Nathan Caroland Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Heh, just saw this/head it on the news. OOoohbooy .. Group wants Wi-Fi banned from public buildings A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones. "I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said. Firstenberg and dozens of other electro-sensitive people in Santa Fe claim that putting up Wi-Fi in public places is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city attorney is now checking to see if putting up Wi-Fi could be considered discrimination. But City Councilor Ron Trujillo says the areas are already saturated with wireless Internet. "It's not 1692, it's 2008. Santa Fe needs to embrace this technology, it's not going away," Trujillo said. The city attorney hopes to have a legal recommendation by the end of the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritual Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 They could start with proving that electro-sensitivity actually exists! I'm a bit baffled by the fact that doctors, at least here in Sweden, have diagnosed patients with electro-sensitivity despite the fact that there are no scientific evidence that the condition exists... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supervike Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Perhaps they'd like to stay with signal fires and tom-toms? It's hard to underestimate the lunacy of people in groups.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblyn13 Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Perhaps they'd like to stay with signal fires and tom-toms? It's hard to underestimate the lunacy of people in groups.... Nope they are prolly allergic to the smoke of the signal fire and the hide on the tom-toms i murder on the skin. As for Lunacy, think of where the word derives from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 sounds like someone wanting to throw a tantrum to get a little attention for themselves...because really, what's he going to do, ban cell phones around him also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supervike Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 sounds like someone wanting to throw a tantrum to get a little attention for themselves...because really, what's he going to do, ban cell phones around him also? There is a portion of the population that believes that sort of crap. I have dealt with them quite extensively in my work place. One lady was apparently so hypersensitive to all 'smells' that she effectively banned all use of any detergent, perfume, EVEN deodorant that had any sort of fragrance from the workplace. She is gone now (from the workplace, not from the earth) so the rules have relaxed a bit. Don't get me wrong, there is great legislation within the ADA, but there is an element to that thinking that has allowed the lunatics to run the asylum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Bah...just a hop, skip, and jump from the lawsuit to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 man, for some reason this topic has come up 2-3 more times in my life in the last few days, every time there are people who can't be diagnosed or prove there is any link to the effect of electronic fields, but are so convinced that they have serious real life issues dealing with it. The first I can believe, living too close to a power station, which lets out a continual hum. Though when I suggested the headaches might have something to do with the high pitched noise that was constantly there these people actually got upset I was questioning their self-diagnosis of the problem that they were allergic to EM fields...I just gave up. The others were seriously people who I believe were just scared of technology and gotten such a mental block about it that the idea of technology being all around them that they didn't understand has turned from psychological to physical pain. No one could explain why old technology that likely puts out FAR more EM radiation like microwaves and ancient TV sets would cause no reaction, but something like a cell phone, or flatscreen TV would. The more I see this the more I really am convinced that it's just a manifestation of a fear of technology on some level....that and people like to self-diagnose...a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblyn13 Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 <snip>The more I see this the more I really am convinced that it's just a manifestation of a fear of technology on some level....that and people like to self-diagnose...a lot! that or they find the right doctor who will sign off with their self diagnosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supervike Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 that or they find the right doctor who will sign off with their self diagnosis Amen to that. Doctors, unfortunately are just as prone to hype and hysteria as the general public. Somehow, we assume they are all up to date, and diagnose things with the best of modern medicine. Doctors are just like any of us...liable to make assumptions and generalizations about things we don't always understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Doctors, unfortunately are just as prone to hype and hysteria as the general public. Somehow, we assume they are all up to date, and diagnose things with the best of modern medicine. Doctors are just like any of us...liable to make assumptions and generalizations about things we don't always understand. In my experience, many (if not all) of these vague disorders have an underlying psychosomatic component to them. Certainly, an underlying physical problem can be exacerbated (or created) by stress. As to why they get diagnosed...SV has hit the nail on the head. Docs are just human like everyone else. Some give their patients a diagnosis just to have something to explain the unexplainable, others capitalize on their patients from a financial standpoint--a steady stream of rechecks and refills that often will be paid out of pocket. I think the ironic part is that (at least within the medical field) a person that is diagnosed with something like this will frequently be branded (correctly or not) as a psych case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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