Don’t Be That Person: A Halloween PSA

One of the many Seasons of Copious Amounts of Sugary Treats (in this case, Halloween) is upon us.

With great amounts of candy comes a a great responsibility that most people don’t even realize is a responsibility.

That responsibility is to not be That Person who makes Halloween related diabetes jokes online or in real life.

It’s not cute.

It’s not funny.

And it’s not anywhere near factual.

Sugar does not cause any type of diabetes, no matter how much people want to use it as a way blame people for a disease that they have little to no control over developing. That’s right, little to no control. Even type 2 diabetes, the kind uninformed and insensitive people just love making fat jokes about, has more to it than just weight.

So this Halloween, don’t be That Person who makes “wise cracks” like “I ate sooo much candy I’m gonna get diabetes” or “I can taste the diabeetus.” Don’t be That Person who posts pictures of candy or other Halloween treats on Tumblr and tags the photos as “diabetes.”

Also, don’t be That Person who posts otherwise cute Halloween-y fandom things (or non-Halloween-y fandom things) and throws diabetes into a discussion of candy or into a discussion of how cute characters are or how cute characters are together.

Don’t do any of these things. They are cute. They aren’t funny. They’re hurtful and harmful and spread misinformation which adds to the stigma and the shame that often follows the word “diabetes.”

Millions of people all over the world deal with this chronic disease. There is no cure for type 1; insulin is only a treatment. Type 2 can sometimes be controlled by diet and exercise, but sometimes that alone is not enough.

People with diabetes are people, not punchlines.

So this Halloween? Don’t be That Person.