RANT: I'm right and you're wrong is in the eye of the beholder

I’ve been met with some disturbing phenomena on another D-forum. To be honest, I don’t know if the same situation exists on TuDiabetes (maybe it does), because I read its forums less often.

Rant #1:
First of all, we have the personality conflicts of those with posting styles such that everything they post has a “this is what I do/this is my answer, everyone should be doing this” vibe, which quickly turns into X’s continuing, permanent agenda, vs. those who believe that there is no one answer to everything (or anything!), and that each person has the right to decide for themselves what is right for them without being labeled ‘bad’ or lacking in some way, acknowledging that what may work for some or even many may not work for them, and that’s okay, because we’re all different. This puts them into conflict with the “No! There’s only one way, and it’s my way, and anyone who doesn’t follow it is stupid/ill-informed/dumb/deserving of whatever they get.” And there are so many(!) people who don’t seem to “get” that they need to get with the program and do whatever X says, that X feels called upon to repeat his or her mantra with every post they make, on any subject with the forum, like a broken record. I realize that these are people who communicate this way about everything in their lives, not just about the Big D, but dang, it gets OLD, and really annoying. I’m a very ‘live and let live’, do whatever works for you sort of person, about most things, not just diabetes. I give people credit for having their own viewpoints and opinions, which may be different than mine. I feel no need to crusade and evangelize for my POV and make sure that everyone gets with my program. Am I the wisest person in the universe? Heck no - and nobody else is either, but many of them present as if they are!

Rant #2:
Why are so many people all or nothing, totally black or white? If you’re not this, you’re automatically that? I’m also a person who believes in middle grounds and gray areas. Very few things in this life are totally one way or another. Mitigating circumstances are real, not just ‘excuses.’

Yet I read comments where people say they have no problems eating small portions of foods, and in the next sentence start talking about emotional eaters and over-eaters, and go from talking about microportions of foods to restaurant sized portions, with the inference that if you don’t eat one way you must be in the other category. What about the people (the vast majority) who are in the middle and neither eat like mice nor pig out? I guess they don’t exist.

It’s also either “very low carb” or “too many carbs (for anyone)”, i.e. I have to eat this low carb to keep my BG within a certain range", so everybody else should too - whether or not everybody else actually needs to eat as low carb to keep their BG at a good level - you should do what I do anyway, because if you don’t, one day you’ll PAY, bwahahaha!

As I said, I haven’t seen these discussions here at TuD - y’all seem to be a much more realistic bunch, and not so anal about ‘if it works for me it has to work for everyone’, and ‘I have THE answer to your D-problems’, and there also seems to be more of an emphasis on living a happy and satisfying life with diabetes, vs. 'Oh, the sacrifices I’ve made for my A1c!"

Annoying and boring at the same time. That’s life, but I needed to rant :wink:

i agree with this post 100%! i don’t like it when people think there’s only one way to do things, especially w/ something as indvidual as diabetes. i, too, think it’s very annoying and that those people are ignorant. we’ll listen to your rants =) have a great weekend!!!

I love how you think! :slight_smile:

Jeff, I definitely agree with you, no worries. I’m a big ‘Type’ person, and as an INFJ, you can imagine how telling me what do to affects me :wink: It’s not that I don’t understand what is probably often the underlying ‘cause’ of why these people respond the way they do, it’s just that it really annoys me, because I’m pretty much the opposite type. My allusion to Type above was that I noted that I thought people who post like this probably behave this way about everything in their lives, not just diabetes :wink: Their presentation is a manifestation of their Type.

And for those reading this, I don’t mean ‘type’ as in "I know your type, but as in Myers-Briggs Typing, one of the university and Big Business standards.

Well, I added a link for more Myers-Briggs info but it didn’t show up!

Ha! Vicki I am married to an INFJ and myself as well as our youngest are INFP’s you can imagine. I do things in a much different way because I have to to treat my D. I get many people telling me it is wrong but it works for me and it does not bother me if people think I am wrong that is ok. :slight_smile: What bothers me is when people prevent me from maybe helping someone else who might need to try a different way to help themselves. Either way people here are pretty open and accepting of differences. If there was one way we would all be doing it and have no problem controlling our D. Sadly that is not the case.
Be well and be loved

PS hubby and I get along just fine…he keeps my feat on the ground and I keep showing him the silver lining if you will.