Weekend survey: Should peanuts be banned from planes?

[Chris Elliott]

Chris Elliott Has Just Posted the Following:

Peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Given that, is it responsible for airlines to continue serving their passengers peanuts on planes? The Transportation Department is considering a rule that would prohibit...




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[Calgon1]

No, I don't think they should be banned. However, if the "do-gooders" insist and the majority caves in the the vocal minority (again) ... then let's be fair and ban all cartoon characters!

At least Buck Rodgers, Wonder Woman, Batman and Snoopy can still fly (they have their own planes). Oh, and don't forget Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Thor, Flyman, The Tooth Fairy, Green Lantern, Rocketman, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, The Flying Nun and The Flying Friar (don't need a plane)!

[Calgon1]

Whoops! I just got around to reading the OP ... It appears that the article to whiuch Chris was referring identifies an effort by the US Department of Transportation to ban the salted peanuts the flight attendants (grudgingly) pass out. Seems that peanuts are the single most deadly food in the market.

*sheesh* One would think that other concerns (like keeping encgines from falling off and drunks out of the cockpits) would be a higher priority than protecting people who are to stupid to be aware of what they are shoving in their mouths! (Please Note - I'm just referring to the peanuts, not prepared foods with peanuts or peanut pruducts as an ingredient).

I mean, for Heaven's sake. Look at what you're eating (or feeding to your child). If it's something to which you're allergic ... DON'T EAT IT !! This is not complicated.

For this we need a government agency?

Then again, maybe it's just God's way of adding a bit of chlorine to the gene pool .....

Also, the OP raises another question ... Why just "airplanes"? Aren't train, bus, taxi, car service and (especially) CRUISE SHIP passengers entitled to the same degree of protection? Certainly sounds discrimatory to me!

[dereckbc]

Good grief how stupid is this idea? If you are allergic to peanuts and eat them, you deserve to get sick.

[GloBug]

When my daughter was in preschool, the kids would eat lunch at a round table, and the preschool provided lunch. One day, a child brought his own lunch. It was a peanut butter sandwich. A child sitting near him went into anaphylaxis shock because he was so allergic to peanuts that just being in close proximity to the nuts was enough to set him off.

[Calgon1]

Not to diminish the seriousness of death, but ... Is this something new to our speicies, or just something of which we're just now becoming aware?

Back when I was in school (Yes, GloBug ... I did go to school), I don't recall anyone, ever dying (much less even getting "sick") from 'peanuts'. The only time you ever heard anyone mention anything about allergies was when spinach was on the lunch menu. Heck, we routinely swapped PB&Js, Snickers, Baby Ruths, Paydays, PB cookies, peanut butter celery sticks and everything at lunch time and no one ever died.