One scene in the beginning brings diabetes into the script, weaving both humor and mis-information that I thought needed to be written about.
As the clip is central to the point of my post, I've included a link below. The only one I could find is the full episode online at the CBS site, and unfortunately you have to wait through a couple commercials totalling about a minute until you get to the scene at issue. But specifically, the point you want starts about 6:45. I recommend starting at 4:45 to get the full scene putting the song into context.
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"C is for chocolate, D's diabetes. Do your kids a favor, and buy a box of Wheaties. Chocolate Diddlers YAY!"
"C is for chocolate, D's diabetes. Do your kids a favor, and buy a box of Wheaties. Chocolate Diddlers YAY!"
Personally, I got a kick out of this. I'm a huge fan of the show and we record and watch it religiously every week, always maintaining a theme of laughter during the episode.
I loved the song and thought it was hilarious, but even with that I found myself wondering outloud: "I love the beat, but honestly I think I'm supposed to not like what that song is about." Funny as hell, but spreading myths and misinformation... Hmm.
Basically, the song is saying that chocolate is bad and causes diabetes, and so parents should avoid this chocolate cheerio like cereal for the good of their kids' health and go with something healthier, like Wheaties.
That's just not the case. But how can you be mad at Charlie Sheen's song or the writers' use of it on a show that's so freakin' funny? Where is the line?
We Type 1 diabetics and our caregiving Type 3s know that it's not a matter of just "avoiding sugar" in preventing diabetes. Those of us diagnosed as kids, many of us heard and felt the blame from non-diabetics and the general public about how we somehow "caused" our diabetes. The fact that this is an autoimmune chronic condition not associated with weight, lifestyle, or eating habits is too often lost on the general public. Though Type 2 is a different animal that sometimes does involve lifestyle habits such as eating and exercise, that is not specifically the cause and not always the case and it's not commonly the issue with most Children With Diabetes. Basically, it's not a matter of just "avoiding sugar," as Charlie's song implies.
Am I off on this? Am I seeing this with a biased foundation, as someone who has grown up with Type 1 and have that history of being accused of causing this by eating candy or too much sugar? Is this song actually spreading a myth, or is that a stretch that I should just get over - look at the comedy rather than the message?
In this case, it seems to me that Two and a Half Men is spreading a misconception. Despite all the humor and the fact I found it pretty darn funny, even now, I think some advocacy is in order.
So, I'm going to write a letter and see where it goes.
What do you think?