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Last night one of the story lines on 30 Rock revolved around allergies.
A couple of the characters suffered from food allergies. The reactions of the other cast members exhibited extreme insensitive and ignorance about the seriousness of food allergies. First there was Liz Lemon’s (Tina Fey) declaring that allergies were not real and merely psychosomatic. Then Jenna (Jana Krackowski) intentionally spiked Kenneth’s (Jack McBrayer) food with strawberries. Yes, she knew he was extremely allergic to strawberries. Her motivation was to see the cute EMT who responded to the earlier call again. Of course her plan failed. Kenneth faked an allergic reaction to teach Jenna a lesson. In the end, Jenna confesses to Kenneth. In an effort to be a good friend Kenneth intentionally ingests strawberries so she can call 911 again.
***End Alert***
Yes, I know they make fun of everything on 30 Rock. However last night’s episode crossed the line. As someone who suffers from several food and medicine allergies I am outraged by this story line.
Unfortunately, many today still believe as Liz Lemon that allergies are not real. Somehow they are just imagined or the delusions of a picky eater. I have actually had people chew me out for checking to see if food was safe for me to eat. I’ve been told that it is rude and I should be grateful for the food. I even had one co-worker who was determined to break me of my pickiness by openly attempting to block my efforts to determine if the food was safe. When I would explain the situation the co-worker would reply that the acid in orange juice (one of the foods I’m allergic to) gave her an upset stomach too and that I should just take a tums. I am allergic to two of my favorite foods and if it were that simple to get over the allergies I would. I’ve had another adult lie to me about ingredients in food because we were eating with people from a culture where it was rude to refuse food. It seems to me that it would be less offensive to ask rather than die from an allergic reaction.
Another element I found offensive was how 30 Rock made light of the seriousness of allergies. Honestly, I don’t know anyone with allergies who would knowingly ingest allergens for some crazy scheme. There is a common misunderstanding that a “little bit” won’t hurt you. My response is no it can kill me.
Food allergies pose a serious health risk for many. While my allergy to strawberries has never been that serious my reaction to oranges and shellfish can be quite serious. I can have a reaction to shellfish without even having ingested it. All I have to do is be near where it is being cooked. Many simple things like eating out, buffets, a church dinner, remember which resturants garinsh plates with fruit or even getting an ice cream cone can lead to a potentially life threatening reaction.
