The sensitivity police

Here's an oldie but goodie: This doctor warns an obese woman about her weight, giving her the standard lecture about health and lifestyle problems. After having her feelings hurt, the fat lady sings to the medical board, who recommends sensitivity training for the heartless doctor.

In a discussion of this travesty, I commented:

This doctor obviously needs some training in how to appreciate the diversity this fatso provides in our society. The death, disease and destruction wrought by high-risk behaviors doesn't hold a candle to the benefits provided by diversity.

to which someone replied:

You must be the local resident school yard bully! The last time I heard the name-calling "fatso"--- it was between a couple of 2nd graders who needed to be spanked.

Assumptions about people of size are often wrong and even mean-spirited (why they have a weight problem in the first place, they must be lazy, stupid, unmotivated, etc.) Usually none of which are true.

What this woman reported is the type of abuse large people in our society encounter everyday.

("People of size"?? That still gives me a good belly laugh!)

Okay, call me "schoolyard bully" if you must. But what you're missing is that society is made up of and self-governed by mutually-enforced mores. It's not about picking on those who are different. ("People of size", indeed!) It's about establishing community, commonality, and uniform standards of behavior.

Are there dangers inherent in this pressure to conform? Certainly. Are there benefits? Undoubtedly. Those who rebel against a tenet of the community code pay a price for it. If you're going to do so, it's best to make sure you have good cause. Galileo and Martin Luther had good cause. The kid who wears a steel pin through his eyebrow doesn't. How about the fat chick?