Cross Fit
I was going to be really good and let it go when I saw Cross Fit’s post on diabetes "Make sure you pour some out for your dead homies.” alongside a bottle of coke saying “open diabetes”.
But then I saw the rest of their twitter page that is full of tweets defending themselves. This is despite major backlash from the diabetic community.
Most of these things have made me angry in the past, but when I saw that page I burst into tears. I have never seen such disgusting attitudes toward diabetes of either type in my life.
They just don’t get it, and I’m so tired of it. We as a community fight so damn hard to spread awareness. Nothing seems to work.
Everything I do feels redundant.
However, I think the only time you fail is if you don’t try. So I’m going to try again.
Point 1:
No one should be shamed for having an illness. Ever.
Type 2 diabetes is not solely caused by over-consumption of sugar. In some individuals there is a very strong genetic component that predisposes them to the condition, regardless of what they do.
But let’s say someone has type 2 from consuming too much sugar. To make it suit your purposes, let’s say that there’s no genetic background (unlikely, but I digress). Let’s say there’s no mental illness (unlikely), no other conditions (unlikely), and they have just decided to eat a boat-load of sugar daily (unlikely).
Our hypothetical diabetic may have caused their diabetes. Did I mention their circumstances are incredibly unlikely?
What gives you the right to shame them? Don’t you think that our hypothetical diabetic feels bad enough? They now have this huge condition to live with, and you feel the need to stand above them and taunt them for it.
Our hypothetical diabetic is just that, hypothetical. A real type 2 has MANY other circumstances going on. They haven’t chosen to become insulin resistant. They don’t DESERVE their condition.
Point 2:
As I say time and time again, lumping type 1 in with sugar is ridiculous because there is absolutely no correlation there. Let me say it really simply for you:
SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE TYPE 1 DIABETES. EVER.
Got it?
I can’t account for how a type 2 feels, but let me tell you how I feel with type 1.
Try living with an illness that changes daily. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, you will be thrown curveballs time and time again. You are constantly aware of it on some level, whether it’s thinking about your next meal or testing your sugar level. You deal with idiots claiming to know the secrets of a cure, idiots claiming to know all about your condition with absolutely no clue, and idiots who blame you for your diagnosis.
You are fighting a battle. You don’t get rest breaks. You don’t get long service leave. You don’t get a moment’s peace.
It’s always there. This little menace is a part of you.
Did you ever consider that sometimes we blame ourselves? Even though I am lucky to have the knowledge that there is no sugar-consumption cause of my diabetes, do you think that I don’t beat myself up for sugar levels out of range? Do you think that I don’t ponder whether I’m working hard enough?
Do you think that I don’t question whether my “bad” sugar levels are human error from not taking enough insulin or poor carb counting?
So quite frankly, I (and I’m sure others) don’t need further contributions to the idiot pool.
Just sit down and shut up if you’ve got nothing constructive to say.
___________________________________________________________________
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adiabeticsrollercoaster
But then I saw the rest of their twitter page that is full of tweets defending themselves. This is despite major backlash from the diabetic community.
Most of these things have made me angry in the past, but when I saw that page I burst into tears. I have never seen such disgusting attitudes toward diabetes of either type in my life.
They just don’t get it, and I’m so tired of it. We as a community fight so damn hard to spread awareness. Nothing seems to work.
Everything I do feels redundant.
However, I think the only time you fail is if you don’t try. So I’m going to try again.
Point 1:
No one should be shamed for having an illness. Ever.
Type 2 diabetes is not solely caused by over-consumption of sugar. In some individuals there is a very strong genetic component that predisposes them to the condition, regardless of what they do.
But let’s say someone has type 2 from consuming too much sugar. To make it suit your purposes, let’s say that there’s no genetic background (unlikely, but I digress). Let’s say there’s no mental illness (unlikely), no other conditions (unlikely), and they have just decided to eat a boat-load of sugar daily (unlikely).
Our hypothetical diabetic may have caused their diabetes. Did I mention their circumstances are incredibly unlikely?
What gives you the right to shame them? Don’t you think that our hypothetical diabetic feels bad enough? They now have this huge condition to live with, and you feel the need to stand above them and taunt them for it.
Our hypothetical diabetic is just that, hypothetical. A real type 2 has MANY other circumstances going on. They haven’t chosen to become insulin resistant. They don’t DESERVE their condition.
Point 2:
As I say time and time again, lumping type 1 in with sugar is ridiculous because there is absolutely no correlation there. Let me say it really simply for you:
SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE TYPE 1 DIABETES. EVER.
Got it?
I can’t account for how a type 2 feels, but let me tell you how I feel with type 1.
Try living with an illness that changes daily. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, you will be thrown curveballs time and time again. You are constantly aware of it on some level, whether it’s thinking about your next meal or testing your sugar level. You deal with idiots claiming to know the secrets of a cure, idiots claiming to know all about your condition with absolutely no clue, and idiots who blame you for your diagnosis.
You are fighting a battle. You don’t get rest breaks. You don’t get long service leave. You don’t get a moment’s peace.
It’s always there. This little menace is a part of you.
Did you ever consider that sometimes we blame ourselves? Even though I am lucky to have the knowledge that there is no sugar-consumption cause of my diabetes, do you think that I don’t beat myself up for sugar levels out of range? Do you think that I don’t ponder whether I’m working hard enough?
Do you think that I don’t question whether my “bad” sugar levels are human error from not taking enough insulin or poor carb counting?
So quite frankly, I (and I’m sure others) don’t need further contributions to the idiot pool.
Just sit down and shut up if you’ve got nothing constructive to say.
___________________________________________________________________
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adiabeticsrollercoaster
Such a good summary. Love that you could actually handle your blog with tact over this. My basic thought pattern towards crossfit is a bunch of expletives.
ReplyDeleteDon't you worry, that as my initial response too!
DeleteIronic that I used their dreaded coke to treat the huge hypo that followed after I wrote this.
Irony much- think Myrtle was proving a point!