The Lupus Of News
9:58 AM Posted In lupus Edit This 5 Comments »
I'm not one who watches any of these late night commentary sort of shows found on Comedy Central. Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and the like really don't interest me. They are among the hundreds of commentators out there who really only let off steam. Sure, some parts of the general population find their shows to be amusing. I on the other hand, do not.
Last night Twitter was all a buzz because on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, Stewart called Fox news "The Lupus of news." I did not see the show live but this morning I found the show online and watched that particular segment. Really Stewart? The Lupus of news? You just used a medical condition that 99% of America has no real idea what it is. "Lupus? Oh that's just one of those weird made up diseases, it's not real." Stewart, I can promise you that a lot of people were having that exact thought.
What hurt me the most is that you used Lupus as a punchline to make your point. People on Twitter thought you were "genius." Genius is something you definitely are not. Anybody can make a low blow, even I can do that and I'm not considered a genius by the folks on Twitter.
Now some people thought I was taking it too personally because I went on a rage last night on Twitter. No, I was not taking it too personally. But notice how Stewart chose Lupus as his punch line. Why not Down's Syndrome? Why not Parkinson's Disease? Oh yeah, because his behind would have gotten handed to him by the entire world. He made it seem OK to poke fun at Lupus though. Well listen up world, IT'S NOT OK!
On Twitter, my Lupus friends and I make a lot of fun about Lupus. But we live with this cruel disease each and every day of our life. We take pills in order to survive. Pills that aren't actually created to treat Lupus, they were meant to treat other diseases. We know there is no cure and the chance of remission is slim. We are aware that in a split second Lupus can turn on us and literally shred our bodies to pieces. It is a serious and deadly disease that is widely misunderstood. But sometimes we have to make a joke in order to survive through the pain, the suffering, the agony.
You, Stewart appear to be ignorant about Lupus so you do not get to crack a joke about it. Until you take pills, get shots, and sit through infusions so you can live a difficult life, you don't get to make a joke. Until you have to live through each day with no energy, but you're expected to function like everyone else, you don't get to make a joke. Until you cry yourself to sleep at night from pain, you don't get to make a joke. Until you are faced with the signs of muscle, bone, and organ damage, you do not get to make a joke.
Stewart, you could NEVER survive a day in my shoes. By 9 AM you would be sticking a pistol in your mouth trying to commit suicide. You will never have the courage that us "Lupies" have. You will never have our strength, our perseverance, all you will ever have are your jokes. Eventually people will find you to be out of date and no longer funny. But us Lupies, our courage will live on forever. Unlike your commentary and jokes, courage is never forgotten.
Last night Twitter was all a buzz because on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, Stewart called Fox news "The Lupus of news." I did not see the show live but this morning I found the show online and watched that particular segment. Really Stewart? The Lupus of news? You just used a medical condition that 99% of America has no real idea what it is. "Lupus? Oh that's just one of those weird made up diseases, it's not real." Stewart, I can promise you that a lot of people were having that exact thought.
What hurt me the most is that you used Lupus as a punchline to make your point. People on Twitter thought you were "genius." Genius is something you definitely are not. Anybody can make a low blow, even I can do that and I'm not considered a genius by the folks on Twitter.
Now some people thought I was taking it too personally because I went on a rage last night on Twitter. No, I was not taking it too personally. But notice how Stewart chose Lupus as his punch line. Why not Down's Syndrome? Why not Parkinson's Disease? Oh yeah, because his behind would have gotten handed to him by the entire world. He made it seem OK to poke fun at Lupus though. Well listen up world, IT'S NOT OK!
On Twitter, my Lupus friends and I make a lot of fun about Lupus. But we live with this cruel disease each and every day of our life. We take pills in order to survive. Pills that aren't actually created to treat Lupus, they were meant to treat other diseases. We know there is no cure and the chance of remission is slim. We are aware that in a split second Lupus can turn on us and literally shred our bodies to pieces. It is a serious and deadly disease that is widely misunderstood. But sometimes we have to make a joke in order to survive through the pain, the suffering, the agony.
You, Stewart appear to be ignorant about Lupus so you do not get to crack a joke about it. Until you take pills, get shots, and sit through infusions so you can live a difficult life, you don't get to make a joke. Until you have to live through each day with no energy, but you're expected to function like everyone else, you don't get to make a joke. Until you cry yourself to sleep at night from pain, you don't get to make a joke. Until you are faced with the signs of muscle, bone, and organ damage, you do not get to make a joke.
Stewart, you could NEVER survive a day in my shoes. By 9 AM you would be sticking a pistol in your mouth trying to commit suicide. You will never have the courage that us "Lupies" have. You will never have our strength, our perseverance, all you will ever have are your jokes. Eventually people will find you to be out of date and no longer funny. But us Lupies, our courage will live on forever. Unlike your commentary and jokes, courage is never forgotten.
Bisous,
Erika
Erika
5 comments:
Bravo! Well said. Sometimes people have zero empathy for the suffering of the world, until it hits them. People like Jon Stewart unfortunately have followers that do not think for themselves. They think these entertainers are so cool and they can be cool too by following and fawning over them. Sometimes I wonder who really are the chronically ill ones.
Love You,
Ayah
Very well put!!!
A-freakin'-MEN!
He wouldn't have made fun of another illness! Well written!
Hi! That was a terrible thing to have done. And that was a wonderful thing you wrote. And no, I don't think you overreacted at all.
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