According to The New York Times:
Victoria Abraham, a self-described fat activist and advocate for body positivity, has gained a large online following. She is a New York University graduate with a degree as a public policy specialist, but she can’t help but wonder if her size will hinder her job search.
This social engineering attempt is already off to an unhealthy start in the first paragraph. It raises serious questions about the utility of American universities’ “public policy” faculties. Their graduates are insatiable in their desire to legislate the world in accordance with their personal projects — in this instance, fat positivity.
Victoria Abraham, the #bodypositive narcissist at the center of this Op-Ed, manages her Social Justice, Twitter account under @fatfabfeminist.
Ms. Abraham is open about her weight and includes a photo of her body on her LinkedIn profile. This allows potential employers to see who she is before considering hiring her.
She said, “There is a perception you are lazy or incapable of doing the work.” People don’t realize they have this bias.
Ms. Abraham was one of the many people who testified in support of a bill to ban discrimination in New York City due to a person’s weight, height, or access to public accommodation. Although the bill is not scheduled to be voted on, the majority of the City Council supports it, with 34 cosponsors from 51 members.
New York City is expected to approve a bill this spring that would ban weight discrimination in housing and hiring.
“There is a perception that you’re lazy or unable to do the work,” one activist said. “People don’t even realize that they have that bias.” https://t.co/XByIHHIgUD
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 6, 2023
It’s way past time to put the demonization of “discrimination” to bed. We can start with distinguishing — or discriminating, as it were — between the two dramatically different definitions of the word, per Merriam- Webster:
- The first, most popular meaning of the term, is the “prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment” usually meant in the context of “racial discrimination”
- The second, marginalized denotation of “discrimination” is “the act of making or perceiving a difference: the act of discriminating.”
Discrimination is a beautiful and healthy human practice.
There are some things that are different from others. It is common to tell them apart, and it is necessary for the world to function.
The person who picks mushrooms from the forest must distinguish between poisonous and healthy species. For the slight of being thrown onto the forest floor, the aggrieved poisonous mushrooms do not have the right to claim compensation from a New York state court.
