The disorder is called misophonia. When I first heard about this
I thought it was a feeling you experience when you can’t find your cellular
device. So what is it? Well, if you have
misophonia, you’re not going to like the sound of this. Actually, if you have it,
you are not going to like the sound of almost anything. The malady is characterized
by an aversion and sometimes a violent response to certain everyday sounds.
A man who wrote a recent article about this is a primary
care physician who claims there are certain noises he can’t tolerate. Hopefully
“Ouch!” and “ahhh…” are not examples of those. He admits being overly sensitive
to yawners and to people whose “saliva is audible when they speak.” By the way,
if your saliva is saying anything interesting, I’d like to interview you on my
TV segment.
At the misophonia website, many people expressed great
relief at discovering that other people had this problem, suggesting it meant
they were not crazy. That’s like watching a documentary about a woman who sprinkles
sawdust on her corn flakes like you do and then saying: “See, I’m not so loony,
after all.” One man said that he suffered from the disorder way before he knew
there was a word for it. This is not so unusual. My mother told me that as an infant I had
catastrophic intestinal issues, but I don’t think I ever heard the word
diarrhea until I was in the fourth grade.
One woman commented that she hated the sound of heavy
breathing and when she heard anyone doing it, she immediately left the room. She
signed her post as Chastity, which makes
a lot of sense when you think about it. Another lady said that she hated it
when people whistled through their noses and still another poor soul said that
she could not stand the sound of her own chewing. Don’t tell the whole world about
this, lady. Just keep your mouth shut.
The sound of people eating popcorn was mentioned in several
of the posts. And the crunching of
apples drives a lot of people bonkers. One farmer said—and I swear I am not
making this up—that when her husband eats an apple, she has to cover her ears,
“but listening to my horse eating an
apple doesn’t bother me at all.” Here’s another post: “I can’t stand any sounds that are emitted
orally.” So apparently as long as her partner doesn’t snore or burp, she’s
happy with anything. A newlywed said that her husband’s eating disgusts her and
she’s thinking of leaving him. What? She’s just now discovering this? Waiting until
marriage for intimacy is old-fashioned enough, but waiting for your first meal?
What cult is that?
The sounds made by ice cream eaters are also annoying to some
people. What with the lip-smacking and the spoon hitting the bottom of the
bowl, one woman confessed she was thinking about doing away with her husband,
but instead she told him he was lactose intolerant. A senior citizen said that
when his wife gulps soup, he wants to ring her neck. By the way, ringing is
sound most people hate.
Check out the website Misophonia.com. Are these real people with legitimate
concerns? Who knows. Maybe it’s all just hearsay.
.
Yes, real people with legitimate issues. You do a great job of poking fun but fail to include the racing heart beat that can also happen or even the convulsing ticks that can accompany a triggering sound. A disorder at its early stages of being recognized by the medical community. A two minute glance at a website doesn't tell you the horrific experiences of those who can't tolerate a variety of sounds. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and see if your writing is the same in other posts of yours.
ReplyDeleteMr. Wolfsie,
ReplyDeleteI find your article so off base that perhaps you should have done a little more research before poking fun at those that have this disorder. It isn't imaginary or made up. This is a real disorder. One I suffer from, unfortunately.
My triggers are paper related. The sound of someone reading the newspaper, opening or eating out of bags of chips, any plastic bag rustling noise is so hurtful to my ears. It sends me immediately into a rage. I am fine when I am at home, my issues are at work. I work in a cubicle environment and have a very, noisy cubicle neighbor. She stirs and stirs her yogurt until it turns to butter and then scrapes the container until there isn't a part of the yogurt left. She handles a stapler like no one else I have ever worked with. The sound of her moving papers on her desk is louder than nails on a chalkboard. How would you like to experience that for 8 hours a day / 5 days a week?
Do I like feeling like this? Certainly not. I can't help it and neither can the others that suffer from this.
Get your facts straight and don't make fun of someone unless you have walked in their shoes.
Respectfully,
JC
Yes, we are real people. My name is Amanda. Do you also make fun of people who have mental illnesses? Autism? Speech impediments?All people with an invisible disability? Does it make you feel like a big man to make fun of a condition (that is torturous for sufferers) you have no clue about really? Do you enjoy reinforcing the tremendous stigma that comes along with Miso. Just because you lack the gray matter to understand a condition doesn't mean you get to be so flippant about it. How about actually educating yourself about it and actually speaking to people who have it rather than read a few comments and an article or 2.
ReplyDeleteI assume you did not read any of the research on this condition or you would have shown more understanding of the syndrome. People, like myself, who suffer from this syndrome do not want it and wish they were able to tolerate the sounds they are hypersensitive to. When we hear a trigger sound, our brain sends a "fight or flight" response to our bodies. You have done nothing but add ridicule to an uncontrollable situation for us that suffer this daily. Many of our friends, family, and coworkers already believe that "it's all in your head" and you have done nothing but add fuel to the fire for them. I find your article offensive and insulting and believe you should have read more research on the topic before you decided to ridicule those who suffer from misophonia. Your "Funny Notes" was, to say the least, not funny to me. Next time, maybe you should educate yourself before singling out a group to make fun of.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully,
A Misophonia Sufferer
When some day you have a heart attack or break a bone, keep in mind, the pain is just in your head, it's not a real condition.
ReplyDeleteDo you make fun of all mental illnesses, or just the ones that seem amusing to you? Yes, we are real people, with a disorder that absolutely tortures its sufferers. But that's funny, right? Haha hilarious. Honestly, show some respect, sir.
ReplyDelete