I want to make it perfectly clear that the following is my opinion and I am NOT talking about everyone in our community nor all posts on this thread. I am speaking about my general unease about some of our communitie's actions and specifically about the Pembleton article. The following is my perspective.
While I feel Pembletons article to be distasteful, and the issues raised by him are indeed troublesome, I think we need to focus our energies on this issue in a different way.
Unfortunately, the very same criticisms of Pembleton are, IMHO, being used by some posters on this thread.
Sweeping generalization such as all doctor's are stupid. Scientists are incompetent and there is a conspiracy behind everything that happens..Conspiracy theories which run amuck and are not backed up by fact but are opinions. Nothing wrong with opinions but state it as such. Asking patients if they really are sick, is not acceptable. Using the sick card to the extent it gets tiresome and only makes readers eyes glaze over is not conducive to motivate others to read. Well, he probably didn't get that much hate mail. Even posts that are of a violent nature appear in this thread.
All this under the guise that yes we are mad about this DD and that justifies doing unconscionable things. What does this say of us? It says that we are condoning inappropriate acts for us and at the same time condemning others for doing the same thing. Aggression, instead of assertiveness..
Yes,I am sick and tired of this DD and how we are treated. I do want things to change. The issues are very real. It's the way some people are reacting that I find troublesome.
Whlie anger can motivate action for change, it's when that anger controls us that we become unproductive. Choose your behavior, prioritize what we need to focus on instead of reacting in a knee jerk way. I understand the anger, I have it myself.
Unfortunately, what could have sparked a healthy discussion (or even debate) regarding the article as well as other issues around me/cfs,we have devolved into an “us vs. them” mentality. The comments shared weren’t anything new. In fact, they continue to rehash arguments that seem to be age-old.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the reaction Pembleton had in mind all along. The more controversy, the more readers.
There's only one sentence in Pembleton's article that I liked:
“The minority of militant sufferers are doing the majority a tremendous disservice by scaring off doctors and scientists from working in the area”
If we don't speak out against these militants, just like we should be speaking out to those reducing our illness to psychological manifectations, then we are perpetuating and walking into the very inaccurate and damaging stereotype we are trying to avoid.
Barb C.:>)
While I feel Pembletons article to be distasteful, and the issues raised by him are indeed troublesome, I think we need to focus our energies on this issue in a different way.
Unfortunately, the very same criticisms of Pembleton are, IMHO, being used by some posters on this thread.
Sweeping generalization such as all doctor's are stupid. Scientists are incompetent and there is a conspiracy behind everything that happens..Conspiracy theories which run amuck and are not backed up by fact but are opinions. Nothing wrong with opinions but state it as such. Asking patients if they really are sick, is not acceptable. Using the sick card to the extent it gets tiresome and only makes readers eyes glaze over is not conducive to motivate others to read. Well, he probably didn't get that much hate mail. Even posts that are of a violent nature appear in this thread.
All this under the guise that yes we are mad about this DD and that justifies doing unconscionable things. What does this say of us? It says that we are condoning inappropriate acts for us and at the same time condemning others for doing the same thing. Aggression, instead of assertiveness..
Yes,I am sick and tired of this DD and how we are treated. I do want things to change. The issues are very real. It's the way some people are reacting that I find troublesome.
Whlie anger can motivate action for change, it's when that anger controls us that we become unproductive. Choose your behavior, prioritize what we need to focus on instead of reacting in a knee jerk way. I understand the anger, I have it myself.
Unfortunately, what could have sparked a healthy discussion (or even debate) regarding the article as well as other issues around me/cfs,we have devolved into an “us vs. them” mentality. The comments shared weren’t anything new. In fact, they continue to rehash arguments that seem to be age-old.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the reaction Pembleton had in mind all along. The more controversy, the more readers.
There's only one sentence in Pembleton's article that I liked:
“The minority of militant sufferers are doing the majority a tremendous disservice by scaring off doctors and scientists from working in the area”
If we don't speak out against these militants, just like we should be speaking out to those reducing our illness to psychological manifectations, then we are perpetuating and walking into the very inaccurate and damaging stereotype we are trying to avoid.
Barb C.:>)