Pet peeve of mine.
Americans as a group are horribly neurotic about "getting sick." Americans think they deserve to live forever, and they try to do everything they can to make that happen.
When I was first diagnosed at age 2, the average life expectancy of a male with Marfan syndrome was early 20s, without drugs, lifestyle restrictions, surgery, or anything.
From 2-19, I was on heavy doses of beta blockers, and a very restricted lifestyle. My aorta reached 5.5 cm by the time I was 19, and after I had my "non-emergency" surgery, the surgeon told me that, had they done it a week later, I might have been dead.
On the one hand, I'm keenly aware of my own mortality, and there are all sorts of risks I just don't take. When I talk along these lines, people say I'm being a hypochondriac, or they say things like, "You'll outlive us all."
OTOH, from every direction, I get from people about all the things that "cause cancer," "cause diseaes," etc.
"Don't use [Product X] because it causes cancer."
"Use this vaccine because you don't want to get sick."
"Make sure you wash your hands because I don't want to get your germs."
It comes from all sides, all directions. The basic principle is there, whether you're an alternative medicine/chiropractic/herbal fanatic or you're all into antiseptics and traditional medicine.
Everyone is so afraid of getting sick, of having to suffer at all. Employers are so obsessed with working their employees like dogs that they want to stamp out the common cold.
28 May 2008, 11:06 pm
