I've also been reading the comments on these articles and videos. A common theme from the right is that liberal people are malicious or spiteful in not believing Dr. Jackson because it means that they want him to be sick. Yes, there are plenty of people who *want* him to be sick. I'm not one of them. I would love for our President to be healthy. My concern is that 1. most people have at least some health issues, and 2. it is patently clear that he is one of them.
oh, and by the way, Hillary Clinton isn't our President, so stop commenting on her health, okay? She's a retired grandmother. Leave her alone.
NO HEALTH ISSUES
Mr. Donald Trump is in his 70s. Age is the leading cause of health problems. How is he unique in this respect? He has had health problems in the past.
Here are some somatic health issues young and otherwise healthy people have: allergies, old sports injuries, headaches, lactose intolerance, anemia, gingivitis, and eczema. Psychologically, depression and anxiety are extremely common in mild forms.
Fully functional young people may have these chronic illnesses: type i diabetes, lupus, hyper- or hypothyroid, asthma, migraines, psoriasis, celiac disease, and high cholesterol. A lot of people who prosthetics. More severe forms of depression and anxiety are common, and people can function pretty well with those as well as obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.
These lists are not all-inclusive.
You probably wouldn't even know about people in your life having these health issues. They exist and will not improve with age. It is statistically very unlikely that an otherwise healthy and active person who has previously suffered from a documented disability experiences no health issues.
But we know that our President is not otherwise healthy and active. Both my husband and brother are close to 6'3" and 240 pounds. My brother runs marathons and is extremely physically dense. My husband has very broad shoulders and a bit of a dad-bod. They both have perfectly reasonably-sized asses and are able to go about their lives without impediment from their weight.
We have seen our President winded from short walks, and he uses a cart while golfing. Here we add the health issues of a sedentary lifestyle: cardiovascular disease, type ii diabetes, colon cancer, and osteoporosis. In fact, the WHO has stated the physical inactivity is the leading cause of disease and disability.
We also know that our President consumes a diet high in simple sugars and sodium because of the amount of McDonald's food he eats. There are plenty of "liberal" articles on it, but go ahead and check out the source: McDonald's nutrition facts. The average amount of sugar per item menu is 25 grams, and the highest is 128 grams!
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of sugar per day for an adult male. Consuming too much sugar leads to obesity, heart and liver disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, cancer, and cavities.
"But he drinks DIET Coke," you protest. Great segue! Thank you!
DENTAL HEALTH
Diet Coke contains phosphoric acid. It's added for tartness. It also is, you know, an acid, and is not good for your teeth. I'm not going to get too deep into this argument primarily because I don't care exactly how much phosphoric acid you need to damage your teeth. What I do know is that most dentists say that, if you're going to drink colas, use a straw and brush your teeth afterwards because allowing the soda to hang out on your teeth leads to cavities and decalcification.
Our President's teeth are regularly bathed in sugar and phosphoric acid. For most people, that would lead to dental issues. Apparently for him, though, his teeth are great. No problems, and certainly no dentures, says the man who is not a dentist.
Let's be really honest with ourselves here: when's the last time your dentist told you that you have no dental issues?
On a personal note, I found it very offensive that having dentures seemed to be a problem. The fact that dentures exist is awesome. My mother-in-law lost her eight front teeth in a car accident, and the implants failed. She doesn't like her bridge because it's, you know, not her real teeth, but she certainly likes being able to eat apples. I also lost a tooth from a car accident, but I was fortunate enough that a root canal and crown allowed me to keep a tooth in my head.
And here's the really weird part: Why was the sentiment, "no dentures, no dementia," repeated so often? Are those two on even remotely similar planes of importance? One is medical technology that makes the world better for a lot of people, and the other can prevent a person from functioning on a basic level. Let's talk more about that.
MENTAL HEALTH
Dr. Jackson does not work in mental health. An ethical psychiatrist or psychologist will not diagnose a patient they have not personally examined. That said, 1. an ethical psychiatrist or psychologist still knows when a person *should* be evaluated, and 2., I'm neither a psychiatrist or psychologist. I'm a lay person who was frightened by a tweet ended with gibberish, mid-sentence for hours from someone who is supposed to be in charge of really important things. I'm a regular ol' Jane who listened to the man say that news agencies wrote him letters of congratulations and that they probably wish they hadn't written those letters... and then he seemed to forget what he was talking about, and I think of my grandfather who died of alzheimer's disease. Setting aside everything else, I have serious doubts about his cognitive abilities because of incidences like these. Whether he has a mental illness or is just mean isn't what I'm concerned about right at this moment.
WHAT QUALIFIES ME AS A SNOWFLAKE
Here are the "snowflake" things I believe:
- What other people do with their genitals is none of my business.
- Two adults capable of entering into legal contracts should be able to get married.
- Clothing and toys are inanimate objects that don't have gender.
- All humans should be afforded the basic dignity of safety and autonomy.
- People who are unable to work, especially children, should not suffer and die from illnesses and injuries that are preventable or treatable with reasonable medical care.
- No one should starve in this country. Seriously there is plenty of food to go around.
- It's unfair to deny women to birth control and then vilify them when they have children they can't provide for financially.
- Mass shootings shouldn't inspire loosened gun regulations.
- If we can trust the science that gives us cell phones, GPS, and airplanes, we should take that science seriously in other respects, too.
- A really awesome thing about our country is that we can't be punished by our government for criticizing it.
- Non-Christians don't want to take Christmas away, but instead would like to be able to celebrate our own holidays and rituals without harassment.
- In general, people believe that they're doing what's right. Most of us are doing the best we can with the resources available to us.
Bonus: I'm disabled from a stroke I had in law school. Not only am I a drain on the system for collecting social security and Medicare, but my student loan debt was discharged because of my disability. It SUCKS when the speaker of the House says that the $906 per month I receive from the government is me being paid to be unhealthy. I promise you that I would prefer to be able to work. I would totally trade with you. You can have my tremor, aphasia, narcolepsy, and seizure disorder, as well as the major depression they carry with them. I'll take your job.
SO WHAT?
We snowflakes aren't trying to change your lifestyle. (Except maybe that you don't need anymore combat-worthy weapons) We aren't trying to change who you are. All we want is for you to let us participate in the world as equals, as we are. It is deeply hurtful when simply asking to be allowed to exist is treated like an attack. Our current President is enthusiastically stirring up "defence," which is terrifying. He is actively stripping our rights away. He doesn't behave like most people of sound mind and body do, and it is concerning to us that he is in charge of our country. Hearing blatant lies from a person in a position of authority, like Dr. Jackson, is terrifying.
