Activists Demand Gentler Stance Towrd the Obese

Make a fat joke or toss an insult at an overweight man or woman and you’re skating on thin ice, say activists demanding a change in attitude toward the obese.

Members of the National Assn. to Advance Fat Acceptance, or NAAFA, say they’ve had enough of discrimination and cruel attacks simply because they carry extra pounds.

“You can’t joke about ethnic groups, and it’s not OK to poke fun at the handicapped. Fat is the last safe frontier,” said Dee Davey, chairwoman of the Los Angeles chapter of the organization.

Fear may be the reason for attacks on the obese, said Samuel Dambrocia, an Orange County psychologist. “People are saying, ‘Being fat is something I do not want to part of,’ ” Dambrocia said.

But NAAFA members, who have begun fighting alleged discrimination on the job and in the media with letters and lawsuits, say there are indications of change, citing such prime time televsion shows such as “Roseanne” and “Babes.”