Kevin Smith is a liberal, but he is correct, many people take a snobbish view of the overweight and want to relegate them to second-class citizenship, much the same way they treat smokers.
If I am in an enclosed space such as an office or airplane...I want breathable air. I don't care if a restaurant or bar allows smoking...I can choose not to go into that establishment. Everything can be taken to an extreme...a little common sense goes a long way with smoking as with excess weight. If I pay for my seat on a bus, train or plain I want to use that seat. I do not want another person leaking onto MY seat. Do I have compassion for them? Of course. Should they pay for 2 seats if they NEED 2 seats? OF COURSE.
I am a thin woman who is constantly being sought out on planes by the obese. I am serious. I pay for my seat...I always sit by the window so I can have a bit of personal space...but nearly every time a massive person will spot me and sit next to me because they know they can use part of my area. I'm not trying to come off as rude or insulting...Just speaking from my perspective. Mr. Smith, a question: Who is going to be MY advocate?
I don't care if another smokes or eats until they are obese. Just don't blow the smoke in my face or take half of the seat I paid full price for.
If the overweight demonstrate that they have no self-respect, then where do they get off demanding respect from others?
They are the libs new target now that so many have stopped smoking...have to have a new group to demonize and tax more.
And MANY (not ALL) overweight people or smokers demand special consideration that relegate others to a lessor class than themselves.
I was in a restaurant one time, before smoking bans were around. The restaurant had a smoking and non smoking section. And the restaurant was full. I was in the non-smoking section, and at a table by me was somebody smoking, and by the looks of others, they were really irritated by it.
I asked the waitress for the manager, and asked the manager to take care of the situation, but he politely and sympathetically said there was nothing he could do.
When he left, I got up with my glass of water, went over to the "smokers" table, where the "smoker" had his cigarette on a saucer, as this was the NON-SMOKING section and no ashtrays, and extinguished his cigarette. A few harsh words were exchanged back and forth, but I explained that it would be in his best interest NOT to light up again, and inconvenience those around him.
I got a lot of smiles and nods from people, and a couple of people stopped and gave me thanks as they were leaving.
I also had a buddy, in college, who was a pretty heavy smoker. One of the most considerate people I have ever met. If he got in your car for the first time, he'd ask if he could smoke. If you said no, or preferred he didn't, HE NEVER asked again. At a restaurant he was ALWAYS amiable in taking the non smoking section. If he was smoking by you, he always made a conscious effort to blow his smoke away from others. And if he saw his cigarette smoke rising by somebody and (even maybe) irritating them, he'd move his cigarette, or stand or sit at a different position.
I find smokers (in general) to be the most ignorant people. I work in construction, where sometimes buses have to be taken into job sites. Often times the buses are chock full of cigarettes smoke. On the job site, there are often break trailers for smokers and non smokers. Its QUITE COMMON for a smoker to come in and talk to his buddy, and try to "sneak" a cigarette. Smokers take smoke breaks anytime they want. Non smokers just get a regular coffee and lunch break. Smokers have higher instances of cancer, which translate into more insurance expenditures, which is distributed to the premiums of non smokers to carry smokers.
So that BS about smokers being second class is bull shiite.
And fat people being second class is horse pucky to. How many times are fat people given special privilege? They're given handicapped parking, riding scooters in stores. And again, like smokers, obesity has its own set of diseases which the expenses must be born by others.
Kevin Smith wasn't singled "simply" because he was fat. The airlines sell specified space on an airplane, called a seat. He purchased a specified amount of space that was not adequate for his mass.