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This was promted by a discussion of trying to have smokers and non-smokers co-exist peacefully at camping events, but has wider application:
Do *not* claim to be allergic/asthmatic/etc unless you actually are.
People *claiming* allergies and other *serious* reactions to things when in reality, they merely dislike (however intensely) something make it hard for those of us who really *do* NEED those things kept away from us to get people to listen.
Yes, it may be annoying having to put up with the disliked items especially when the person you've asked to stop is being a jerk about it.
But claiming a medical justification that you don't have just makes it more likely that the person will be a jerk to someone when it really *does* matter.
There are folks who've wound up in the hospital because those sorts of false claims have trained people to think "allergic to" means "don't like".
Do *not* claim to be allergic/asthmatic/etc unless you actually are.
People *claiming* allergies and other *serious* reactions to things when in reality, they merely dislike (however intensely) something make it hard for those of us who really *do* NEED those things kept away from us to get people to listen.
Yes, it may be annoying having to put up with the disliked items especially when the person you've asked to stop is being a jerk about it.
But claiming a medical justification that you don't have just makes it more likely that the person will be a jerk to someone when it really *does* matter.
There are folks who've wound up in the hospital because those sorts of false claims have trained people to think "allergic to" means "don't like".
