A British couple wanted to move to New Zealand after their wedding. They ran into one small problem, or actually it was one large problem. New Zealand told them they are too fat to immigrate to their country.
Robyn Toomath, a spokesman for New Zealand's Fight the Obesity Epidemic, said, "The immigration department can't afford to import people who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources ... You can see the logic in assessing if there is a significant health cost associated with this individual and that would be a reason for them not coming in."
No, I can't see that logic. Because under that rationale you would also ban people who smoke and sky dive and have unprotected sex. Are they going to be checking to see if people are using condoms during intercourse before they let them move to New Zealand? And how would they do that check exactly?
In the case of weight, they actually use Body Mass Index that compares your weight to your height and sees if you are within the prescribed limits or not. So, they physically weigh these people and tell them if they're too fat to live in the country. That's sick.
Meddling in people's private lives started with messing with smokers. I worried at the time that it would spread to other areas of our private lives where we made decisions that our companies or governments or insurers disapproved of. And now it has. This is a terrible trend and we have to make sure it's contained. So, I propose banning New Zealanders from coming here and spreading their discriminatory policies to us.
Finally, there is good news and bad news from the British couple trying to move to New Zealand. The groom lost two inches off his waistline and he has passed the health requirements. But unfortunately, his wife still hasn't made it. So she is stuck in England, still dieting.
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New Zealand Bans Woman for Being Too Fat
Posted Nov 20th 2007 10:08AM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: World News, Young Turks, Strange
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Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 9)
61. Very funny, Don. The difference between fat people and smokers is this: Fat people are only killing themselves; smokers are killing themselves and others.
Lisa S at 2:47PM on Nov 23rd 2007
62. At least New Zealand's policy is better than ours, which thinks a piece of drivel poetry on a statue in new york harbor is the law of the land and admits every piece of ---- than can sneak in
pianist355 at 3:18PM on Nov 23rd 2007
63. I think it's pretty cool that a nation can monitor who gets admitted to live in their country. The husband benefitted by getting himself to a healthy condition, now so should she. Would you rather the USA admit people who live up to some sort of health requirement or uninsured fat people who smoke cigarettes & eat Big Macs with their booze between skydiving lessons just before their unprotected sex? WELL...the only thing New Zeland addressed is the fat part. Look at all the remaining freedoms.
Eddie Z at 3:05PM on Nov 23rd 2007
64. Wow.... I don't even know where to start? Fatties are the last people on the earth that it is O.K. to discriminate against? When will people give up to desire to make themselves feel better by putting down others? And yes, I'm a big fatty. "Overweight but a runner since age 20". I'm really glad that they weren't so descrimanatory when I got married and broke my leg in Germany. If this is the world's opinion, because of my life-long compact weight, Germany could have have denied me residence and socialized medicine and my leg would be flopping around in pain until I could fly back to the US for uninsured, high-cost medical care. Come on people, when do we start stopping the hate?
lenglish at 3:54PM on Nov 23rd 2007
65. THE SAFEST CONTINENT TO MOVE TO IS ANTARCTICA. NO NATION OWNS IT. THERE ARE NO RELIGIOUS FANATICS; NO TAXES; NO WARS. IDEAL FOR ECCENTRICS AND HARMLESS ODDBALLS.
BOTSCHAFT7 at 3:59PM on Nov 23rd 2007
66. We're worried about people "messing with smokers"? I'm more worried about smokers messing with me. Thanks, but I like being able to breathe, and if you're gonna pollute the air with ciggies, I don't want to be around you.
Emily at 5:42PM on Nov 23rd 2007
67. Sorry to everyone who is offended, but since they have national health care, they can reject unhealthy immigrants all they want. They *never* let in anyone with HIV/AIDS either, does that make them bad as well? No! It makes them smart!
T at 5:48PM on Nov 23rd 2007
68. I agree with New Zealand's position. This has nothing to do or be compared to unprotected sex, skydiving and the like. Obesity is a physical and mental unsightly problem. Those who refuse to look at obesity in this light are in denial. There are no civil right issues here. Just a country that doesn't want people who have the stupidity of calling themselves BBW or the like and who can be burdens on their system. period. I think obesity is a blatant sign of lack of self respect. Not a glandular problem. That is quite rare...
Charles at 6:04PM on Nov 23rd 2007
69. Give it up already! This country is as bad or worse..banning transfats, telling you how your house has to be painted, no dodge ball in school, and New Zealand gets humped for doing what wee want to do here so bad? Hypocrite isn't an animal in Africa.
Dedmanrisn at 7:00PM on Nov 23rd 2007
70. This is the logical consequence of the liberal campaign to control other people's personal behavior. You can't smoke, you can"t eat transfats and now you can"t be fat. What if Bill Gates was fat? Nope, no exceptions. Maybe these control freaks could start their own little world somewhere and not let the rest of us in. Of course I doubt anyone would be trying to go there.
IRONBLUEEYES at 8:16PM on Nov 23rd 2007
71. Oh hell - why not just kill all the fat people and get it over with. Jeeze this is crap. Fat people and Gay people are the only people left that people can actively and violently discriminate against. There are No fat people in New Zealand???? If they move there, and gain weight, will they be kicked out? WHERE ARE WE GOING? AND WHY AM I IN THIS HANDBASKET????
Googoogy at 8:18PM on Nov 23rd 2007
72. They should ban male executives. Don;thtey have heart attacks from stress? I have been overweight my whole life, and I have NEVER had a weight related health issue. I am healthy. Fat people can be healthy! And I do think trans fat SHOULD be banned. I stopped eating ANYTHING with it, or HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP and did NOTHING else & lost 30 POUNDS. (Yes, 30) BAN non-foods that poison us food corporations make more money. HFCS is the reason diabetes is soaring! Your body has NO idea what it is, and cannot process.
Googoogy at 8:34PM on Nov 23rd 2007
73. the comments on this blog [and the blog] just show how ignorant ew americans are....they were talking about BRITONS, first of all. I'm not trying to discriminate, but we americans are the worst in the world...so chill. and, no, people from NZ are NOT "wifebeaters and alcoholics" I know people from there....and even if they are, I believe america has their fair share of those people too!
New Zealand has the right to deny access, if they did a physical examination! why should they let in someone who will probably come and then use the healthcare money and....die.
Skeptic at 8:45PM on Nov 23rd 2007
74. ok we can all go back and forth with this but for Christ sake she's a human...what are all fat people lazy..and if you say yes..you're just an idiot that needs to move to NZ!! nobody here have a fat person in their family somewhere?..everyone here is perfect and belongs in Hollywood,..and if you say yes to that you're an idiot again!!..and what about health insurance..not all people have health problems...I have a fat member in my family and he's doing better than most others...anyone see David Letterman?....thin athletic guy?!...has his arteries all plugged up?!..you never know...and it was a good point made about everyone in NZ smoking or having unprotected sex....ok so is this a "Big Brother" Nation where everyone's watching your every move...shove NZ up your a##....smokers with their hacking phlem and asthma and emphesema...and people that have unprotected sex end up with STDs and worse AIDS..who takes care of them there?,,if this was a true land they would give all people exams and then they can all live in a Utopia!! good luck...and everyone else with their pathetic answers...GET A LIFE...I'm sure yours isn't so wonderful but by dissing others it makes you feel better about yourself!!!
mary at 9:45AM on Nov 29th 2007
75. Are they going to ban those who are underweight (perhaps anorexic), terminally ill, mentally ill, or people with any and every health problem under the sun? The citizens of NZ should ban their idiotic immigration department.
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lemon at 11:31PM on Nov 23rd 2007