One of the things that bugs me about American ‘liberalism’ (meaning statism) is the proliferation of ever more forms of victim. The latest cause to weigh in, so to speak, is that of fat (woops, I meant “big-boned”) people. In a nice article for Reason magazine, Mike Lynch skewers activists who get all upset when American airlines charge extra for bigger passengers. In a free market, if an airline wants to charge more for people who, by virture of their size, take up more space, then gradually the cost of flying for large people will come down as competition for bigger customers takes hold.
In the U.S.A, which seems to produce more than its fair share of fat people, airlines could actually make a good living out of seeking out the chunky market, just as it could do so by seeking custom of people carrying small children, smokers, those who liked listening to loud music, watching adult movies, or whatever. (“Playboy Airlines”, anyone?).
But the fat lobby thinks in statist terms. As Lynch tells us, they claim it is discriminatory for carriers such as Southwest Airlines to charge an extra amount for those who cannot squeeze into one seat but need two. The idea of discrimination stems from the idea that as humans, we have some kind of God-given ‘right’ to fly from A to B for a set outlay, regardless of whether we are a svelt citizen taking up one seat or built like a Sumo wrestler and take up two seats. But no such ‘right’ exists. In a market, if an airliner is willing to give me ONE seat of size X in return for X dollars, then that is the end of the matter. And if the lardbuts among us find it harder to fly in the meantime until the market provides a solution, they might like to consider going down the gym.
