Weight-Based Discrimination
By Dan B. Clark -
Weight-based discrimination is one of the last prejudices to be confronted by our society. Treating people with disrespect or disdain as a result of their body weight is almost acceptable today in our media driven culture. Whenever the topic of weight is discussed finger pointing is aimed at the pencil thin models of the fashion world. There is plenty of blame to be shared throughout society starting in our own homes. When parents are faced with an overweight child their instinct should be total acceptance and helping the child understand there is more to a person than appearance. All too often the child receives the message that there is something wrong with them when a parent suggests a diet or some sports activity.
Weight-based discrimination occurs in all industries; their have been recent stories of models being rejected for appearances on the runway because they gained a few pounds. When this happens with women that are more often than not underweight what do we think happens to people that are overweight or obese. A person whose resume’ meets all the qualifications for a position is disqualified out of hand because of their appearance and more likely than not becomes the butt of a joke by the interviewer to a fellow employee.
There seems to be an assumption that a person with an eating disorder is self-indulgent and weak-willed suffering from a lack of motivation and couldn’t possibly be a good worker. The realty is they work harder than others to make up for the weight-based discrimination. There are those that would legislate anti-discrimination against the media and against employers. Before we pass laws to protect against weight discrimination we as a society must first come to a place in mind that doesn’t judge people by their appearance and eliminate the stereotypes that exist.
Dan C’s career in the addiction field spans twenty-five years. He has held positions in all phases of administration and clinical services in Treatment Facilities throughout the state of Florida. He is currently employed by http://www.recoveryconnection.org
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