Just shoot them!

[Wavicle]

I had to start an account just to tell this story.

I was at a school function where students were presenting research they did this year. The girl witht he poster next to mine was explaining her research on colleges' ways of dealing with food allergies to me and someone else. She mentioned a statistic about how the number of kids hospitalized for allergic reactions had increased dramtically.

This guy that had been standing behind us listening said "just shoot them!"......."What?"

"If you shoot them they aren't a problem anymore." 

He then asked the presenter if she had ever been hospitalized for food allergies and she said that she had. Then he said something like "Well, I guess you got out of that".

Then the three of us just stood there staring at her poster until he walked away, not necessarily trying to give him the cold shoulder but how are you supposed to continue a conervasation about killing ill children?!

[M-theory]

I'm going to give this person a sliver of the benefit of the doubt because my SO once made basically the same remark. I ripped him from limb to limb, and then later discovered that his brother actually has a quite severe peanut allergy. I still have no idea why he would say such a thing, but at least now I know he wasn't serious.

If this person's remark was a joke, it wasn't funny. If it wasn't a joke, he's a loon. Either way, such complete silence that Nature feels the needs to spawn crickets in the middle of winter to emphasize it was the perfect response.

[MyFamily]

As the mother of a child with food allergies who has heard a lot of interesting comments from people - oh, please, let me be right here, otherwise, mama-bear would have come out on this guy - maybe he meant give them allergy shots?  There is a school of thought (not highly supported by the medical field, I should add) that you can give allergy shots for food allergies, and that will help the person with allergies build up an immunity to the allergen.  They do this with other types of allergens - my brother had them for his bee allergy, so some people believe that if it works for one, it will work for the other.

[Schmoopie3928]

The only time I would come close to this is if a close friend was stressing about their day or they kept whining they didn't feel well. I wold finally say, "should I take you out back and shoot you?" On the flip side, I have told people to "take me and shoot me" too.

[kherbert05]

As the mother of a child with food allergies who has heard a lot of interesting comments from people - oh, please, let me be right here, otherwise, mama-bear would have come out on this guy - maybe he meant give them allergy shots?  There is a school of thought (not highly supported by the medical field, I should add) that you can give allergy shots for food allergies, and that will help the person with allergies build up an immunity to the allergen.  They do this with other types of allergens - my brother had them for his bee allergy, so some people believe that if it works for one, it will work for the other.

I hear you. I've spent way to much time explaining that allergy shots are not recommended for food allergies - and I was having such massive reactions to the hayfever allergy shots the doctor stopped them.

Now this study of a small number of kids being given microscopic amounts of peanut flour increasing to the equivalent of 5 peanuts a day and developing an immunity to peanuts has been in the news. To those acting out of real love - I've explained that this was small kids with immature immune systems (treatment less likely to work on adults with fully miswired immune system), it was like 10 kids, and the FDA is no where near approving it.

About 3 years ago  it was a shot that blocks the miswired whiteblood cells from responding to allergens. That had been approved for some allergies I do have. My doctor and I looked into it and decided messing with the immune system at that level wasn't in my best interest.  I want to see what happens to people choosing to be on the treatment both long term and when a nasty flu strain goes through the area. I've only been sick 1 time since starting this job in 2001. I don't want to compromise my immune system.

Now the BBC is reporting that a chemical released in people with atopic is also found in the lungs of people asthma (If you have atopic you pretty much are guaranteed to have asthma). So if they can figure out how to stop the chemical they might be better able to control asthma. The press is sure to turn that into a cure for asthma. I'll be dealing with people telling me to take the nonexistent cure and people telling me how doctors and pharma are conspiring against them personally by not prescribing the currently nonexistent cure.

Well with global warming they will thaw quicker. (Silence in my case is arm in arm with the freezing look).

[whiterose]

At least the person did not say allergies were mental.

I do agree it is a tacky joke, even if meant as a joke, since it can fall flat and be easily misunderstood (especially by people whose first language is something other than English).

[pootbear]

Since I first read this last week, it's popped back into my mind on a couple of occasions.

Yes, his was both rude AND was a poor attempt at a joke.

Jokes like these especially in a school setting is probably how the phrase "Sophomoric humor' came into existence.

And why the 'complete silence' is the best response; when the kid fails to get a laugh, he'll HOPEFULLY learn and grow out of this unfortunate phase.  PB

[Wavicle]

And why the 'complete silence' is the best response; when the kid fails to get a laugh, he'll HOPEFULLY learn and grow out of this unfortunate phase.  PB

Hehe, I am the college student. This guy was maybe 60! I am terrible with ages but he was clearly past an age where I may think they have some growing up to do.

[pootbear]

And why the 'complete silence' is the best response; when the kid fails to get a laugh, he'll HOPEFULLY learn and grow out of this unfortunate phase.  PB

Hehe, I am the college student. This guy was maybe 60! I am terrible with ages but he was clearly past an age where I may think they have some growing up to do.

LOL- I am afraid you may be right- if he hasn't got past lobbing un-funny and rude jokes at young ladies by now, I don't think he ever will. If he was trying to impress a couple of nice looking coeds with his great wit, he missed the boat!  PB

[magicdomino]

Now this study of a small number of kids being given microscopic amounts of peanut flour increasing to the equivalent of 5 peanuts a day and developing an immunity to peanuts has been in the news. To those acting out of real love - I've explained that this was small kids with immature immune systems (treatment less likely to work on adults with fully miswired immune system), it was like 10 kids, and the FDA is no where near approving it.

Also, each dose of the peanut flour is administered with medical personnel standing by in case something goes wrong, and takes years to have an effect.  NOT something that you can do at home.

Article from yesterday's Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/08/AR2009060802573.html