Tyranny of the Minority
In case there was any remaining doubt, the American public education system is now officially a joke.
They banned peanut butter--for all students--because one kid is allergic to it. But wait! It gets worse:
I am too astounded to even comment on this gross violation of logic.
They banned peanut butter--for all students--because one kid is allergic to it. But wait! It gets worse:
...the ban will likely follow the student into junior high and high school.
I am too astounded to even comment on this gross violation of logic.
posted by Jar(egg)head at 10:38
5 Comments:
Blink blink....my brain hurts. I'm getting a logic error somthin fierce. There are many food alergies, but last time I checked they are not AIRBORN!!!!!!!!! FREEKIN!!!!! PATHOGENS!!!! They have completly lost it. I would make the parents home school before I would ban the food for the rest of the school. It's their kid that has special needs. It's not the schools place to deal with it on that level.
sigh...I'm going to get some aspirin.
Later
Sorry, Churt and Jeff, You two are wrong on this one.
The peanut allergy can be set off by the airborne presence of the peanut oils from the food. This isn't like a normal food allergy where you have to ingest it. This reason is why you no longer have peanuts on airplanes.
I know a couple of kids with peanut allergies and the allergies are freakin' scary.
Nobody knows why this has become such a problem, but the number of peanut allergies in kids has sky rocketed since we were kids.
Most schools and day cares ban peanut products if they have a kid with the allergy.
I must diagree, Shark. I titled the post "tyranny of the minority" for a reason. The problem with this sort of thing is where you draw the line.
Surely you're not seriously suggesting that peanut butter particles can become airborne pathogens? I can maybe see the particulates from peanut husks becoming airborne, but I have a very difficult time believing that peanut butter is a potential bio-weapon.
Is it fair to inconvenience everyone else because of a very small minority, no matter whether there is medical validation? What about kids who are allergic to milk? Should we remove milk from the school, "just to be on the safe side?" This entire incident smacks of the precautionary principle. This is exactly the same princple as the smoking ban currently spreading through restaurants, and even bars. The evidence for second-hand smoke damage simply doesn't exist. It's an urban myth that's been used to leverage bad legislation because of a few people who want to whine about smoke bothering them. Fine, then don't go in a fucking bar.
The tyranny of the minority is what's leading us down the garden path to a social police state, and every chip out of the foundation of majority rule--no matter how valid it may seem to some--brings us one step closer to a restrictive, state-run society. Obviously the school feared lawsuits over the potential issues involved, so they simply reacted reflexively and banned it. A "voluntary ban" (non-sequiter) perhaps, but the reaction is the important part; they were, for all intents and purposes, perform the legal equivalent of covering their balls and turning away.
Which brings us back to tort law.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: tort reform is the single most important issue facing this nation. If they aren't reined in, and soon, the greed of unscrupulous lawyers is going to be the death of our society.
Don't we need to take this to the next level. This kid goes on with his education. I can see the press now "A&M bans PB&J sandwiches.". Once he enters the work force won't we need to carry this forward "Planters employee files workmans comp claim". I hear the folks with a alergy to bee's are mounting a petition to Mother Nature. The lawyers are screaming sue the bitch
Sorry Shark, but you need to read a little more. Here is a link to an explanation http://eslkid.com/msgboard.mv?parm_func=showmsg+parm_msgnum=1001433
As Jeff and Anonymous point out, how far are you going to take this. You could let the child eat in the classroom away from the other children. Yes, I know, he will be behind socialy because he can't interact at lunch. Maybe the child will turn out to be a genious because he had more time to contemplate the universe in piece. Who knows? He could even wear a filter mask in the lunch room while he's not eating. Once again, not the schools place to deal with this on that level.
Later
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