Kevin Smith too fat to fly

[bigmandrew]

Here's the first hit on google for this story:
(removed)

If you don't know who Kevin Smith is, he's an actor/director that made Clerks. Turns out he got kicked off a flight because he was too fat. Now I'm the kind of person who thinks you should pursue your own happiness. If being fat makes you unhappy, you should lose weight. However, if your fat and happy nobody should be able to take away your rights. So I want to spark this debate on here. Lets just come right out with it. Where do you stand on the rights of the obese? Do you feel like Southwest was in the wrong? Do you feel like people should be forced to be skinny or should we be aloud to be fat and proud.

Andrew

[obsequium (deleted)]

`
I don't think Southwest are "/forcing/ people to be skinny". I mean whilst most on this forum are fans of larger stature, that's a physical and s----l preference for the most part. In reality, being overweight does have issues, and I believe that people are entitled to make whatever life choices they'd like so long as they're not infringing on anyone's else's rights or enjoyment of life. If the person next to him was genuinely uncomfortable I can see how that's a problem. I'm claustrophobic and I'd hate to feel uncomfortable for the duration of a plane journey.

I don't feel Southwest are saying "don't be fat", it's just realistically being fat has implications sometimes.

The only problem is that there's an issue as to whether someone is fat through lifestyle (not exercising enough, over-eating, eating the wrong foods) or whether it's a health issue. I mean if it's a health issue then that's really unfortunate.

Personally.. if I were making someone feel genuinely uncomfortable on a plane, and I usually booked two seats but was unable to, then I'd understand if I was asked to make another flight. It's just business. It's just life.

[katsunrise (deleted)]

`I've heard of a few cases where fat people have gotten kicked off the flight. What I think should happen, is that if the airline sees that someone isn't going to fit in the seats, have them buy two seats. But offer a discount on the second one. People who are too large sometimes do cause a safety issue, so not being able to fit in the seat is a fair reason to get kicked off.
In Kevin Smith's case, they automatically booked him on a later flight. Which inconvienced him of course, but that's life sometimes.

[cookinbubbles]

`I just read the article and one of the things they cited was a safety concern about exiting the plane in a timely fashion in case of an emergency.
So...what about elderly passengers, or handicapped ones?
To be fair, if that is a concern than no-one who is older, or handicapped should be allowed on the flights.
With the size issue, would he have been removed if he were well over 6 feet tall?
Those guys have a tough time sitting in those cramped seats as well, not because of width but because of height. They too would not be able to spring up and run in an emergency. So...should they also be removed?
I am glad it happened to someone who is vocal and ballsy and a celebrity of sorts. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

[adrenelite (deleted)]

I actually had a similar situation when I was at one of my heaviest points in my life (weighing over 300 lbs and i think a waist size of 52+). I was at an amusement park, six flags I believe it was, and I waited in line over 30 minutes to get onto a coaster with a couple of my family members (who aren't overweight, it was just me). Well when we finally were ready to get on board and we were putting on our safety bars and belts, I was able to get the bar over me but the belt wouldn't fit (according to the attendant attempting to buckle me in) and so in front of EVERYONE, I had to get off because I was "too fat". My family members enjoyed the ride as I walked to the exit and waited, not to mention all while seeing people snicker at me from the line. It was definitely one of the most embarrassing moments of my life and honestly I had actually forgotten about it until reading this article on Kevin Smith. I understand where Smith is coming from and at the same time I understand where the airline is coming from. I know in retrospect, that that event in my life probably affected me subconsciously (and it happened about 6 years ago) even up until now. In regards to all safety measures and more than likely probably to protect the company from any viable lawsuits, I'm sure they had to do what was necessary by their policies and protocol. I'm sure events like this take place everyday in every way and everywhere, and it won't stop just because it happened to a celebrity. Whether or not you claim it as prejudicial or profiling or even hate, it's still going to happen to all types of people (not just the overweight ones). Anyways...my opinion on the issue.