How Kevin Smith Just Won One For The Fatties.

Posted by Tremendous in Featured Articles, Nerdynessdom, Opinion. on 02 16th, 2010 | Comments

401101140_38518f83d1

Actor-director-screenwriter-fat person Kevin Smith was recently asked to de-plane a Southwest flight recently because he was deemed “too fat” to fly.

Outrageous.

When I read this news, I was coincidentally feeding myself.  I looked up from my third hot pocket and yelled outrageous with cheese strands hanging off my chins.

I know.  I know.

I’m all gross.

My mom ran down the stairs and said children shouldn’t yell at the television.  You scared me.

And I said mom, this fatso just got kicked off a plane because he’s too fat.  That’s so wrong.

And then she said see?  Now maybe you’ll learn to lose weight.  And then you don’t have to worry.

Screw that noise.

Even if I’m alarmingly doughy, I should not be humiliated by a company and sent off a plane.

When Southwest airlines did that to Kevin Smith, they did it to me.

They did it to hundreds of thousands of fat people across the world.

They harpooned us all with the poking-stick of humiliation.

And Kevin Smith stuck it right back.

He leveraged the power of Twitter and unleashed a fury on Southwest like no other.  He bent them over and social media’d their ass until they finally apologized.  This is a victory.  A victory for all of us.

And if you’re of the camp that Southwest shouldn’t apologize.  Fat people on airlines infringe on my rights because they pour over into my seat and I have to be uncomfortable.

Wake up, man.

It’s not easy carrying weight.  It’s not easy having people look at you and go gross. Fat people try to suck it in on a plane as well.  You have to buy two seats now.  And I’m single.  Every time I travel, it’s like I’m taking an imaginary girlfriend around.

You know how sad that is?

Just consider what Kevin Smith did.  Be proud of him speaking out against a company.

Now if you’ll excuse me.

This hot pocket isn’t going to eat itself.



  • I am outraged by some of the comments below. Human beings all deserve the same rights no matter what! The reason he always bought 2 seats was:
    1. He can afford it
    2. He did it for his own comfort
    3. He did it out of respect for others
    He was never forced to buy 2 seats and deserved the same respect as anyone else. I took a flight to Las Vegas (3 hours) once and didn't reserve a seat and showed up late to the airport. My wife and I were forced to sit apart and my seat was right in the middle of a college wrestling team. These guys were not fat but they were very big and I had to sit between 2 of them. It was an un comfortable flight but I managed. If people don't want to get stuck sitting next to a large person they can always fly first class.

  • tammy
    What cracks me up is he keeps saying I am fat but not that fat. awww no one wants to admit they are that fat.
  • I am from Canada and when airlines tried to force people to buy to seats because of weight they were roundly rejected and it was found to be unconstitutional. While people are busy railing at the fatties they should consider that this is a situation created by the airline industry and not fat people. They have made their seats too small to ensure that they get the most profit per square foot and then are are penalizing people for the sake of their greed. There are plenty of ways in which people are capable of infringing on your comfort beyond taking up a little extra room. Can I get a refund when I am seated next to the guy whose breathe smells like something died in his mouth. Are they going to force him to go to the bathroom and rinse out his mouth with scope so that the air I breath is not fouled by his stench? Of course not, only fat people are subject to discrimination on the airlines because with one person flying they can have the benefit of two fares.
  • InsanitySektor
    @ Daviel - Actually... KS bought two seats and then was forced to fly standby. They even did the arm-rest test and he passed it! I generally don't support obesity (sorry TN), but still, there's no reason to publicly humiliate anyone for it. As for your other points though, the aircraft does belong to the airline, but they're government subsidized and have rules and restrictions for out overweight fliers (but, you have to be damned near morbidly obese to not fit in the handicapped seats). Also, from the sounds of both KS's story and SWA's apology, they weren't professional at all about the whole ordeal!!

    So, props to KS! ;)

    Also, his rant about it on twitter was the longest tweet I've seen to date! (I happened to be on while he was tweeting about it) lol It just kept going!
  • Davie199
    This was no victory. Kevin Smith is still a loud mouthed fat ass, Southwest airplanes are still in the air and most of the world still look down at fatties. Kevin Smith made his bed and now he is the one looking like the jerk. He knew good and well that he was too large to fly. He bought 2 seats on a later flight and was trying to get home a little earlier so he relisted himself on this flight as a standby passenger. You must remember, 1) this airplane belongs to Southwest Airlines, not Kevin Smith. 2) When flying standby you are flying “space available” obviously there was not enough space available for his fat ass. 3) I ass sure the flight crew was very professional about the situation and this fat ass was probably the one that caused the scene. I say good for SWA for making the flight more comfortable and safe for the poor folks that paid for the seats that he was oozing into…

    Final Thought… Fat people really need to get over themselves. If you see an opening that is 17” wide and your ass is 30+ inches wide don’t try to force yourself through it. Something is going to break and more than likely it will be your self esteem… And remember, your size is in your control..
  • Spoken like someone who doesn't know the whole story. The second seat was intended for his girlfriend, who decided to stay behind. He wasn't too large to fly, and proved it by fitting in the seat, with the armrests down, and seatbelt buckled. They gave him a seat, and after he was already settled in, took him off the plane. This was all handled very badly by SWA, and has probably happened to many people who just didn't happen to have the public following that KS has. They picked on the wrong guy, but then again, they shouldn't have treated anyone that way, famous or not.

    Southwest is just a glorified Greyhound bus, and the worst airline in the US. This is just further proof of their level of customer (dis)service.
  • I♥KS
    Actually, part of your story is incorrect (I was also reading KS live tweet about it). He is married, no girlfriend, and she wasn't travelling with him. He bought two tickets initially out of comfort, because by his own admission he is a bit anti-social due to his shyness, so he just wanted to have an extra seat between him & the next person. However, he was able to bump up his flight to an earlier flight, hence why he was on standby. Only one seat was available for the earlier flight, initially he was cleared, but then he was forced to get off.

    I do agree that SWA are douchebags & I would never fly them, whether they'd done this or not. First come, first served seating is just not my thing, plus on top of that they are just rude. No thanks!
blog comments powered by Disqus