Fatism Is The New Racism

If what they say is true � if, in fact, everyone is a little bit racist � then recent studies show that everyone is a lot fatist. [ABC]

Yes, fatist. Prejudiced against the obese. New research shows that weight discrimination is spiraling upward, and that�s a dangerous trend that could add fuel to the obesity epidemic.

See, as of now, it�s illegal to discriminate against someone because of race or gender, but our culture condones a bias against people who are overweight.

There are no federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of weight, and only Michigan has such a law, according to a new study from Yale University.

Weight discrimination �occurs in employment settings and daily interpersonal relationships virtually as often as race discrimination, and in some cases even more frequently than age or gender discrimination,� the researchers report in the current issue of the International Journal of Obesity.

The current thought process is that a person can�t control his or her race or gender � but he or she can control his or her weight. That thinking, researchers say, is wrong.

�We know from hundreds of randomized clinically controlled trials that it�s very difficult to sustain weight loss over time with our existing treatment methods,� one of the lead researchers stated.

The heart of the problem, the study said, is that obesity brings social stigma and stereotyping, and that can lead to depression, discrimination and binge eating, so the problem just gets worse.

We�re starting to feel guilty about all those �baby fat� jokes.

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