by Ty Schadt, Sports Editor
I identify with several powerful entities that act explosively and value feelings over facts. One is Kentucky basketball. We fans burn couches when the Cats win big games and threaten referees when they don’t. But if Wildcat fanhood can be summed up by flames on State Street, the food allergy family, another group I associate with, could be compared to a lit match in a room full of fireworks. And boy, was it like the Fourth of July for us in mid-February.
“Peter Rabbit,” a movie based on the age-old book, was released in theaters Feb. 9. By Feb. 12, #boycottpeterrabbit was trending on Twitter. According to Sky News, the film features a scene where Peter Rabbit and several of his bunny friends hurl blackberries at a character named Mr. McGregor, knowing full well he is allergic to the fruit. Mr. McGregor enters anaphylactic shock and must use an epinephrine pen (Epi Pen). The Kids with Food Allergies posted a warning on Twitter, claiming the scene is an example of food allergy bullying and calling for a boycott of the film. Responses flooded in: some supportive, some negative.
The discussion caught my attention because I’m allergic to peanuts. I have never experienced food allergy bullying, but I have experienced anaphylactic shock. I feel I can offer an interesting perspective on the “Peter Rabbit” issue; one that doesn’t support the notion of boycotting the movie nor the call for those who choose to boycott to toughen up, but proposes solutions that are of each side’s best interest.
Perhaps the response would not have been so drastic if Mr. McGregor hadn’t experienced anaphylaxis: a symptom of a severe allergic reaction that launches one into shock, dropping one’s blood pressure and narrowing one’s airways. The character may very well have passed away if not for the Epi Pen, a device that blasts adrenaline into the user’s body to fight back the reaction.
The thought of dying because of something you’ve eaten is terrifying, and that’s the reason the food allergy community was in uproar last month. I learned of the news through Twitter, where one of my former high school teachers claimed the proposition of boycotting the film for such a miniscule cause as an allergic reaction was what happens in a culture when “it has no real issues to solve” and “it refuses to engage with its real issues.”
I disagree with him. According to Food Allergy and Research Education, 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies. While the prospect of potentially losing a loved one due to them being forced to consume a known allergen may not be a real issue for him, it is for many. However, I understand slanderers of the boycott may lack that perspective.
His tweet was a response to another, which was responding to another, and before I knew it I was deep down the rabbit hole (pun intended). Tom Murray, the director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools and father to children with food allergies, posted this warning to his account: “Do NOT go see the new Peter Rabbit movie. Finding ‘humor’ in bullying by Peter and his friends to an allergy friend (who then needs an Epi) is sickening.”
I also disagree with Murray. In all honesty, advocating for a boycott of this film might be the worst thing that the food allergy community could do because there is so much to be taught through what is shown.
Here’s how I see it: if I’m a parent taking my non-allergic kid to see “Peter Rabbit,” maybe I use it to drive home the mantra “treat others how you want to be treated.” Maybe I explain a food allergy, and why it’s not something to joke about or tease others over.
If I’m a parent of a kid with a food allergy, maybe I use the scene as an example to represent the severity of food allergies, and the consequences that can come when they aren’t taken seriously. It seems the food allergy community is always begging for attention, but when some finally comes, they don’t embrace it for what it is. Even examples of things not to do can be eye-opening.
It’s all about perspective and taking the time to see how you can learn from something, not about how many ripples your opinion can make in the pond, whether we’re talking about anaphylaxis, animated kids’ movies or, in this case, a combination of both.
Photo via Wikicommons
