Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hypersensitivity, Part 2

While hunting down the quote for Tuesday's post on political hypersensitivity, I came across this story, where a group is wanting Wi-Fi banned because they're allergic to it. They've even brought the lawyers in to argue that this violates the Amercans with Disabilities Act.

Since I've already ripped the candidates for whining about every little thing ever said like a group of spoiled children, I might as well have a crack at the hypersensitive America.

First of all, a little more about me (as I am soooo humble already). I've discovered I, as well as both my children, are suffering pretty strong allergies this year. I've always written it off to colds, but seeing my progeny throwing snot convinced me otherwise. In addition, I've managed to gimp up a knee enough that I've been bracing it. I think the damage came from a job a couple of years ago, where I smacked my knee pretty damn good a couple of times. I also have a messed up right wrist. I's show you pics, but I'm sure someone hypersensitive would see them and claim I'm discriminating against them.

We all have shit on our bodies that doesn't work like in the textbook. In the old days, if your malfunction was bad enough, you died. But now look at us. When I was growing up, I never heard about nut allergies. Now there are people that stop breathing if they even see a peanut (or Jimmy Carter, but that's not a nut allergy, in the same sense). There are people allergic to milk, meat, even most food. There are perfume allergies in the classroom, although I can't remember (or be bothered to look it up) who was the allergic. I know someone got the boot though. There's people allergic to every damned thing out there. Oh, and don't get me started on allergies attributed to cigarettes.

But what do we do about this? Is it the role of government to pass laws to protect all these helpless people from all their allergies and ailments? And is it the role of the courts to eliminate the allergens on the basis of discrimination?

(If you can't guess what I'm about to say next, then you aren't reading this blog nearly enough.)

Suck it up and adapt, you frail-assed pansies!
While it is wholly reasonable for us, as a society, to adapt public places and private spaces to accommodate as many people as reasonably possible, we've forgotten what makes the human animal so successful in the first place: the ability to adapt. We should expect people to be able to work through some physical and mental pain. We should expect people to figure out how to manage with allergies. And we should stop using the courts to redefine disabilities every three seconds to add more.

Buck up. There's always going to be something that doesn't work right. Life is often defined by working through that, because most of us don't have the time to do so.

Self-aggrandizement note: I covered some similar points in a prior post entitled
Walking to Work After a Car Wreck
.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

We should expect people to be able to work through some physical and mental pain. We should expect people to figure out how to manage with allergies. And we should stop using the courts to redefine disabilities every three seconds to add more.

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at here.

You can't mean you expect people who have serious allergies to say, peanuts or any sort of nut, to just "work through" their sensitivity to those things, do you?

My son has a severe allergy to nuts (not peanuts, since they are legumes, not nuts). He could actually die if he accidently ate certain nuts. As a result, whenever he eats outside of the home, he has to ask if the product he's about to ingest has nuts in it. This is nothing he can "adjust" to. He can't change his DNA.

And you do know how deadly a peanut allergy can be, don't you? A young girl died from eating chili in a restaurant because she didn't know that the restaurant thickened it with peanut butter.

Oh well.

Most labeling on processed food now alerts the consumer to the fact that the food product has been processed in a facility that handles nuts or peanuts. And restaurants now inform customers of the same.

If this is a result of going to court and getting a law passed so that my son won't accidently die, then I say bravo! [And I don't know if the labeling is voluntary or court ordered.] But if it were court ordered, do you have a problem with that?

I imagine you'd like a fair warning if your children had this deadly allergy, and not expect their DNA to "adapt."

Name: Soapboxgod said...

Patrick, I'll have you know, I'm allergic to grass clippings big time.

I've gathered up a sizeable number of the attorneys in my firm to represent me in filing a complaint against everyone within a 1 block radius of me and my home to get an injunction so no-one can mow their lawn.

This of course includes me as well.

;-)

Name: Soapboxgod said...

"While it is wholly reasonable for us, as a society, to adapt public places and private spaces to accommodate as many people as reasonably possible..."

While I concur that society can work towards this pursuit with respect to public places, and even private spaces (directly with owner of said establishment). I do not wish to agree that private spaces exist for the sake of accomodating society.

True, it is probably in the best interest of the business owner to make accomodations which will bring in the most customers as possible. But, at the end of the day, that business owner's property exists solely for their benefit.

I refer back to the smoking ban issue specifically as a point of clarity to what I'm referring.

The private space does not exist for the societal benefit. Therefore, they have no claim on the desired adaptation of said space.

Beth said...

I, too, have a child highly allergic to peanuts, and it is scary the stories you hear, and I hope never to have her experience similar things. I know in some respects my daughter does have to "adapt" in that she knows she cannot eat cakes and cookies from a bakery, I always send in treats to school so she has something safe to eat for class parties. I don't expect the school to be peanut-free, she sits at a peanut-free table at lunch and that has been fine. She can't always sit with friends, but she never complains. We always ask at restaurants about ingredients. It's a hassle, but one we deal with without putting anyone out. Her friends' mothers are always nice about asking before having her over about foods. Patrick, I would hope you would find that this allergy is nothing to sneeze at, pardon the pun. I have seasonal allergies that I do just suck it up and deal with, animals hair, too, but deadly allergies I think do require special consideration.

Toad734 said...

As medicine advances, we are able to narrow down allergens and what nots when before we didn't know why someone would shit for 3 hours after eating a pizza. Now that we have isolated allergens we can avoid them. Sure you can argue that with the advent of airconditioning that we are less immune to allergies and you would probably be right. But we also live in a much more congested world now and its not that people are panzies because they develop urban asthma its because they live in an ever more congested world with that many more vehicles emitting toxins. Not only that, food isn't as pure as it used to be. Bread, can technically have and should have only have 4 ingredients; look on the back of a loaf of wonderbread and tell me how many ingredients there are now. With people trying to cut costs by adding fillers or shelf life you introduce all kinds of things most humans would have never had to be exposed to. Some people are allergic to those things.

Im not saying we havent turned into a bunch of pussies, I am just saying that our environment has changed as well. For instance, a white freckled irishman such as myself can no longer stay out in the sun all day. I didn't become a pussy, there are just more UVs making it to my skin.

Patrick M said...

Shaw: I know the nut allergy thing. My son had someone in his class with it, and every time a note came home, the reminder not to send nut stuff in was there. And where it is necessary, I don't have a problem with the occasional lawsuit.

But there comes a point at which you have to simply adapt as best you can, whether it's having someone to help you lug the wheelchair up a step into an area that doesn't have a ramp or pack one of those epi-pens anytime you're driving through Georgia.

SBG: Maybe you should have the courts force everybody to lay gravel instead....

But your second point is a reminder of the good and the bad that can come when government gets involved in something (Americans with Disabilities Act). I've heard the horror stories.

Beth: As I said to Shaw, I understand. And the nut allergy is a bad one. But for both of you, remember that this post began with people wanting Wi-Fi banned because it made them ache. You, and your daughter, are exactly the kind of people doing what I'm talking about.

Toad: You really don't want to get me talking about shits. I could go on for pages....

And yes, it's a balancing act. I'm talking about people going to extremes.

Irish? Yep, you're a pussy. LOL.

Shaw Kenawe said...

The Americans With Disability Act is a noble thing. I'm proud that my country believes people who are disabled--like, y'know, war veterans--are now able to partake fully in American life. They now can approach federal buildings, museums, theaters, restaurants, etc., and participate in life the same as nondisabled Americans.

I'm surprised you, a "Support Our Troops" conservative, would not see the decency in passing laws that now allow the disabled to enjoy the normal experiences of life that we who are not disabled take for granted.

That was a wonderful, decent and truly humane law.

Bravo USA! for passing it.

Toad734 said...

Unrelated to post:

Could you define "conservative" for me? I mean what you think it means to be a conservative and what you as a conservative stands for. Could you do that post? This isn't a trick, I probably don't have comments, it's just for something unrelated that I am working on. I don't want the definition from a bomb throwing jesus freak or as deslusional and closed minded as Mikes America, thats why I am asking you. Sure there are social conservatives and fiscal conservatives but a brief summation would be great. You can email me if you wish.

Also, I went to the site and read up on your fair tax thing, I think I am ready for a post on that as well.

Patrick M said...

Shaw: That was a wonderful, decent and truly humane law.
Bravo USA! for passing it.

Me: ...a reminder of the good and the bad that can come when government gets involved in something (Americans with Disabilities Act),


Shaw: I agree that the ADA was a good law to pass in theory. But it can also be a tool for lawyers and activists to destroy people. I wasn't able to find the story I heard the other day, so here's a link to illustrate the point I was trying to make mentioning the ADA.

Patrick M said...

Toad: You'll need to drop me an email then, as I don't have one for you on that. Mine is patrickmspeaks@gmail.com.