Is It OK To Hate Fat People?

Fat people are gross. 

Fat people are weak. 

Fat people are lazy, and they sweat profusely.

I hate the way fat people waddle, and the way they take up two seats on the subway. 

I hate seeing fat people eat. 

I hate when fat people order fast food, and ask for a Diet Coke.

I hate when fat people invade my space with their big, fat bodies. 

I hate when fat people take the elevator instead of taking the stairs.

I hate when fat people whine about being fat.

Is it okay that I hate fat people? 

The answer is no, and I don't hate fat people, but I have thought at least half of these despicable statements about fat people and I'm not proud of it. 

With childhood obesity and adult obesity being deemed a national health crisis by the CDC, "hate" for overweight and obese Americans has grown tremendously over the past decade, and according to a recent study, most Americans think it's OK to discriminate against fat people. 

ABC News recently reported on a study that found the last acceptable form of prejudice was prejudice against fat people.

Yup, that's right. 

It's no longer cool to be homophobic, racist, sexist, or anti-Semitic, but according to this recent study, Americans think it's OK to be a "blubber basher."

The stigma against fat people is so ingrained in our culture, and it's so pervasive that most of us don't think discriminating against our fat friends is a big deal, well because, they are fat. 

A few years ago, airline carriers like American, Delta, United, and Southwest announced they would be enacting a "passenger of size" policy, which in layman's terms means, obese passengers must buy not one, but two tickets to accommodate their size. 

Although I'm not against this policy per se, it can be seen as discriminatory, which has landed Southwest airlines in court for allegedly telling their overweight passengers they are "too fat to fly." 

The fact of the matter is, discrimination against any group of people is cruel, immoral, and down right unacceptable.  

Although being fit is a healthier way of life, overweight Americans typically know that they are fat, and don't need to be constantly reminded by their looming obesity problem. 

Since the beginning of time, our society has valued appearance, especially when skinny.

A fit person is often seen as hardworking, disciplined, smart, ambitious, strong, and valuable, while overweight people are seen as quite the opposite. 

Lazy, worthless, pitiful, and repulsive are all adjectives used to describe obese Americans and it's not OK.

Yes, overweight people should be held accountable for their declining health, but it's not our place to ridicule them for their imperfections. 

Everyone judges people whether we admit it or not, but we all need to work on ourselves to look past our clouded thoughts of hate and insecurity. 

While we can't change others, we can change ourselves, so let's strive to be a better America and start a health revolution, not a weight civil war.  

~Brittany Lewis 

Brittany Lewis is the Music Editor at GlobalGrind and a Howard University Alumna. Brittany considers herself seasoned on all the pop culture ish that matters. Follow her on Twitter @Buttercup_B.