Things That Concern Me: June 6th, 2012: Three Tiers of Ignorance
I believe there are three tiers of ignorance. You don't? Well I will show you.
Example 1 – Not knowing if it was George Washington Carver, or George Washington who either invented or discovered either the peanut, or peanut butter
Example 2 - Thinking the best place to get Mexican food is Taco Bell
Example 3 – The entire congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church
Do you see the difference? If you don’t maybe you are ignorant. Just kidding, no but seriously, you probably are. Let me break it down.
Not knowing which George Dub invented or discovered either the peanut or peanut butter is me. It is very ignorant on my part, but I like to look at it as a cute, charming quality of mine. The second example is from the friend every one needs in their lives. The person who is naive, but not rude, but is still growing in life and gives us that chuckle and makes everyone go, “Oh that’s just typical of so-and-so and their cute, charming ignorance.” The final example is a disgusting ignorance, filled with hatred. The worst part of it is, this ignorance is coming from educated people.
Now you’re probably thinking with the third example “Oh is this Chandra being ignorant right now, what does she know about these people?” You would have at one time been correct. At first I used to laugh at these people who are members of the Westboro Baptist Church. I thought these are people who weirdly picket what seemed like random funerals and I wasn’t really sure why they did it. Recently though, I watched a documentary on them called The Most Hated Family In America on YouTube. Actually I only watched the first four parts because I was starting to feel physically ill listening to these people speak.
But hey, I’m not here to talk about these people. All I wanted to do was to briefly show you guys I do know more than what pilots were picked up for the 2012 Fall TV Season and that HBO’s Girls is shooting their second season as we speak.
I’m not here to talk about hatred. I got you guys! You should have seen your faces. Rather, I’m here to talk about my allergy ignorance and how I grew from it.
Growing up, I think I may have had one or two friends who were allergic to bees, but the majority of my other friends with allergies were allergic to Penicillin and normal things like that. It wasn’t even until college that I found out I was allergic to shellfish and that was because I had shunned seafood for so long. I have however, always wanted a friend allergic to peanuts, because I just love how they portray peanut allergies on television. The closing of the throat, and the gasping for air, classic comedy. Maybe this shows you a little of the sheltered life I’ve had.
Now in my 20’s, I have a friend who recently found out she was allergic to cold. Yes, cold. Ice, cold water, anything cold. You can imagine my reaction when I was home over Christmas and having dinner with my college girlfriends and she breaks that news to us. I still don’t think, to this day, I have said “I’m sorry you have to live your life like this.” Mainly because I know I won’t be able to keep a straight face. She carries an EpiPen, people. Yes, the one we all wish Thomas J had when he was in that tragic tree scene in My Girl. At first I was reluctant to accept this I mean “Come on, you’re allergic to cold?!” Of course, I completely believe her, but it is still hard for me to grasp this concept. But I accept her for her, and she’s accepts my humorous torment towards her apparently “deadly allergy.”
I’m still not well versed in the area of gluten. I know it’s in basically every single food I eat, has something to do with wheat, and barely and grains, and maybe oats? I don’t know. I’ve tried going on to websites before and the jargon was too much, I’d get bored after the second sentence and would just go back to TMZ.
I think the first time I really heard about a gluten allergy was about four or five years ago. All of a sudden, the allergy had just kind of grew a mind of its own and appeared everywhere. All I saw with my narrow eyes were celebrities with this allergy, that had seemed to just “pop up” in the last 10 years or so. It was me seeing these celebrities saying “I’m allergic to gluten.” And I was thinking to myself, “You’re just realizing this now? At 32 years old? How did you not know you had an allergy from the food you’ve been eating everyday for over 30 years?” Here goes this celebrity, endorsing this whole new “gluten free” lifestyle. While in no shape or form was she ever overweight, or even close to overweight, she now looks like she’s borderline ready to take the plunge into anorexia, which in our society, a super skinny actress is beautiful. She’s now proclaiming that “this is the healthiest she’s ever been, and it’s changed her life, and gluten free is the way to be.” Next thing you know, you have celebrities popping up as random as they call those searches at airport security, saying they have a gluten allergy too. “Nope, you aren’t allergic, you just want to lose weight without working out or spending money on a trainer.” And that’s fine, if I had perseverance I would probably try a gluten free diet as well but I don’t possess that trait. I can barely go two days without a beer.
I have a couple friends with diseases* and gluten does flare them up from time to time.
*Not diseases, diseases. Diseases like Celiac and Crohns
While I'm also not versed in these diseases as much as I should be (which is on me), I get it. It’s completely understandable to me that they need to cut out, or limit their gluten intake and that makes perfect sense.
“Hmm maybe some of these celebrities have a disease that can’t tolerate gluten but are afraid to tell the world? But, wait. These aren’t shameful diseases so?” Next thing I know I’m living in LA and there gluten-free signs everywhere, grocery stores, restaurants, thrift shops, banks, PetSmart...
I think what my mind can’t compute is, how this allergy has become so mainstream, so quickly, especially in our day and age. That’s what made me feel skeptical.
I literally just had a friend tell me she got results from her doctor and it turns out she is allergic to gluten.
I have to admit when I got that e-mail from her, telling me how upset she was because all the foods she loves, she can no longer eat, my first initial thought was “Why is this happening to me?”
Why would I say that? Why would I make her drastic lifestyle change about me? Because of this tweet:
It was a joke tweet, as all of them are, basically making fun of this imaginary allergy that no one in my life is ridiculous enough to say they have.
For my friend, it explains a lot of her stomach issues she’s had in the past after eating and drinking certain things. It was then that I realized “Wow, this allergy is a real thing.”
After getting over myself and how her allergy affects my life, I composed myself to support her with a reply of:
“Well the silver lining is now you can become rail thin.”
I don’t excel in giving advice and support to my friends, you all know this.
I am slowly, but surely learning that as we grow up, our insides can change. The things we have once loved and embraced can become harmful to us. I am now just waiting and bracing myself for that day where I eat my usual Big Mac in the typical three bites and 20 minutes later it will feel like there is an alien inside of me trying to escape.
Since moving to LA, my mind has opened up ten times more then while I lived in DC, and almost 45 times more then when I was growing up and living in the ‘burbs of South Jersey. Next time you think you’re being ignorant, use my three-tier method. If you’re not sure what you are about to say is ignorant or not. Ask yourself “Is this more research needed ignorant, cute, naive, my friends are going to crack up ignorant, or, I’m going to hell because I’m so ignorant, ignorant."
It will make or break you. Just kidding, it will make you.
P.S. Still haven’t gotten the 411 on the George Dub peanut, peanut butter debacle, looking into it now.
Example 1 – Not knowing if it was George Washington Carver, or George Washington who either invented or discovered either the peanut, or peanut butter
Example 2 - Thinking the best place to get Mexican food is Taco Bell
Example 3 – The entire congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church
Do you see the difference? If you don’t maybe you are ignorant. Just kidding, no but seriously, you probably are. Let me break it down.
Not knowing which George Dub invented or discovered either the peanut or peanut butter is me. It is very ignorant on my part, but I like to look at it as a cute, charming quality of mine. The second example is from the friend every one needs in their lives. The person who is naive, but not rude, but is still growing in life and gives us that chuckle and makes everyone go, “Oh that’s just typical of so-and-so and their cute, charming ignorance.” The final example is a disgusting ignorance, filled with hatred. The worst part of it is, this ignorance is coming from educated people.
Now you’re probably thinking with the third example “Oh is this Chandra being ignorant right now, what does she know about these people?” You would have at one time been correct. At first I used to laugh at these people who are members of the Westboro Baptist Church. I thought these are people who weirdly picket what seemed like random funerals and I wasn’t really sure why they did it. Recently though, I watched a documentary on them called The Most Hated Family In America on YouTube. Actually I only watched the first four parts because I was starting to feel physically ill listening to these people speak.
But hey, I’m not here to talk about these people. All I wanted to do was to briefly show you guys I do know more than what pilots were picked up for the 2012 Fall TV Season and that HBO’s Girls is shooting their second season as we speak.
I’m not here to talk about hatred. I got you guys! You should have seen your faces. Rather, I’m here to talk about my allergy ignorance and how I grew from it.
Growing up, I think I may have had one or two friends who were allergic to bees, but the majority of my other friends with allergies were allergic to Penicillin and normal things like that. It wasn’t even until college that I found out I was allergic to shellfish and that was because I had shunned seafood for so long. I have however, always wanted a friend allergic to peanuts, because I just love how they portray peanut allergies on television. The closing of the throat, and the gasping for air, classic comedy. Maybe this shows you a little of the sheltered life I’ve had.
Now in my 20’s, I have a friend who recently found out she was allergic to cold. Yes, cold. Ice, cold water, anything cold. You can imagine my reaction when I was home over Christmas and having dinner with my college girlfriends and she breaks that news to us. I still don’t think, to this day, I have said “I’m sorry you have to live your life like this.” Mainly because I know I won’t be able to keep a straight face. She carries an EpiPen, people. Yes, the one we all wish Thomas J had when he was in that tragic tree scene in My Girl. At first I was reluctant to accept this I mean “Come on, you’re allergic to cold?!” Of course, I completely believe her, but it is still hard for me to grasp this concept. But I accept her for her, and she’s accepts my humorous torment towards her apparently “deadly allergy.”
I’m still not well versed in the area of gluten. I know it’s in basically every single food I eat, has something to do with wheat, and barely and grains, and maybe oats? I don’t know. I’ve tried going on to websites before and the jargon was too much, I’d get bored after the second sentence and would just go back to TMZ.
I think the first time I really heard about a gluten allergy was about four or five years ago. All of a sudden, the allergy had just kind of grew a mind of its own and appeared everywhere. All I saw with my narrow eyes were celebrities with this allergy, that had seemed to just “pop up” in the last 10 years or so. It was me seeing these celebrities saying “I’m allergic to gluten.” And I was thinking to myself, “You’re just realizing this now? At 32 years old? How did you not know you had an allergy from the food you’ve been eating everyday for over 30 years?” Here goes this celebrity, endorsing this whole new “gluten free” lifestyle. While in no shape or form was she ever overweight, or even close to overweight, she now looks like she’s borderline ready to take the plunge into anorexia, which in our society, a super skinny actress is beautiful. She’s now proclaiming that “this is the healthiest she’s ever been, and it’s changed her life, and gluten free is the way to be.” Next thing you know, you have celebrities popping up as random as they call those searches at airport security, saying they have a gluten allergy too. “Nope, you aren’t allergic, you just want to lose weight without working out or spending money on a trainer.” And that’s fine, if I had perseverance I would probably try a gluten free diet as well but I don’t possess that trait. I can barely go two days without a beer.
I have a couple friends with diseases* and gluten does flare them up from time to time.
*Not diseases, diseases. Diseases like Celiac and Crohns
While I'm also not versed in these diseases as much as I should be (which is on me), I get it. It’s completely understandable to me that they need to cut out, or limit their gluten intake and that makes perfect sense.
“Hmm maybe some of these celebrities have a disease that can’t tolerate gluten but are afraid to tell the world? But, wait. These aren’t shameful diseases so?” Next thing I know I’m living in LA and there gluten-free signs everywhere, grocery stores, restaurants, thrift shops, banks, PetSmart...
I think what my mind can’t compute is, how this allergy has become so mainstream, so quickly, especially in our day and age. That’s what made me feel skeptical.
I literally just had a friend tell me she got results from her doctor and it turns out she is allergic to gluten.
I have to admit when I got that e-mail from her, telling me how upset she was because all the foods she loves, she can no longer eat, my first initial thought was “Why is this happening to me?”
Why would I say that? Why would I make her drastic lifestyle change about me? Because of this tweet:
It was a joke tweet, as all of them are, basically making fun of this imaginary allergy that no one in my life is ridiculous enough to say they have.
For my friend, it explains a lot of her stomach issues she’s had in the past after eating and drinking certain things. It was then that I realized “Wow, this allergy is a real thing.”
After getting over myself and how her allergy affects my life, I composed myself to support her with a reply of:
“Well the silver lining is now you can become rail thin.”
I don’t excel in giving advice and support to my friends, you all know this.
I am slowly, but surely learning that as we grow up, our insides can change. The things we have once loved and embraced can become harmful to us. I am now just waiting and bracing myself for that day where I eat my usual Big Mac in the typical three bites and 20 minutes later it will feel like there is an alien inside of me trying to escape.
Since moving to LA, my mind has opened up ten times more then while I lived in DC, and almost 45 times more then when I was growing up and living in the ‘burbs of South Jersey. Next time you think you’re being ignorant, use my three-tier method. If you’re not sure what you are about to say is ignorant or not. Ask yourself “Is this more research needed ignorant, cute, naive, my friends are going to crack up ignorant, or, I’m going to hell because I’m so ignorant, ignorant."
It will make or break you. Just kidding, it will make you.
P.S. Still haven’t gotten the 411 on the George Dub peanut, peanut butter debacle, looking into it now.
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