It's funnier than it sounds, honest. Here is some teaser text:
A Harvard professor of medical sociology has agreeably warned that increasing hysteria over nut allergies in kids bears the hallmarks of mass psychogenic illness (MPI) - described as "a social network phenomenon involving otherwise healthy people in a cascade of anxiety".
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Nicholas A Christakis cites the extreme example of when a potentially fatal peanut was "spotted on the floor of a school bus, whereupon the bus was evacuated and cleaned (I am tempted to say decontaminated), even though it was full of 10-year-olds who, unlike two-year-olds, could actually be told not to eat food off the floor".
He also explains the case of one of his own kid's school, which indulges in the traditional ritual of selling wrapping paper and candy to raise funds. He says: "This year parents in our school were told that they could no longer pick up their purchases from their children’s classrooms. Instead they had to pick up their orders from a loading dock at specified times, to avoid a danger to the children."
He continues: "The danger? Some of the orders contained sealed tins of festive nuts. Out of an overabundance of caution the school decided not to allow any of the items on the premises."
Enjoy the newest thing to freak out about, it's gotta be something I guess,
Bp
[via Uncle Ted]
3 comments:
OH MY GOD! I BETTER HURRY AND EAT ALL OF THE ALMOND BUTTER BEFORE I HAVE OUR BABY !!!!!!
OH AND ALL THE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!
AND OH YES - THE BANANA BREAD MADE WITH ALMOND MEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'M RUNNING TO THE PANTRY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So not the effect I was shooting for.
*sigh*
LOL
my 8-year old friend eva doesn't even LIKE peanut butter, and I think it's mostly because peanut butter has been effectively removed from the childhood palette due to peanut paranoia.
the school i use to work at banned peanuts from the campus entirely, and so the "alternative" sandwich to the hot lunch (there was no bringing your own lunch to this school) was TUNA FISH.
Oh MY GOD. I would have died a thousand deaths as a kid eating a tuna fish sandwich. Come to think of it, I pretty much still feel that way, given that I like neither tuna (unless it is in steak form) nor mayonaise (however you spell it).
Good luck to you, oh soon to be parent, on avoiding the freakish nature of parenting today. even if you aren't one, it still surrounds you :>
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