. Now, THAT'S fat discrimination.
Look up defamation on Wikipedia they have a very good article about what you can sue for.

Answer 4

That one incident is probably not enough evidence for discrimination. (Sorry for your uncle)
Plus it is just a remark made by a person.
- you probably don't know that person's name
- you probably will never see that person again
- Sueing is not worth all the trouble, getting a lawyer...
- You will have to realize that the world around you is intolerant
Many people make fun of others or discriminate them based on skin color, class status...etc.
There is still and always will be inequality in the world because people can't one day hold hands and sing "Joy to the World" because people are prejudice.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, the word is "legal." Overweight individuals are not part of a protected class, and therefore there is no cause of action.

Had the woman been really outrageous and made fun of him loudly and brought attention to your uncle for an extended period of time, causing your uncle to suffer EXTREME distress, you MIGHT have a small chance of winning damages under a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress, but only if you can prove that she intended to cause distress.

I am morbidly obese myself, and I am happy to say that the vast majority of people whom I encounter treat me with respect. There are always a few ignorant people out there, and I take selfish satisfaction in knowing tat I am a little more enlightened than they are. Namaste.

Answer 6

i'm sorry that happend to your uncle there is no law that can sue her that i know but reserch it but that make her look bad in front of people because well people heared her and people will think that was mean a lot of people will be in your side and yes forgive BUT she has to know that she's done something wrong and won't don't it again like want the point if you forgive and the person does it agian then that is usless tell her how much it hurt your uncle and you.
REMMBER SPEAK UP :-)

Answer 7

I'm sure it hurt your uncle's feelings to overhear that remark & it certainly wasn't a very classy thing for that woman to say. But sue? Puh-lease... If you feel an obligation to help your uncle, I would suggest you direct it in one of two areas. Either help your uncle get hooked up with a program to help him with weight management (people who are significanlty obese can rarely lose the weight on their own) or get involved with an advocacy group that works towards ensuring that the civil rights of people are not cutailed because of a disability, such as obesity.

Answer 8

Pork-o-phobe, I think.

Tell your fatso uncle to try a salad instead of thinking about lawsuits. Isn't he ashamed of what he has done to himself?

And then he expects everyone to turn a blind eye and pretend that he looks like a normal person. I'm telling you now, if a stranger on the street looks at him and says "DA-amn" he is *not* a normal person.

Any money he might win (believe me there won't be any) would probably go toward a renewed supply of pork rinds, cheese-fries and beer.

Answer 9

no he doesn't have a right to sue - she didn't do anything wrong - you don't even know if she was referring to his weight or even being negative.

if anyone has a right to sue it's all the people who buy health insurance policies from the same insurer as your uncle and have to pay higher rates to cover the absurd costs of his obesity which is a completely self-inflicted disease that causes numerous other diseases that are costly to treat.

Answer 10

Judgemental....Why should he sue her? He is the one in control of his own life, diet, and excersise. Granted some people need help getting motivated and staying motivated but it's not her problem. And she is obviously ignorant enough to be rude out loud.....there are way too many people like this in the world. To be honest by asking this question about suing the lady, it reminds me of the news report where a burgular broke into someones home, got hurt and ended up suing the homeowners because he got hurt & WON his case.....doesn't make any sense.

Answer 11

You could call it prejudice. I mean, being prejudice is the discrimination of any group for some reason. It's not something that is just about the color of your skin. You can call it prejudice, but I highly doubt you will be able to sue over that.