It's not a fat tax, it's a shame tax

Luckily Ryanair's publicity seeking 'proposal' has foundered under the dim light of a smidgen of common sense.

Even so, it still managed to be an unnecessary bit of unpleasantness, that merely brought out the worst in a whole lot of people who should know better.

One point I'd like to make though, is this kind of thing is not a 'fat tax', it is a shame tax.

In this case, it was proposed for those who are fatter, not all fat people.

Presumably, they are expected to be a softer target, more likely to pay their shame penance, quietly, it's a form of blackmail. From what I've experienced from others in fat acceptance, they shouldn't be too sure of themselves on that one.

One of the most beloved themes of the hating chorus is how fat people are thieves because somehow we are costing them money.

When truly, one of the purpose of shaming anyone in a societal context is the extortion of money.

And yet fat people seem to be paying up left, right and centre, sometimes with little way of opting out of it.

Next time, ask us who we don't want to pay for, I would start with anyone who wants to cultivate prejudice, let them pay for it themselves.