in societies with social-leaning health care systems, it's a legitimate social issue because it drains resources. and, no, i don't think the answer is to move to private sector health care. poor kids shouldn't lose access to health care so overweight rich people can hog the resources. fat people should stop hogging the resources.

social theorists refer to peer pressure as an "informal control mechanism". i think you're getting at something a little deeper, involving things like individualism v collectivism, and statism v anarchism. i don't see a problem with the idea of using exclusion and mockery as a method to try and alter antisocial behaviour. i would maybe question the efficacy of certain tactics, but not the general idea.

and i have to be blunt in stating it: if it makes you uncomfortable, that's the point. the next step is to stop making excuses and do something about it.

but the thing that really bothers me is the air conditioning. especially up here in canada, where we only get a few weeks of weather over 30 degrees. i want to enjoy that, not be running the heater in june because the fat guy upstairs breaks a sweat at 20 degrees.