I legitimately don’t care about autism, peanut allergies, gluten free, etc. campaigns. Most people involved are so self righteous and demeaning to others.
Just last week I saw a “mother” ask a store clerk if they carried a gluten-free version of some item. They politely said they did not nor could they order any, and suggested the customer contact the corporate office to make a product request.
The mother than proceed to tell the child, in front of the clerk “Let’s go somewhere where everyone cares about real people” and flipped the clerk the bird. I was nearby and said to the clerk, with the crazy mother still present, “great job at begin professional with someone like that, I will let you manger know.” She told me to “go F**k yourself” and stomped off.
The worst part is that a lot of these “epidemic” sufferers are fakes. Not the kids, mind you, they don’t know any better, but the parents. There is a certain contingent that seems to decide that their children have some malady, just so that they can demand special treatment, I think. It seems to be a low level form of Munchausen by Proxy syndrome.
I had this feeling when the surge of ADD/Autism diagnoses hit, and it was confirmed by studies showing that diagnoses increased in areas where one child was diagnosed. The diseases aren’t contagious, so that means that someone (parents, or a doctor or teacher) was pushing for false diagnoses simply based on social exposure.
Recently, they have come to similar conclusions about the upsurge in food allergy diagnoses. Studies have shown that at least half of children whose parents claim they have food allergies actually have no food allergies when proper blind, controlled tests are performed.
It would be one thing for people who legitimately needed accommodation to be a bit unreasonable in demanding it, but when we’ve been catering to many who only have an imaginary need, it is infuriating.