October 16, 2009
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Do Fat People Deserve the Handicapped Parking?
I was reading this post about pet peeves and it reminded me that all the good WalMart parking is dedicated to handicap people.
(A photo of a fat person parking in handicap parking would be here if xanga photo was working).
But if you have ever been inside of WalMart, you will notice very few people in wheelchairs. Why? Because most of the people parking in handicap parking are not really handicapped. They are just old or overweight.
So then I found this video of a man who was in a wheelchair and he was complaining about old people and fat people taking up all of the handicap parking spots: Link
While I was reading up on the subject, I saw a few people suggest that fat people should actually be given the spots clear in the back so that they can get in shape.
Do you think fat people deserve the handicap parking spots?
Comments (166)
Only if gays get handicapped parking too.
I dunno..I think not..but I don’t think they hsould have to park aaaall the way in the back eitha.
@Kontzicles - Yeah. Agreed.
nah, i mean if they are confined to a wheelchair i guess. but not if theyre capable of walking.
Hell no. As a physically disabled person, I’m offended. I never chose to be in a wheelchair, but they just don’t have self-control.
They deserve to have the spots furthest away so that they can actually exercise a teeny tiny bit >.>
“deserving” it might be the wrong word.. lol .. they could USE the extra walking …
Life is tough enough for most people especially those who have extra physical burdens. Most obese people still have normal lives with responsibilities and places to go back and forth. If they are obese enough, it should be considered somewhat a handicap.
I don’t see being obese as a handicap. It’s a fault of their own. Had they chose a healthier lifestyle, they wouldn’t be obese. They shouldn’t have special spots at all. Just normal spots. If they’re in wheel-chairs due to their large weight, they can just park away from other cars, or get out in front of the store and have who-ever drove to park elsewhere.
No, and I’ll tell you why. Anyone who is overweight or obese can lose the weight and become healthier. Anyone who is physically disabled, like my ex Pete, usually can’t overcome their disability. Think, all you people who agree on giving the overweight and obese people the handicapped parking.
I would have to take into consideration the level of obesity and whether or not they can lose the weight. There are two genes responsible for creating obese people. Health-wise, some of the severely obese may have joint problems or breathing problems and a long walk would kill them.
On the whole though, no, the majority should not be allowed to use handicapped parking. It’s the same as if smokers or alcoholics wanted to use the handicapped parking spot.
Obesity is a disease. >.>
No. I have a hard enough time walking, but I don’t get handicapped parking. I suck it up. And I’m far from being fat. I’m nearly underweight – just have medical issues.
Being fat doesn’t mean you have to be unhealthy. It’s fixable. And MOST of the time, it’s the fat person’s fault that they’re fat. (I said MOST, no one jump on me – less than 2% of obese people are obese due to medical conditions.)
If you have that much trouble, you need to lose weight, period. We shouldn’t make it easier or give perks for obesity.
Are they medically obese due to no fault of their own? (Diet is a personal choice, btw)
If they have health problems that make it difficult for them to walk long distances, then yes. In our Walmart, the wheelchairs and motorized scooters are always in use. You can’t always see the handicap. My dad had heart and circulation problems and suffered multiple strokes. He refused to use a wheelchair until he was too ill to drive, but he couldn’t walk far. He was one of those “old people taking up a handicapped spot.” This issue comes up fairly often and it makes me sick. People who are handicapped themselves should know better than to make assumptions about others. People who are not handicapped should shut up, park at the back of the lot and be grateful they’re able to walk.
I think they should be designated to the parking all the way in the back, as you said.
If they have a real medical reason why they should park in a handicap spot, then I don’t see a problem with obese parking in the handicap spots. The problem is we can’t really tell just by looking who deserves the spots and who do not…
Nope……it’s not a handicap in most situations….even those with a thyroid problem can lose weight or at least maintain a healthy one if they work hard at it. To me comparing someone who is paralyzed to someone who is overweight does not equal the same benefits. It enables a certain lifestyle.
@Parsimony - For most obese, they are that way on their own. Now those that are obese because they can not work out due to the fact that they are injured or disabled in someway… that equals disability. I say, you at least have to have a cane to park in that spot.
no, unless they really are physically handicapped . they could use the exercise, the lazy bastards.
no
@saintvi - I was basically gonna say that so I’ll just say what she said!
We have a handicapped tag for my daughter that had her right leg amputated and it gripes me when you see folks park there with handicapped stickers that have no problems at all. It has happened many times.
@FreeeVerse - Hey Addy!
No.
Not all handicaps can be seen. You can’t see the scars from open heart surgery or the artificial leg on a lot of people.But if the state says they are handicapped and they have the license plate or placard for their vehicle then they have got every right to park in the handicap space regardless of how much they weigh.
Doesn’t bother me. It used to bother me a lot more than walking when my ex would drive round and round the parkinglot waiting for the very best spot.
Why yes, I’ve heard Carlos Mencia’s routine on this. (One of the very few that he didn’t steal from anyone else.)
My dad has a handicap tag on his car. He walks around with seemingly little trouble. He has no cartilidge in his left knee and a spinal injury. He can’t walk far and has to make multiple trips to the store a week so he doesn’t have to walk as much in one shot. It makes me crazy to think that people who chose this. You have a choice to see that you’re overweight and go to a doctor and find solutions that fit you and your life style to avoid the medical conditions that are caused by obesity, such as heart disease and joint problems. they’re totally avoidable. there’s some way to get help. there’s something out there. internet, doctors, friends, family. but you cant judge a book by it’s cover.
@DearRicky - Do rape victims deserve handicapped parking?
I basically will leave it up to the doctors of these people. They can’t get a handicapped sticker in my State unless a doctor signs off on it. If the obese park in the handicapped spots without one, they ought to get a ticket just as I would if I did.
Absolutely not
I am suppose to use handicap parking…it irks me to see people there without their handicap placecard or license plates…sometimes I will forgo shopping cuz I cannot get one close enough…and even tho I am on three legs, 2 legs and a crutch, some I’ve seen are displaced are in wheelchairs or walkers and we get snickered at and told to stay home…they still have to have their blue sticker to park there but sometimes they don’t and just do it anyway then get peeved cuz they were ticketed…and if they have a placecard then yes they can park there…smile
I’m OK with it. I suppose some of the people are just milking the system, but any countermeasures to stop the abuse would probably inconvenience the truly disabled. Besides, heart disease really can be debilitating. On the other hand, one third of our population is overweight; and I don’t foresee the situation improving. Should we set aside thirty percent of the parking spots for the disabled?
HELL NO!!
No and while were on the subject they shouldnt get to ride in lazy carts and go to the front of the lines at Disneyland either!!! Maybe if they walked the park like the rest of us they wouldnt be so fat!! And if you’re going to be on a lazy cart, you can wait in line like the rest of us. Why should you get to ride first just because you’re too lazy to walk the park and wait in line like everyone else?!?!?
i concur.
Fuck no. I see plenty of people with REAL physical disabilities that actually use the regular parking because they want to be treated like everyone else. Those fat fucks that can’t even walk 30 feet from the parking lot into the stores need to suck it up and lose some fucking weight.
they don’t need it.
go for a little walk, buddy
Hold on Xanga. Yesterday y’all said they shouldn’t be denied healthcare. That’s cool, but now they can’t get a handicap parking spot? One step at a time I suppose.
People who are simply overweight should not use the handicap spots. And this is coming from an overweight person.
I don’t agree with making us park all the way in the back though. Those who want to lose weight will park farther back already. And some of us aren’t overweight simply because we don’t try. For me, it’s really hard to get out of the overweight category because I have a slow metabolism and knee/ankle problems (that are not caused by my weight) that don’t allow me to exercise like I should. Even when I was seeing a nutritionist and following that eating style I still looked and was considered overweight. While I don’t mind walking from the back, on a lot of days, I simply am not able to.
Overweight people can still park up front, they just can’t take handicapped spots.
Although, may I point out that “normal” people with no placards also park in the handicapped spots (I’ve seen it happen many times while I was trying to help my dad find a handicapped spot for my disabled brother). At least the overweight people with no placards have more issues resulting from their weight that makes it harder to walk from the back than a “normal” person would have.
@saintvi - well said, Krysten’s mom!
Absolutely Not. Handicapped parking should be reserved for elderly, people with serious conditions, or those refined to wheelchairs. They’re not to be treated as a “right for all”, they’re a privilege and should be treated as one. Anyone could make the excuse for their “need” of a handicapped space– regardless of the ridiculousness of their excuse (ie. too short or tall, too fat or skinny, etc.)
fuck no.
@Kontzicles - agreed
no…plain and simple. I’ts one thing if you are over big because of a bad hip or something, but if you are just lazy you deserve nothing more than anyone else.
I can’t see why they “deserve” a handicapped parking spot, now if they have a disease where they cant help but to gain the weight, then thats a different story, but that’s also a very rare one too! So NO! absolutely not! if I have to walk from the back and i’m not overweight then so should they! I’m sorry, but I love people of ALL SIZES, but just because you are a couple pounds overweight and unable to walk from a average parking spot to the front door without losing your breath, then, you should just stick to online shopping, leave the handicapped parking to people who are really handicapped.
nope. not unless there is a really good reason for their weight. like, im fat, and partly its genes, but mostly laziness. i know that. however there are some peope who are on medications or whatever that cause serious weight gain…
@rafi09 - Have you tried writing down every single thing that you eat in a day? I don’t know how overweight you are, but every super-heavy person I’ve ever met (like 200 pounds over) had to work pretty hard to maintain their weight. Eating snacks all day, gigantic portions, etc.
@olivia_joie - Yeah, actually, all my life I’ve been annoyed by the lack of left-handed parking spaces.
@phantomFive - I agree completely. You really have to try to gain a lot of weight. I’ve never been a pound over 98, and I’ve never restricted my diet. I’d have to hurt myself to eat myself to over 200 pounds.
And yes, I would like to apply for a Handicapped Ticket, with respect to my six inch heels. Walking is quite a chore after hours of being on my feet.
No
@olivia_joie - 98 pounds and six inch heels? Are you a 98 pound stripper?
@nodiadau - lol yesssss
Maybe, it depends? Aren’t some people genetically big ’round the waist?
And lol, my friend sometimes uses the “I’m pregnant card” to park where they have it for moms-to-be.
@yingforyouryang - Thank you! Finally someone speaking the truth about handicapped spots and placards.
This is an interesting post but many assumptions are being made here. For one thing you make it sound like the only handicapped people are those in wheelchairs. My late Mother, who was a large woman, had many health problems that contributed to her size but also limited her mobility. Most of it was due to genetics, specifically her joints, and she just got bad joints from her genes. Her size didn’t help these problems but she had diabetes and a few other problems, all of which acted on the other, making it pretty difficult for her to do anything about it. She had a hip replaced, both knees worked on multiple times with one being replaced, and a repair for a broken ankle. These problems made it incredibly difficult for her to walk long distances, to sit in low chairs, even to stand at times. She was most deserving of a placard (which she had) but every now and then people would still give her looks like she wasn’t truly worthy. The same could be said for my cousin, who is an amputee. There are many good reasons, medical reasons, for people to be given handicapped placards and the right to park in handicapped parking spaces. They share mobility problems with people in wheelchairs, their problems are just different. This idea that fat people are just being lazy is not true. If they have a placard or a license plate then they are legally entitled to park there. To get one you have to have proof from your doctor. You can’t just walk in and get one of these. I know plenty of fat people, myself included, who do not have these problems and guess what, we walk. So please don’t go judging people based on looks.
@phantomFive - i guess i missed my calling? thank you for bring that to my attention.
If they have a handicapped tag on their license plate or the hang tag, then yes.
My Mom is handicapped, but she can still walk. She is in pain all of the time. She has had five failed spinal fusions. She’s in more pain than anyone I know. She’s not that fat either, just old (59) and is allowed to park in the handicapped section.
Just by looking at someone, be they fat or not, you can never tell what’s wrong with them. I’m a little fat and my hips are misaligned with my back so I am in pain most of the day and I’m only 19 years old. Sometimes I can hardly move. Everything hurts. I can’t even lay on my back to sleep anymore. I have to sleep in weird positions with my legs on the wall sometimes. Just by looking at me, you wouldn’t think anything wrong with me. My lung has collapsed three times before and I have kidney disease. Not that big of a deal, but unless I told you, you wouldn’t know except by the fact that on one side my bra will always be twisted because of my huge scar. You can never tell if that person is handicapped unless they are in a wheelchair or walker or something like that.
Now, if you’re handicapped and someone without a tag parked in your spot and you have to park in the back, by all means, bitch them the fuck out. They don’t need to park there, even if they are handicapped. Well, find out first (maybe they just left their tag at home) and then talk to them. Maybe they will give their spot to you. If they don’t, tell the Wal-Mart greeter or the cop that’s always at Wal-Mart. I’m sure they will get a ticket and won’t do it again which means you may be able to park there next time.
walk it out!
No.
The worst is that fat people always use public restrooms, and employees and expected to clean up after them. Fuckers.
I remember my mama had a handicapped parking pass from when she broke her leg… no one ever checked the expiration date so she continued to use it for like a few years. It pissed me off so bad that she was taking those spaces because she was too lazy to walk from 6 spaces over… Fat people getting their own handicapped parking? Hell no, stop eating your donuts, and walk a little.
hell no unless they have medical thingy; like my friends mom is obese but just had hip/knee replacements so she cant walk very well. that could be an exception.
Only if they have other conditions which limit their physical abilities.
If they’re not handicapped, they shouldn’t be using those spaces. If they can walk around the store to do their shopping, then then can walk the extra few steps from a normal parking space. That’s horrible, because imagine that they took all the spaces and then an actual handicapped person didn’t have a space for them.
No.
who deserves or who doesn’t. i don’t really care, as long as i am not the the one that needs to park there.
i dont mind getting a closer spot, or even a far spot. i count my lucky stars that either way i am healthy and can walk, skip, run from anywhere in the parking lot!!!
I’ve never heard of WALLmart.
No way.
I dont think they deserve it just because they’re fat. The handicap spot is for people who otherwise have some disability or trouble walking far/too much. Generally, fatties don’t have this problem unless they are absolutely huge. For the majority, they’re just lazy.
No, they should have to park and walk just like the rest of us. Unless their extra weight came from some disease, condition, or disability, I have no sympathy. However, I think putting “fat people parking” at the far back of the lot would be considered discrimination =)
All this coming from someone who parks at the far back corner of the lot on purpose. Walking won’t kill you.
Some will always abuse the handicapped parking. However I just wonder why a lot of places think half of their customers are handicapped. They have way to many spaces for handicapped.
No parking priviledge. Another question, should they receive government funded healthcare for all their health issues associated with the obesity?
FUCK. THAT.
My mom is handicapped, and once when we were pulling into a parking space (right next to the doors, it was perfect) some fat shit decides to take our spot. And when they got out they were walking fine, and she didn’t have a cane or anything. And she was laughing with her fat friend. I HATE this shit. My mom has a fake hip, so she can’t walk very well and she gets really sore if she walks too much. I think it’s absolutely disgusting when JUST because they’re fat they think they have the right to be even more lazy.
*end rage*
I think we need more premium parking spaces for new moms. They should be just farther than the handicapped spaces. I don’t have a newborn or toddler now, but when I did it was quite the challenge to get in and out of a store (or any where for that matter).
@ItsWhatEyeKnow - Nope. Fat people are fat because they’re lazy, we shouldn’t have to take care of them.
Come on, that depends on how fat. A lot of fat people are extremely mobile and no problem moving around. Come on.
@balloonandapin - What if without a certain obesity related medical treatment (funded by tax money because they can’t afford it) they were sure to die?
Reading through the comments I have come to the conclusion that if stupidity was considered a handicap then a large portion of the people who replied to this post would have the right to park in the reserved spaces. You folks should all become doctors since you can obviously just look at someone and determine whether he or she is handicapped without knowing anything of the medical history of that person.
Nah. Make ‘em walk.
As one who is overweight, I say let the overweight ones park on the far side of the parking lot. Better yet, let them walk from home to the places they need to go. If they buy too much, they can take a cab home. I say this as one who has done a lot of walking to the places I needed to shop. It was good for me, it will be good for them.
No, they don’t. In fact, they’re the ones who need the exercise the most and should be walking their ass into the store from the back of the lot. However, if a person has a condition that makes them fat/out of shape, that’s a different story.
my boyfriend’s dad is handicap and the license tag has the parking permit. we always drive his car, and we NEVER park in handicap parking, even if it is the last space on the lot. parking in handicap when you’re not handicap is pitiful.
This is a lot like what I wanted to write about today… I didn’t watch the video, but I think fat people should be asked to park in the furthest parking spots, not the clostest – excepting those who cannot walk. Walking the extra 50-100 yards might do them some good.
Old people, sure, but fat people? They, of all people, need the extra walk. They should be able to make that call for themselves rather than taking up spaces that are reserved for people who need to be closer.
@jupiter312 - I do that too, especially if i’m going into a store to buy oreos or something and i know i’m going to need the extra exercise. Anyway, if you park in the back you’re guaranteed to find a space.
@FluffyTheRedOne - And to not get your car doors dinged!
.. they have special privledges for parking ?! well in Canada i don’t think they do .. and yea , they really need to extra walking .
but i think elderly people should be able to park in the handicap spaces too , my grandparents can’t walk to far without getting tired and stuff .
no i don’t think they deserve handicapped. they are not really handicapped, unless they’re overweightness is due to hormone imbalances. other than that, they are the ones that got themselves overweight, thus they are no different than those who have to park in normal spaces.
I am not understanding why, judging from the majority of these comments, fat automatically means lazy. Doesn’t anyone ever stop to think that maybe that isn’t always the case? I’m fat but it’s because my health problems and the treatments for them caused a domino effect that just worked against me all around and made it impossible for me NOT to gain weight – and I was once an anorexic AND dancer. So dieting and exercise were not a problem for me. Some of the weight I gained is also unexplained, I gained more than I should. I couldn’t help it but I am anything but lazy. I don’t have a placard and I don’t plan to get one but if I needed I would hate to think that people would judge me as merely lazy because I am fat. How is that fair? How stupid.
They should park all the way in the back and walk their fat ass to the store. It’s absolutely ridiculous that overweight people should take handicap parking.
That guy is ignorant.
if you are just fat then NO!!! i dont like it when that happens either. if you are fat and have problems then it is ok. like my dad is fat and had Guillian Barre so it is hard for him to walk… he will occasionally just his hanicapped parking sticker when he cant find a spot near the front. but he does walk with a sever limp so i guess you can tell he needs it. but i am just fat and i would never ever think of asking or using one just b/c i am fat… its wrong. there are people out there that need it more than i do
“fatness” is not a handicap in any sense. and yeah, walking certainly won’t kill them.
Absolutely not. I walk my fat ass from what ever parking spot I can find. That’s just laziness. And the fat people in the hover rounds at Walmart? Sheesh, don’t get me started.
Peace.
@phantomFive - Yes, I have. In fact, I’m addicted to food diaries. And I cut out snacks and junk food for about 6 months and ate balanced meals planned out with the nutritionist. Trust me, I only got down to 190 from 200. Then my weight refused to go lower, but even my nutritionist acknowledged that while my weight was high, I was still rather healthy and that’s what matters. It’s back up now because college life isn’t the greatest, but I’m working on eating healthier again because my weight went back up quickly. I realize that’s why I’m now 210. Still though, I’ll probably only make back down to the 190 range because I have to practically starve myself to ever get to what’s considered a healthy range (no really, the only time after the first time I was put on a diet, South Beach, that I got down to anything lower than 150 was when I only ate 1,000 calories a day). Even when I eat healthily with no junk food, I am still overweight because my metabolism is so slow and my knee/ankle problems don’t let me get in all the exercise I would like. But still, I exercise when I my body lets me. Especially if the pool is available. I love swimming. I dance around silly to music, I play DDR, I like to walk places, and I do yoga.
I was just using myself to show you how hard it is for some of us to actually lose more than 10 pounds in a span of 6 months, even with a really healthy diet. I also know several people who have other issues that they can’t control that also cause them to be overweight. I know several people who are overweight who are healthy eaters and very active athletes (and no, their weight is not mainly muscle, it really is mainly fat, as admitted by them). I’m not saying that all people who are overweight have this issue though. I really only brought it up because people started sounding like all of us overweight people have the ability physically to walk all the way from the back (example, on a good day, I can and tend to; on the all too common bad day, I’m lucky if I can walk from the middle of some of these places) or should be forced to because they never exercise. Because that’s not always true. Still, I do stick with my statement that overweight people who are not overweight because say one leg is paralyzed while having a very slow metabolism, but who are just simply out of luck biologically or actually lazy are not handicapped.
@BohemianLamb - For some reason, our society has the idea that anyone who exercises and eats healthy will not have an issue with weight. So people on here don’t believe that some of us just are out of luck physiologically. My last comment shouldn’t have been necessary.
Not until they make mandatory parking spaces for pregnant women.
no
I think it depends on the cause of obesity. If it’s an uncontrolable gland problem, that’s one thing. But if you decided you really wanted to test Olive Garden’s ‘never ending pasta bowls’ (I think that’s what it’s called…) policy, then it’s quite another thing isn’t it? So hm…
I have had several knee surgeries which would leave me using a wheelchair for a while, then crutches for a couple of months, then in a brace for a few more months. Serious surgeries. I was given a temporary disability tag. Every time I’d go to Wal Mart (with someone since my driving was obviously impaired), I would have to walk/wheel myself FOREVER because someone was in the handicapped places. It didn’t bother me so much when it was a very old person or someone who was missing a limb or in a wheelchair, but so often I’d see someone fat get out of the car or get in the car in their handicapped parking space. SERIOUSLY??? My thoughts went like this: “You’re fat and it makes you breathe hard to walk from a normal parking spot so you park in the handicapped parking space. I just had all the muscles in my leg detached from my knee, moved around and reattached, I’m in a wheelchair/on crutches and I’m on narcotic pain killers so I’m dizzy and nauseated and basically can’t walk, but I HAVE to because of your…laziness!?!?!”
But then again, I’m not known for my sensitivity…
@Hippielalah - agreed 100%! Like I said in my earlier comment, I have had several knee surgeries and going to Wal Mart on crutches or in a wheelchair makes you VERY VERY VERY tired. It’s a BIG store, so even if you only have a few things to get, you tire quickly. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been able to get a power chair. Then crutching myself or wheeling myself through the store, I’d see some fat person on the power chair, and it would just make my blood boil.
No. If you are elligible for handicapped parking stickers, then you can use it. My aunt has MS and has to use it because her walking is very poor and she has difficult with balance. You can’t see it besides her cane. She deserves handicapped parking.
Fatasses and people who are old, do not. Sorry, if you can walk fine, just because you’re 65 doesn’t mean you get to park at the damn front.
Fuck No!!!
Don’t even get me started on this..
Unless you are so fat that you are just incapable of carrying yourself around, I don’t think you should get a handicapped spot. It doesn’t help anyone.
If you have trouble walking long distances, or need an assistive device, you should be able to use a handicap spot. I don’t care if that’s from an injury, illness, physical impairment, pregnancy, old age, or obesity. People ought to have a bit more compassion.
@rafi09 - Oh, I don’t know how tall you are, but 200 lbs doesn’t sound super obese, so it’s not the same.
Exercise doesn’t matter that much though, you know, because our bodies are too efficient. You can run for an hour and only burn 200 calories. That’s like a single cookie, and a whole hour of exercise is wasted, and pretty hard exercise too. It’s really the diet you have to work on for any real weight loss.
If you really have such slow metabolism, then you are lucky because that means you can get away with eating less than the rest of us. I wish I had that, I hate eating. It’s so much work.
There is a big line though, I should add, between difficulty walking and laziness, that needs to be considered.
And for the question, NO ONE deserves handicapped parking spots. It’s only because we as a society are so nice that we even give them anything.
@olivia_joie - Yeah, don’t worry about it. You surely look great in high heels.
If they have a disability that would hinder them walking a farther distance to the entrance, yes. If they have epilepsy or some other medical condition like that, they should also be allowed to use the handicapped parking spaces.
However, if they just park there because they are fat, their cars should be towed. If the don’t have the handicap tag, they can’t park there. End of story.
Walmart exploits foreign workers like sweatshops. Rather than judging those who park in the handicap spot, judge people for why they choose to shop at Walmart.
Are people really this dumb? Just because a person is fat doesn’t mean that’s their only disability.
If they have health problems due to their weight then yes. But if they are healthyish but just carrying around a few tyres then no.
Don’t you have to apply to be classified as disabled?
If they can’t stand and walk by themselves, why not
It could be that someone who is fat, just also happens to have a handicap. The underlying unseen handicap could be the reason for obesity
It doesn’t bug me. Just because someone is overweight doesn’t mean that they don’t have other handicaps that prevent them from walking far distances. Also, to the people saying that people make choices that make them fat: Not always!!! There are all sorts of medical issues that can make you gain weight, and you can also have a genetic predisposition for gaining weight.
Handicap parking should be reserved for those with genuine health conditions. If some one who suffers from obesity also has heart issues then yeah, they should get a hangtag. Otherwise, if they are relatively healthy, they should have no problem walking like the rest of us.
You want to see something bad? Go to a football game. I’ve had compliants from handicapped patrons that other handicapped people were taking up two spots to tailgate. 0_o
The handicap even screw others with disabilities.
no they don’t. they’re overweight or obese of their own accord. they need to be parking in the way back of the lots and walking more.
No, they could use the exercise. ;P
I always wonder if they don’t walk far because they are fat, or if they are fat because they don’t walk far. Fat people should park in the TOGO parking instead.
i don’t think so.
xo
Some people that are morbidly obese (usually not due to overeating) or have other “mobility issues” can only be on their feet for a brief amount of time and thus get reserved parking, whereas this dick (yes, he’s in a wheelchair but he’s also a tool) can roll around or sit and take a rest until doom’s day if he wants.
I kind of go both ways on this one. If that person is in a wheelchair, then yes. Otherwise, they can walk like the rest of us. HOWEVER, there could be much more going on with the person then being overweight. Alot of handicaps have something wrong with them that you can’t actually see. =/.
@phantomFive - Actually, I’m considered obese by the doctors because I’m 80 pounds above my ideal weight for my height (5’5″). Still though, there are people who are what most people think of obese who really do eat healthy, but they can’t lose the weight for medical reasons or injuries that would stop them from being able to walk from the back of most Walmart parking lots. They’re rare, but they exist. And you can’t forget them. That was the only point of my bringing up my experience; I just wanted to show a different side of the issue than what our society normally focuses on.
@agnophilo - Good point, just want to remind you that it’s more dangerous for someone in a wheelchair to park in the back because they can’t walk right alongside the cars very well due to the width of their chairs.
Although I get the feeling that you’re not talking about people in wheelchairs in general…
They do if they manage to score a handicapped parking permit. Maybe they have some disability that is not so obvious as them being overweight? Or maybe they have friends at local DMV.
hell yes, I am fat and can only fit into jogging britches, and i wanna park in the damn crippled space up next to the building. Walking around in parking lots is fer suckers!
hmm, just because they are fat doesn’t mean they don’t have a disability.
definitely not. they arent handicapped, just lazy lol. those spots are for people who really have trouble walking etc. lol
no! that doesn’t help them. they should park far away, so they have to walk further and get more exercise.
Hell to the fucking no. fat asses impede this country’s stride.
Unless they’re so obese it’s debilitating, no.
Keyscratch the lazy bastards car doors!
it’s not that far for crying aloud…just walk it if you can!
I think only handicapped people with leg problems should get the spots. Who cares if your arms are missing, you can walk just like any other guy. Probably better, since you have less weight to carry!
first of all not all fat people are fat because they overeat…there are such people who suffer as they have a throyd problem..or extended use of predizone,a steriod because they have lung desease oe the such…and in many instances a severe back problem which enables them to walk or excersize….i am onesuch person…thihrty years agao i weighed 110 lbs but suffered severly from asthma as well as broken disk in my back..this enabled me to breath,walk,sit stand as well as causing me days.week’s in the hospital///i was so incompasitated that i needed long term use of predizone..which caused severe weight gain and now i not only suffer from those but have throid problems..i resent the fact that some one would make such a state ment as to put handicap in the back so the fat can get in shape…i resent the fact that u dont realize that this is also a handicap..who the hell are u..judge and jury.just because i am not in a wheelchair does not mean i don’t need or deserve a handicap plate /parking…just the fact that people are ignorant enough to be so judgemental show’s another stage of handicap..it is called brain damage! people need to think before they speak but this is obvious that for some it is impossible!
It’s up to your doctor.
Definitely don’t pander to their laziness by giving them priority parking closer by!! Ok, fair enough if they’re in a wheelchair or old, but not just cos they’re fat! But to be honest I don’t believe that anyone could get a disabled parking permit just cos they’re overweight! If they can, there is something VERY wrong with the country! I’d imagine, if there’s any sense in the world, the people in question are just overweight cos it’s very difficult to get any exercise if you’re in a wheelchair or elderly!
If youre going to walmart in the first place, you should have greater concerns than walking an extra few yards.
No! D: Stupid beetches.
No pregnant women do.
No, their parking spots should be located towards the very back of the parking lot cause they are the ones who need to walk the most. I think that would be the considerate thing to do. I would feel like I was doing something good for someone. Can’t they see it does more harm than good?
no, not at all.
It depends on if they have a medical condition and how being fat affects them. If they have a preexisting condition, it’s not a question of simply getting back in shape. But no, they shouldn’t get special parking just for being over a certain BMI.
Hells no.
I think it depends on how fat they are. Some people really are so heavy that they cannot walk on their own, or walk well. I see a lot of the overweight people who have handicapped parking because they are overweight in those motorized wheel chairs in the Wal-Marts that I have been to. Some of them probably could walk on their own, but the majority look to me as if they might be a little too heavy for those motorized chairs, too! No wonder they can’t walk on their own.
And when someone is that fat, exercise is often not an option because it would put too much strain on their heart and body. They first have to get their weight down some other way until they are able to exercise again without causing themselves a heart attack or some other issue.
People that overweight also have other medical problems a lot of the times. Such as asthma and other respiratory issues, diabetes or heart problems.
True, that’s something that often times they’ve done to themselves through overeating and little to zero exercise, but penalizing them for it now really doesn’t do any good. :/ Getting out of the house is actually better for them than staying in, even if they are using handicapped parking and motorized chairs.
Also, handicapped does not just mean that you are in a wheelchair. My grandfather was handicapped, but he refused a wheelchair. He had one stiff leg (the knee was removed and the leg fused at the knee and at the ankle) and his other leg had an artificial knee in it. He also had a Richard’s screw holding on one leg at the hip. He also had an artificial shoulder implant, arthritis in 100% of his joints, a metal plate in his head, a constant headache due to the metal plate in his head, and multiple back problems resulting from a broken back many years ago.
He was also overweight, however that fluctuated and he was not anywhere NEAR morbidly obese. He had asthma and emphysema. Near the end of his years he was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He also had two different kinds of heart disease. In the end, it was none of these things that killed him, but inoperable cancer.
He was not in a wheel chair, even though the VA doctors wanted him to be. He was not in a nursing home even though the VA doctors wanted him to be. But, he was definitely handicapped. He said that he was afraid to use a wheelchair, especially the motorized kind, because he was afraid it would cause him to lose dexterity and muscle mass.
The idea that someone must be in a wheelchair to have something wrong with them or to deserve handicapped parking is not accurate, in my opinion.
You are assuming that the “Fat” people get a handicapped sticker for being Fat…how do you know they don’t have a medical condition that affords them a handicapped spot that is not just because they are “Fat”
no. i think that being handi-capped would actually make them bigger and encourage them to get fatter.
i am one of those fat people – yeah — i like my placard…
and i still love you too dano…
absolutely not.
i’m overweight, and although i complain about parking (just like everyone else), i’m perfectly capable of walking the extra distance. if it’s a legitimate medical handicap, that’s one thing…but if you can walk? no way.
hell no.
When I had an adrenal tumor, I was so big that I could barely make it out of bed by the time they found out what it was. WalMart was almost out of the question for me. Now that I have lost the weight, the damage that the weight did to my body in excrutiating. I no longer judge people for their weight. I went through, and am still going through a personal hell.
To be fair and square, if big people deserved it, skinny people deserved it too.
no, walking an extra few feet will only do them good
I know obesity is partly genetics and some people can’t help it, but genetics does not make you MORBIDLY obese. Sure genetics will make you fatter than majority of people, but I firmly believe that an unhealthy lifestyle is what caused obese people to become even larger. I get pissed off when people who are 400+ pounds say it’s not their fault and it’s in their genes. Your genes did not make you 600 pounds. Your genes probably made you 200-300 pounds and the rest is you.
not if pregnant women can’t
Fat people don’t even deserve to live. Its their own damn fault.
I am fat because I am handicapped, not the other way around. I may appear to be lazy but my body as more limits than yours do. I need to have knee replacements but can’t get them done due to other medical (and not visible) issues. How much can a person exercise/walk with crippling pain and knees that fold at a moment’s notice? I walk with a cane but but due to my knee problems, there is no way I can negotiate a store without falling (especially if I have to stand in a long line). Also, not using the carts means I am further incapacitated for the next day or so. I have chronic pain and the exercise being recommended (walking further to the store entrance) would keep me from doing my own shopping and errands. The handicapped parking allows me to have autonomy I wouldn’t otherwise have.
Don’t judge until you’ve been in my place.
Lets make “handicaped” parking and then “fat people” parking. Big signs. Then lets make car door dinger parking for those folks who can’t hold on to the door when they open it. Maybe even shop lifter parking, for fast getaways. How about worst employee of the month parking? I think we need grocery cart parking next to apartment buildings. That way they don’t have to roll Walmart carts into the bar ditches. Then parking for people who forgot their wallets and will be right back. Then there is the “I just had 19 abortions” parking. Xanga blogger parking. Or “I love to pick my nose while others are watching” parking. The “I have never seen a girl before” parking. For loosers pretending to be players. PMS parking. NIne items or less parking. The “I’m pretending to be deaf and pan handling” parking. Then there’s the I’m over dressed to be shopping at Walmart parking. Kind of like limo’s at McDonalds. We could sell parking space to “I forget where I park all the friggin time” parking.
Heck. Maybe leave some spaces for the shopper with unknown problems. I like it.
why is america getting fatter and fatter? its b/c people claim they are just fat and refuse to excercise and eat healthy. citing stuff like “love your body” and that they are fine the way they are. which they arent! look people being relatively thin is HEALTHY! im not talkin about anorexic just normal proportions.
If someone is overweight and has a handicap sticker, it’s probably due to a REAL disability that maybe others can’t see.
And who would make sure that every fat person parked in the back? Would they have to hire a bunch of people to patrol the parking lot, and if they see a fat person park in the *gasp* middle, they would then make sure they went and parked farther back? Really, that’s just so stupid. Why do people care so much? Stop complaining and get over it.
and maybe, just maybe, the overweight person you see, is in the process of losing weight. Not every overweight person out there is lazy. Some are actually working on losing it, but it doesn’t happen over night.
@LoveMeDeux - Oh, so you’re the judge of who deserves to live? Get over yourself!
You can’t see spinal stenosis - I can walk, but am in acute pain usually by the time I reach the front door of the store. It probably looks like I have no need for handicapped parking.
No, absolutely not. Being overweight is your own decision (and, for the record, I am overweight. Not grossly, but I do wear double-digit sizes). If you’re overweight, you know what you can do to change it, so change it.
I know this blog is old, but anyways. What’s the big fuss about, people? My grandma is 70+ years old, obese, AND can barely walk, yet she gets no special privileges when we park, and yes, sometimes she has to walk a considerable distance (unless we can drop her off at the front of a store), and no, she does not really complain about that. Handicapped parking spots have that person in a wheelchair picture, right? So unless you are wheelchair-bound (or at least have crutches), there should be no reason for you to park there. If you can walk, then walk! By the way, in Russia (and some other countries) there are special seats on trains and subways, reserved not only for the handicapped, but for the elderly, pregnant, and people with kids under age 3. Why not enforce the same “segregation” with parking spots here? It would only be fair to everyone.
@Zettista - your comment rules!