Dear Jamie Oliver,
I don't know what you hoped to achieve with that blown-up piece of ass that you put on display today. Something about clean water apparently. Unfortunately, That's not what I saw. I just saw someone being wrong about diabetes. Again. So I will let you know that you are not making a new and profound statement about the correlation between certain foods and drinks and Type 2 Diabetes (Yes - there is more than 1 type of diabetes...something you clearly did not even consider when erecting your gigantic 'advert about how little you know of diabetes' coke can)
I guess you did achieve something: You once again brought diabetes to attention in a light that practically begs us to be ashamed of ourselves for having diabetes. You once again told the public that this is something we are doing to ourselves (through our decision to drink certain drinks or eat certain foods). The public doesn't make the connection to stop drinking coke as it MAY be a causation to diabetes. The public just sees you purporting to play the blame game with PWD's (person with diabetes). They will see this and follow suit.
You are not making any statement at all that the public hasn't been told at least 1008103427 times already by various health organisations. So here's a tip: stay out of it. Because at least the health organisations do it with tact, and facts. The health organisations don't just go about erecting huge signs of ignorance everywhere they go to try to make their point.
In fact, for your point to have been even remotely construed as close to a real fact you would have needed to label that coke can with: "Type 2 Diabetes proven to be caused exclusively by drinking coke all day, where the patient has undergone studies to prove that they exercised, ate otherwise healthily, had no family history of type 2 diabetes, had never taken any drugs or medications that might aid in developing type 2 diabetes and been blessed with amazing genetics, not be caused by having an old and tired pancreas and not be of Aboriginal, Indian, Chinese, or any other ethnicitiy that predisposes to Type 2 Diabetes". It might have taken up a lot more space on the can, but at least it wouldn't be insulting or degrading to anyone who currently has diabetes. And it might have actually informed the general public about diabetes and its causes instead of continuing to instill the mistaken sense that 'we did it to ourselves' towards diabetics, that trust me, we already feel from the general public.
I have had Type 1 Diabetes (not related to an intake of Coke in any way, shape or form) for nearly 3 years now. I haven't had a drink of coke in over 5 years now. I bet your mind is blown right now. Somebody who was young, fit, healthy and DIDN'T drink coke got diabetes.
Diabetes isn't the only obesity, coke-drinking related disease out there. If you wouldn't plaster 'Stomach cancer' across the abomination that you dragged out today, don't drag diabetes into it.
Jamie Oliver, for some reason your ability to make food has made you somewhat of a celebrity. You have the power to influence people. And today you abused that power to bring diabetes into something that it didn't need to be brought into. You are talking about access to clean drinking water in Californian schools. What does diabetes have to do with this? You could have talked about dehydration, which I would assume would be more prominent if clean water for drinking is not provided. Or kidney problems, probably miles more relative than diabetes,
In fact, as 1 commentor on your post pointed out - Coke can actually SAVE the lives of people with diabetes (all types) during hypoglycaemic episodes.
Given that celebrity is as celebrity does and doubtless you'll stick your hand into the diabetes pie again, I hope that you can grow from this experiance, and consult with the people you are hurting before you hurt them. Maybe approach your local diabetes body and get their advice?
You might find it'll be better recieved next time if you do.
Most sincerely,
-Someone your ignorance hurt.
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