"...our idea of danger is eating gluten..."

 

"NBC is running a Super Bowl ad that makes fun of those who are gluten-free. It implies that we're soft...we're weak...we're part of America's problem. When all we're trying to do is manage our disease. Celiac can be a true pain. The media is not helping and this petition is get NBC to see the light of day." change.org petition

"They have a cool concept, a funny actor and a huge audience. They could have selected one out of 1,000 things that related to America being “soft” that would have still been humorous. But they chose gluten. Why?" gluten dude

Look, Dude. May I call you Dude? I get it. Really, I do. Being offended at people who aren't 100% in line with your vision of how we talk about gluten is your stock in trade. Please carry on.

But here's your problem, Dude...

The only reference to gluten in that ad is that one line: "our idea of danger is eating gluten"

Gluten is dangerous. Wonder where they might get that idea.

Well, when the gluten-free people, many of whom are offended by this ad, write about gluten, this is what they say:

• "gluten is dangerous" (24,600 google hits)
• "gluten will kill you" (27,200)
• "gluten is poison" (3,960)
• "gluten is toxic" (7,850)
• "gluten is deadly" (1,050)

And one of my favorites: "You wouldn’t “cheat” and drink some Drano, would you?"

That is some crazy talk, right there. Crazy talk.

Also, someone owes an apology to every child who has accidentally ingested such toxins.

Also, get the heck over yourselves! That is a derisible statement and your movement loses every time someone says something like it. Stop defending the lunatic fringe.

You wrote, "They could have selected one out of 1,000 things..." Be fair, Dude. The video is a target rich environment, gluten is one out of maybe not 1000, but certainly a dozen or three, things wrapped up in that song. Maybe gluten is there because it's seen as part of the lefty, liberal fringe that the commercial mocks. Maybe dangerous is the word they chose because the gluten-free use it so often.

You are probably going to say that I am part of the problem because I have been known to poke hard at the insane edge of gluten-haters. The ones who claim that every disease can be cured by avoiding gluten. The ones who float from one orthorexic diet to another, following the trends of disordered eating. The gluten-free planet people.

If you're not them, you're not my target. Besides, some of my best friends are celiacs. (sorry)

Maybe you're not the target of the commercial, either. Maybe they are talking to the crazy drano lady.

TL:DR version: Maybe if you stopped saying gluten is dangerous, other people would stop saying gluten is "(y)our idea of danger."