Media rant! Grr!

[prancer53]

Ok, so this is my bug bear (I hope this falls within the rules as I'm not bashing any type of diabetes)...

I am seriously getting so sick of the general ignorance, perpetrated by the newpapers/media in general about the grouping/generalisation that EVERYBODY has T2 & the only form of diabetes is T2!

It's like, every headline is a scaremongering tactic, or a branding that all diabetics are unfit or overweight when this is so not the case! It's like, in the headline it says diabetes. It doesn't specify even in the storyline that leading an unhealthy lifestyle can contribute to type 2. Nor does it say that not every type 2 has the condition because of the lifestyle they have or haven't led! It also brands everyone the same, which we are so not.

Then when I meet people & they're like "Oh, so you must have had a really unhealthy diet/been a fat kid?" and I'm like "NO! I got the flu & my body attacked itself!" or the most infuriating of them all, coming from non-diabetic, non professional people who've read a newpaper article/seen a report on the news & now assume all diabetics need to live a carb free/sugar free diet! Drives me crazy!

I blame the media entirely for peoples' ignorance. I also believe there should be more education about diabetes & it's catagories in schools. It was bad enough when I was at school & the only person in my entire school to have diabetes, nobody knew anything about it at that time & there were a lot fewer diabetics out there, but now there are so many of us, there's no reason there shouldn't be more education out there.

Rant over. I feel much better!!!

It's not just the media that get it wrong--my gp thinks my diabetes is type 2 when in fact I have had type 1 for 54 years. She seems to confuse my 62 years of age with having type 2. I keep on correcting her but she never listens.Have now given up--hardly ever have to see her anyway....................

 

[ickihun]

I'm sorry type 1s get labelled as .......... the same as type 2s.
With the incorrect assumption for both/all parties.

It would make a refreshing change for them to get it right.

Superfit people can develop diabetes when they're no longer superfit.
That's life. Nothing stays the same.

Let me leave you with this thought.
If we all became superfit due to new but new wrong health advice to get more active and only eat super foods.
Wouldn't insulin resistance affect even more people?
I rest my type 2 insulin resistant case!

 

[CollieBoy]

The problem is the terms "Type1 Diabetes" and "Type 2 Diabetes" one character difference is just too small for the typical journo to work out!
Even more worrying is that "trained" HCPs can't distinguish either!!

 

[Robinredbreast]

It's not just the media that get it wrong--my gp thinks my diabetes is type 2 when in fact I have had type 1 for 54 years. She seems to confuse my 62 years of age with having type 2. I keep on correcting her but she never listens.Have now given up--hardly ever have to see her anyway....................

Actually, at times I think we should be in the medical professionals rooms/chairs and giving them advice !!