Insensitive article, or am I too sensitive to the comment?

[Kahfree]

Hi Folks...been a while since I have logged on, but while conducting a search in an answer as to the feeling of falling and your body jerks when falling asleep, I found this article. Really....this person made some insensitive comments about sleep apnea in his last paragraph.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/rea ... ing-asleep

"Not crazy about these choices? Well, don't panic just yet. Most obstructive apnea victims are hypertensive middle-aged men who snore and possibly drink too much. Usually I never miss a chance to be an alarmist, but this is one time I'd say you needn't get too concerned."

— Cecil Adams

[fireman38355]

I think maybe it was the "attitude of the times". Sleep apnea is more prevelant now than it was 25 years ago when that article was written.

[Linus]

Cecil Adams has always written like this. Tounge in cheek. Insensitive yes, but entertaining often. I guess I am a little bit too close to the cpap issue to be entertained by his article.

[Guest]

More and more women are getting diagnosed all the time... I'm one of them. I wouldn't think twice about his comment. He obviously doesn't have a clue.

[ameriken]

Considering that the article was written in 1985, I'd say he probably had more of a clue than even most doctors because it was a very little known problem back then. He also used the term 'most', not 'all' in defining who sleep apnea affected, and again, for what was known in 1985 he was probably right on.

However, I don't know why all the fuss over something written over 26 years ago which has absolutely no bearing on what we know today.