You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you
if you could know how seldom they do.
Olin Miller
Image of the Day
Basketball Player/Brain Cancer Patient Lauren Hill Has Passed
Just a few posts back, I embedded a CBS Sunday Morning clip of the first college team to play against Lauren Hill, a freshman whose first game was rescheduled so she would have an opportunity to play before her deadly disease claimed her life. The Layup for Lauren challenge was inspired by Lauren where she challenged basketballers to emulate her physical challenges on the floor by putting up layups with their less dominant hands.
You Do Not Have a "Right" to Spread Disease
I Couldn't Pay People to Wear My T-Shirt....
Facebook Corner
(LFC). "Poking fun at overweight people should be treated as seriously as racism and sexism, researchers have suggested. Obesity expert Dr Sarah Jackson has said that the law should protect against weight discrimination, in the same way as it does when it comes to age, gender or race."
Or the UK could try free speech/association and legalize racism and sexism.
Look, as an obese libertarian, I don't believe in creating yet another victim class. But some of the anti-obesity assholes in this thread are seriously retarded. Obesity is a complex problem and can involve a number of health issues (including, in my case, an underactive thyroid). I have dieted and exercised my entire adult life and on two occasions lost more than 70 pounds; I never have snack foods or desserts at home and rarely eat out. I probably eat healthier than most people reading this post.. And, of course, aging has an adverse effect on metabolism. We already face steep penalties for our size, including job competition, the difficulty in getting affordable healthcare (speaking as someone who has rarely had to see a doctor during his adult years), personal relationships, and buying clothes.
Most heavier people I know don't agree with Dr. Jackson; we aren't looking to blame others for our health issues or asking for the state to protect us. But we do expect others to respect us the same way we treat them. We are reminded every day what others think of us, without being verbally assaulted. I'll give one telling example. I remember several years back I was driving down I-5 from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles one weekend for a work assignment when I had a major tire blowout, It was about 100 degrees, I didn't have a cellphone in the middle of nowhere, and I was having a hard time loosening my tire lug nuts. A couple of juvenile drivers driving in the opposite direction slowed down as they approached me, lowered their windows, and profoundly yelled "Oink! Oink!" at me, as if they were quoting Rothbard, and laughed at their own "cleverness". I'm not looking for sympathy here; almost everyone encounters their own assholes in life. But in a world of voluntary exchanges, a mutually respectful social context is necessary.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Robert Ariail via Townhall |
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists
John Denver, "Like a Sad Song"
