‘Fat’ avoidance

MARIA Elena Fernandez’s article (“Their Comfort Zone,” Dec. 14) was one of the biggest excuse-making pieces I’ve ever read. Let’s get something straight. These people are not “full-bodied,” “full-figured” or even “big, beautiful women.” They’re fat, or obese, if you’d rather use that word. To use her more euphemistic terms is like calling Hannibal Lecter a “non-mainstream, selective diner.”

No one forced these people to stuff all those calories down their throats. They lack self-control and are attempting to make the rest of us tell them it’s OK.

The article mentions that there are critics but never gives lip service to the problems they address. Our medical insurance costs are skyrocketing due to health problems associated with obesity, including high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and diabetes. We seem to have no problem railing on about how smokers adversely affect our medical insurance but never seem to want to make the same justifiable complaints against people who don’t want to control their eating.

George Newberry

San Pedro