Oh, my! Another crisis I've missed over the last few weeks and quite close to home. My Blogmosis-mama Vicky has been struck by the asswipe overload virus, a/k/a Trolls Cubed - a common infection that seems to come with Comments. Which is one reason I have none. In the last few months, it's driven the likes of Imshin and Diane (currently down for other reaons) to despair and, worse, to temporary blogging hiatuses. So sorry to see Vicky join the club and I hope she returns soon in all her glory.
Meanwhile, however, at the risk of attracting the ire of "jefe" and his ilk, I'd like to add a personal addendum to this post, which seems to have tipped the bucket.
Some shmoe is suing McDonald's for discrimination in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act.
Connor, who weighs 420 pounds, claims that McDonald's violated the laws when it regarded him as morbidly obese and refused to hire him based on that perception. Further, he alleges that his obesity is a disability, and the restaurant chain violated the CFEPA by deliberately not hiring him.U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill concluded that Connor must be given the opportunity to prove that he is protected under the law.
McDonald's had argued that obesity, except in special cases where the obesity is due to a physiological disorder, is not a "physical impairment" within the meaning of the ADA.
I'm sorry, weighing 420 pounds is, indeed, morbidly obese. It is not a mere "perception." What restaurant would want to hire a 420 pound person? It's just plain impractical. They wouldn't be able to fit anyone else behind the counter, and the person would certainly eat all of the food. If Connor and his lawyer are successful in making obesity a disability, the next step would be forcing McDonald's to renovate its kitchen so the guy can actually fit into it.
A few years ago, I had just boarded a full flight from Philadelphia to Denver en route to Phoenix. I was occupying the middle seat in a row of three, with the sole empty seat on the plane to my left, when a man came lumbering down the aisle. A man so huge he could move only by squeezing painfully past each row. Aiming his bulk at the empty seat next to me.
But he couldn't get in. He tried, several times, to maneuver it. No luck. And then the unbelievable happened. This man reached behind him, raised the armrest between our seats and plopped himself down, with approximately one-third of his bulk resting on and just beginning to squash the crap out of my left leg. To which I responded by rapidly and mindlessly extricating the leg from harm's way.
This foolish move allowed our friend to settle comfortably, with an audible sigh of relief (I swear) into both our seats. The space left for me was less than one-half of the seat I'd previously occupied. The flight attendant flatly refused to do anything about it. When I pointed out to her that FAA regulations supposedly require the armrest to be down for takeoff, she shrugged. She offered to escort me off the plane, which offer I declined.
Fortunately, the passenger to my right was my travel companion. I basically sat on his lap for the entire flight. When I filed a formal complaint in Denver, I was offered a $75 travel voucher and assured that the airline had no choice. Had they insisted that this man occupy only one seat, they said, they would have been sued. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now. Vicky, I'm with you 100% on this one. And please -- come back soon.
