Lethal allergies aren't your punchline
Statistics for the United States of America
TW: ableism, bullying, anaphylaxis
The fact that that has to be said is sad. The covid-19 pandemic unfortunately showed just how many people don't care about their fellow humans, and that number goes down when you throw in disabled people or something that might slightly inconvenience them.
Though I've heard about a lot of allergies, particularly food allergies, not being taken seriously, I'm going to specifically focus on peanut allergies and those who have them. I unfortunately have personal experience with this.
Peanut allergy is a "big 9" allergen, but is also the #1 cause of death from anaphylaxis. About 150 - 225 fatalities from anaphylaxis occur every year and 0.1% of ER visits for anaphylaxis are fatal. The number of Americans with severe allergies is increasing - 50% of people with allergies have experienced a severe reaction. I expect that number, and the fatality rate, to increase after the price hikes of Epipens, the cost of living crisis, and the American lack of universal healthcare. We've probably had low rates of anaphylactic deaths due to the diligence of food ingredient labeling and many people carrying an Epipen. The majority of allergic Americans might not be able to afford the lifesaving drug or an emergency room visit - certainly not an ambulance ride either!
Educational part is done, now back to the reason for this post: allergies aren't funny. For whatever reason, people with peanut allergies in particular have become the target of "jokes". The comedians have forgotten (or don't care) that jokes should end with everyone laughing. If at the end of your joke, several people are laughing at one person/a group of people who leave feeling like their existence is a major inconvenience and you'd like them to die for your own convenience or enjoyment - you're not telling a joke, you're being a bully. I don't know how to tell people that they should care about others and not wish that they die so you can eat trail mix; not automatically knowing this exhibits a severe defect in someone's humanity.
The most popular bully comedian that is guilty of this is Nigel Ng, who is most well known for his "Uncle Roger" character. He hides his ableism behind the mask of Uncle Roger - he's not saying it, it's just the character. When your YouTube channel of 8.37 million has multiple videos expressing your disdain for people with peanut allergies, calling them weak, encouraging them to eat peanuts anyway, and even trying to hand someone a plate of food with peanut oil - does it matter what mask you wear?
From Nigel Ng's YouTube channel, mrnigelng
There are numerous incidents of Nigel Ng, Uncle Roger, displaying his ableism proudly: he seems to wear it as a badge of honor and superiority for being able to eat peanuts. He labels them as weak quite frequently and tells tales of how his Malaysian parents "don't believe in food allergies" and sadly demonstrates that he knows that peanut allergy can be fatal!
The following may be disturbing and contains descriptions of the findings from autopsies performed in the UK and may contain graphic content. Reader discretion advised.
I am honestly speechless. How do you tell someone in multiple ways that you are laughing at a person's tortuous death? Perhaps a summary of an autopsy of someone who died of anaphylaxis:
Mucus plugs
Petechial hemorrhages (can occur in multiple areas, I've included 2 and all from living people)
Petechial hemorrhage in the eyes is also present in strangulation cases
An ankle
But it's only a joke! Don't take this so seriously! You're so sensitive and can't take a joke!
Let's look at some more great jokes courtesy of Mythical Kitchen, who were recreating Nigel Ng's fried rice recipe. Thankfully, Josh Scherer hasn't said all those things about peanut allergy, but assures us that he has thought about them but wouldn't ever say it. Then he says some.
I was frankly stunned that Mythical Kitchen had those lines. I mistakenly assumed that they were better than that - their Mythical Best. They don't go as far as Nigel Ng, but they do agree that people with peanut allergies are weak (twice for emphasis). Josh Scherer hints towards the classic elementary school bully line of "people with peanuts ruined [event] for everyone!" as if the absence of a cheap bag of low quality peanuts for a few hours would ruin the trip. If that is the case, seek help: you have an odd and severe addiction.
In order for Mythical Kitchen to decide if a five minute snack is worth the price of potentially killing someone, I'm providing a video of the parents of a child who died of anaphylaxis:
But we have Epipens and medical treatment available, so it's fine - right?
Even if someone has one allergic reaction, they can have another delayed one. Often, these are more aggressive than the first and can kill in one hour or less! Some are lucky and survive it:
From a local news channel
If this doesn't make it clear that peanut allergies and other allergies are serious and shouldn't be a marker for bullying, I don't think anything will.
It's possible to make fried rice without berating a man for a medical condition out of his control or test different oils without bullying, I promise. It's actually much easier to just not say anything.
I'm a writer with a small audience, so it's unlikely that this will be read by Nigel Ng or Mythical Kitchen, but if they do:
You can suck
Watch the video of the video I created to accompany the article by using the link here. For the full transcript of the video and the sources of clips used in the video, click here.
(Due to issues with the software that are being resolved by the company, I am unable to post this on YouTube. I will post it as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience)
An odd detail…
While doing research and getting the video done, I looked into Nigel Ng’s videos - specifically the Mei Mei food truck and “Auntie Liz”. I thought “peanut allergy man” could have been a paid actor. However - HE IS AUNTIE LIZ’S HUSBAND AND HE ACTUALLY HAS A PEANUT ALLERGY! He is helping them bully other people with peanut allergies and has filmed videos for them from afar to protect himself and invite people to make fun of people with his condition?
No hate, I just genuinely want you to consider this for a moment
