Opinion: Crossfit Offended Diabetics Everywhere

By Rebecca DravisiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

Crossfit offended diabetics around the world with offensive tweets linking drinking Coke to getting diabetes. But for those diabetics who are insulin-dependent, a Coke can actually save their lives when their blood sugar goes low.

I have seen first-hand the war that diabetes rages on the body.

I have an uncle who is blind. An aunt who is on dialysis. A daughter who battles highs and lows every day.

It's a disease that wreaks havoc on your life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no vacations from diabetes. No time off. Not even so much as a coffee break.

This is what diabetes of both kinds - type one and type two - does to a person. It's not a laughing matter.

That's why I and so many other people touched by diabetes get so offended when we hear jokes about diabetes. And we hear them often. The Little Debbie snack cake Internet meme with the word "diabeetus" written on it. The new Starbucks drink dubbed by social media trolls as "diabetes in a cup." And this week, a lame attempt at a joke by whoever was manning the Twitter feeds at the headquarters of the fitness company Crossfit, who thought putting a bottle of Coke followed by the phrase "open diabetes" was funny. (Followed by the even more insensitive tweet purportedly from the company's CEO: "Make sure you pour some out for your dead homies.")

This tweet drew the anger of the "diabetes online community," of which I am a full-fledged member. From everyday people to celebrities like singer Nick Jonas and chef Sam Talbot, both of whom have type one diabetes, the response to Crossfit was swift and overwhelmingly disgusted by their insensitivity. The disgust quickly turned to anger as Crossfit refused to apologize for being insensitive or misleading, sticking to their story that Coke does cause diabetes. Here are some comments I gathered from my online groups:

Christine from Washington said she is "disgusted" by Crossfit spreading false information: "Whether they are talking about type one diabetes or type two diabetes, the lack of sensitivity to those fighting this battle is unbelievable. Have some compassion for others fighting this battle, instead of making a joke of it. They owe many people an apology, and they should be ashamed of themselves."

Kathi from Connecticut, who has a teenager daughter with type one diabetes, posted a complaint right to Crossfit's Facebok page, saying the company had been "idiotic" in its tweets: "Life is frustrating enough for all of the adults and children living with type one diabetes. While they probably never even considered type one when they created this whole debacle, the fact is it exists and they didn't put enough forethought into their actions ahead of time. Now though, they are trying to backpedal and claim they are trying to raise awareness for all types of diabetes. We all know that's not the case."

Jennifer from Oregon, who has a teenage son with type one diabetes, said it makes her sad that people are so quick to laugh at a disease: "My wish is that people understand that diabetes is awful and deadly and not funny at all. To Crossfit: I'm disgusted by your pride and lack of sympathy for those you have hurt. Your message is clear: You will say what ever you want, even if it's from bad sources, and you don't care about truth. Even when it affects millions that follow you. You don't care."

Sarah from Ohio, whose son was diagnosed with type one diabetes at age 4, said tweets like this just contribute to the bullying of all people with diabetes: "One would never poke fun at breast cancer or leukemia, so don't do it to diabetics, regardless of which type."

Julie from Arkansas with a son with type one said she was "enraged" by Crossfit and pointed out that diabetics who are insulin-dependent often need sugar (like from a can of Coke) to bring their glucose back to safe levels: "They represent fitness? Cokes saves T1D's lives when they are having lows. I will choose to spend my money and encourage my friends on other products until this is resolved."



Nicole from Delaware said she usually tries to ignore people who are ignorant or correct them, and while this has "ticked her off" she has seen a bright side: "In their ignorance, a band of angry mommas have come together and blew up social media. Type one is now getting the national attention it deserves. In all the drama, something is coming of this, people are being educated. I just found myself almost wanting to thank that pathetic, muscle milk-drinking slug of a CEO, because without his ignorance and arrogance type one or diabetes as a whole wouldn't be getting any of this attention."

Jen from Texas summed it up nicely: "It makes me mad that discrimination against those with disabilities is still OK in this day and age in the USA."

I could have included many, many more responses to the absurdity of Crossfit's claims. A bottle of Coke does not cause diabetes. Drinking too many sugary beverages like Coke (or Pepsi or sweetened ice tea or lemonade or sugar-added juice) can contribute to obesity, which can lead to type two diabetes, but it's way too simplistic to think that if you drink a Coke now and then you will get diabetes - and die. Type two diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is much more complicated than that. And Coke most certainly does not cause type one diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease that has nothing to do with diet. It's organ failure due to an autoimmune response.

Let me be perfectly clear: I know drinking a lot of ANY kind of sugary drinks is not healthy. I think most people know that. Crossfit, as a company that claims to be dedicated to health and fitness, is well within its rights to take on a huge industry it believes sells a product that goes against its beliefs. And had they just attacked Coke, those of us who had seen the tweet probably would have laughed at two companies taking each other on. We might have even agreed with them!

But instead, the tweet drew a direct line between the product - Coke - and a disease - diabetes - that just does not exist. And by adding the line about "dead homies," it mocked the people who fight this dreadful disease every day in hopes of not dying from it.

The reaction from the type one diabetes community was harsh. We do not like to see the word "diabetes" without the words "type one" or "type two" in front of them. And that's because the shaming that goes on around type two diabetes often trickles down to ALL diabetics. You must be fat, lazy, unhealthy, etc., to get diabetes, people smirk. So the type one community hates being associated with that, because anyone can get type one - not just fat, lazy and unhealthy people. Babies get it. Little preschoolers like my daughter get it. And when people think only fat, lazy and unhealthy people get diabetes, they bully all of those people who are none of those things, shame them into hiding their chronic condition and possibly even prevent funding from going to find a cure for all kind of diabetes so no one ever has to live with this disease again.

The truth is, there are a lot of fat, lazy and unhealthy people who have type two diabetes, and a lot of fat, lazy and unhealthy people who don't. And there many fit, trim and healthy people who have type two diabetes, too.

Yes, Crossfit, that is the truth. Your unfunny and simplistic graphic and accompanying tweets show just how ignorant you are about diabetes. Your refusal to apologize and your counter attacks on people like Nick Jonas show that as a corporate entity your leaders are filled with arrogance and self-righteousness. How you can claim to want to help people get fit is beyond me. That would require empathy, and it's clear you have none.

Crossfit, you can make this right. Apologize and donate some money to the American Diabetes Association or JDRF, organizations that help people coping with this vicious, unpredictable, relentless disease live a full, healthy life - and help them understand that they are more than the butt of a joke.

Rebecca Dravis is the community editor at iBerkshires.com and parent of a 9-year-old with type one diabetes (who was a slender, non-Coke-drinking 4-year-old when she was diagnosed). She can be reached at rdravis@iberkshires.com.


Tags: diabetes,   health,   social media,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories