(no subject)

"My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me a problem, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation."

- Sherlock Holmes, "The Sign of the Four" by Arthur Conan Doyle

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence."

- Sherlock Holmes, "The Red Headed League" by Arthur Conan Doyle

Rant ahead

Okay, since I can't reply the way I want to I will just add my own rant here. And as an old German saying says "Those who fit the shoe put it on", so if you think this applies to you, fine. If not, it probably doesn't.

Saying a comment that applies to a whole group of people, albeit not being targetted at someone individually, is still hurtful. If I posted a longwinded rant on how people with glasses shouldn't be doing things that require too much eyesight since they obviously have a medical condition and thus they should stay the hell out of theaters (I'm wearing glasses myself, btw) then I'm most likely going to offend people who wear glasses and feel like they want to go see movies. And saying it wasn't personal obviously won't make them feel any better.

That said I would like to say something about people who have allergies. People like me. Yes, I realize it's a critical medical condition. I also realize that I put myself into danger every day when trying to live a normal life, eating the foods that everyone else does and doing what everyone else is doing. I'd very much like to forget that if my body felt up to it I might react to something I eat so violently that I might suffocate or go into allergic shock. I am, in my own way, living with a disability.

Now hearing people complain about how much it sucks that normal people can't have peanuts because some allergy-ridden people feel the need to fly in planes despite their medical condition appears rather heartless to me. It's pretty much the same as telling a person in a wheelchair to stay out of Disneyland if they can't walk the long distances. I don't see why so many people see allergies as some sort of quirk, as if we actually had a choice and just don't want to and expect everyone else to accomodate us.

So yes, it's risky to go on a flight where I can't get medical attention for several hours. But does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to fly across the ocean to meet my friends when all it takes is a little effort and consideration from other people? I don't think that's too much asked.

/rant