Posted on 02/23/2010 7:41:06 AM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
As Americans get larger and airplane space comes at a greater premium, it's not difficult to see where friction ensues. The issue was brought to light again Feb. 13, when movie director Kevin Smith was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Burbank, Calif., for failing to fit comfortably into a seat. According to Southwest, Smith originally bought two tickets — "as he's been known to do when traveling on Southwest" (Smith disputed this on his Twitter account) — but decided to fly standby on an earlier flight. After the director received a seat, it was determined that "Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight," and he was asked to leave the plane, the airline said. It offered him a $100 voucher for a future flight.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I read somewhere where obesity is being called a lifestyle choice. So a libertarian might say that it's a personal choice, unfortuately, everyone has to pay for the healthcare of the obese.
It is exactly a lifestyle choice, but that doesn’t mean that anyone else needs to bear the costs or show any sympathy for that choice.
I work in a restaurant. I see firsthand how fat parents raise their fat kids to be fat adults. I see healthy parents and their healthy kids. I see what they eat. It’s totally a lifestyle choice. I suppose it happens, but I can’t remember seeing thin healthy parents with obese kids or vice versa.
They are already embarrassed. That’s why they get so angry when it comes up. They want us all to pretend, like they do, that they are not obese.
That's true. There are times I read the comments on FR and think that the conservative movement is in a lot of trouble, if this is what 'we' are.
Given that...yes, the airline industry has been making seats narrower, and legroom shorter, to fit more seats on planes. It's because they've discovered in the tradeoff between space and price, price will win. It's a business decision.
I will say that many times, weight IS an issue. There are a lot of variables that go into the calculation of safe takeoff weight, including altitude, temperature, etc.
As far as "earning an extra buck," collectively all the airlines ever in existence have had a net loss. So nobody's getting rich...frankly, many airlines aren't even currently making a profit.
They could remove a couple of rows of seats, to make legroom better...they could also remove an aisle of seats, so that wider seats would fit.
Of course, in order to make the economics work, they'd have to charge more per ticket.
Oh, wait...they already do that...it's called FIRST CLASS.
I can understand why you would want to socialize the cost of your transportation. But as a person who makes the narrower, cramped, less expensive seating work for me, I don't know why that would be a good idea from my point of view. Could you explain that?
It has not been established if I am "fat" or not, but you have clearly established you are an mean spirited "A**hole".
As long as it works for you great, that is after all the most important thing in the world.
For the sake of argument (and only for the sake of argument) let us say being overweight was a life style choice.
There are many life style choices people make that can cost society as a whole more if those choices were not made.
How about taking baths. Many accidents in the home occur in the bathtub.
How about smoking?
How about riding a motorcycle (with or without a helmet).
How about sexual activity. If we restricted sex to only married people and then only between their partners we can cut down on a lot of sexually transmitted diseases.
How about sporting events, how many people are injured playing baseball or football, and let us do not for get about skateboarding.
Every life style choice we make has some risk. Why condemn some but not all?
No man is an island. Those that think they are paying a cost for someone else's life style does not stop to realize someone else may be paying extra for theirs (how many people without children pay for public school?
You don't like fat people, fine, just don't pretend it is anything other than your own bias.
Airlines are a public business. They offer a service, transport a person from point A to point B for a price. If they had a rule that said no blacks could fly, they would be shut down in a second. If that is too strong for you, how about a sign that says "no one in the military could fly with them"? That is discrimination, pure and simple.
The airlines made a business decision, make seats smaller, and cram them closer together.
They then decided to demonize anyone that complains.
My dear friends here on FreeRepublic have jumpped on the band wagon and are helping them to demonize other American citizens, well all I got to say is shame on you, all of you.
“you are an mean spirited “A**hole”.”
You’re damn right I am a mean spirited asshole and proud of it!!
Yes, create fewer and larger seats on the airlines and everyone pays higher ticket prices. Again, why should normal weight people pay higher prices to accommodate the obese.
Exactly, if you want a plane with wide seats, you are going to have to pay extra. Airlines are already losing tons of money, they aren’t going to lose more by reducing seats.
It's a shame you're trying to twist my statement. If it shows anything it's that you don't think you can win the argument.
If one of us is trying to "make it about me," it's you.
The changes you propose would increase the cost of flying for everyone else. Please make the case that this should be done.
Or not...I suspect a case can't be made that doesn't involve name calling.
Since you lamented the atmosphere on FR, I'm sure you'll do your best to keep the debate non-personal. Address the issues, please.
If you can...
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