Nut allergies are no joke
Re “The nuts behind kids’ allergies,” Opinion, Jan. 9
OK, Joel, I accept your point that I am lame.
I’m a yuppie mom: I drive an SUV, I take yoga classes, I almost named my son Aiden, and I do all kinds of other things that hip guys like you find terribly stupid and annoying. But really, does that give you the right to encourage people to kill my kid?
Your misinformed article is the reason moms like me are so neurotic when it comes to allergies. So I’m begging you: Scratch my Yukon, make fun of my values on your blog, but please, please don’t kill my kid. He’s only 3.
Holly Edwards
La Crescenta
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How wonderful that Joel Stein figured out that the allergy epidemic was all in the heads of silly parents!
I guess we liberals have too much time and money on our hands, so we find ways to entertain ourselves, like being scared to death of the food our children consume.
I’m so relieved to find out that the two EpiPens I carry around are unnecessary. I can carry around a smaller purse now! Thank goodness.
I guess I can let go of the memory of how, at 3 years old, my daughter started choking and breaking out in hives after eating one cashew, because it was obviously all in my head. The allergist must be remiss as well for prescribing the EpiPens after the tests came back positive for certain tree nuts. He must be part of the mass hysteria.
Cheryl Dorfman
Woodland Hills
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When The Times, a reputable source, allows an opinion columnist to disperse medical misinformation, it makes life even more difficult for my adult son, who lives with and manages an anaphylactic peanut allergy.
My son’s survival often necessitates the cooperation of others.
Why not stick with comedy and leave serious medical situations out of your opinion pieces, Mr. Stein?
Margaret Kirsch
Los Angeles
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Stein makes many good points in his commentary about hysterical parents. Of course, we tend to overprotect our children in many different ways. I am not so sure that using nut allergies to make the point was wise.
Nobody is helped if “everybody” thinks that their child is allergic. I urge you, however, to use a column to share the plight of those who will die within minutes if they eat a small piece of one peanut. For them, this is not a joke.
Mona Engvig
Harbor City
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Once again, Stein has stooped to a new low. His satire is insulting and anything but funny.
Most of my work is with city trees and pollen allergies. I am continually amazed at the lack of empathy given to people with allergies by those who are lucky enough not to have them.
Thomas Leo Ogren
San Luis Obispo
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As I was sitting in my kitchen, licking the last smudges of peanut butter from an enormous spoon, reading Stein’s funny piece, it suddenly dawned on me -- terrorists only need to rent a small plane and drop peanuts on us to bring us back to Orange Alert.
Of course the problem is real for certain kids. I wanted to show my support for Stein because he says what many of us think -- but don’t have the time, courage or, more important, the talent to say.
Giovanni Lovatelli
Los Angeles