Today I was at a training where the concept of “empathy deficiency syndrome” was brought up as a new field of research. I referred the audience to this particular thread as a shining example of such.

As a mother of two peanut allergic children (admitted into the hospital 2X), I see this small step of action the stadium is taking as a huge relief. We attended a game recently and I could not relax. I wiped the chairs multiple times and made sure we cleaned our hands often. Still my children were very aware of the dangers that were only three seats in front of us. Needless to say, I never watched the game. My eyes were glued on the people around me and what they were eating making sure nothing was thrown our way.

One small section that is away from an overhang would be the safest place for children like mine and others. We would never want to tell people what to eat, we just want to be safe and enjoy a true American game of baseball. Peanut allergy falls under the disability act and should be accomodated, even if just a section for certian games. We are happy to take what ever safety net we can get.

I pray that other citizens will educate themselves on how dangerous peanuts can be for some kids. You never know when your child, grandchild or great grandchild will be diagnosed. The numbers are only going up at an alarming rate.

Thanks for your help Cards and Rascals

Are people getting that nuts about having a peanuts free zone? What goofy Cardinal PR. Whats next to give up or accommodate someone’s wants? Listen, it’s bad some have a allergic reaction to nuts. But as we all know, it’s going to grow into more special sections. Why don’t they all get together and get a party room to really isolate the peanut dust? Here’s a quote May 29, 2008 in the Post Dispatch from Liz Hairopoulos of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s St. Louis chapter,”Inhalation of peanut particles would be enough to cause a life-threatening reaction.” So a parent would take a child to a game and endanger them? How are they going to protect them when people all around the stadium are eating them, like in the walkways where the air is more confined. Sorry, but it’s nuts to be no nuts.

I can’t believe some of the comments on here. The lack of education is one thing, but some posters appear to have below average inteligence (yet they know how to use the internet? Way to go! Must have been a big step for you!)

What I want to know is when will we have to stop catering to the stupid?! Why do we need their approval for something that doesn’t really affect them. (Unless the game is sold out and/or you were just dying to sit in that particular section, why does it matter to you?)

My daughter does not live in a bubble (and trust me, dirt is a big part of our life). She has a host of allergies she inherited from her daddy. My older daughter has no allergies. I ate the same things during both pregnancies, and they both had the same vaccines (in fact, it was obvious she was allergic from the time she was 1 week old, so vaccines were never suspected).

You didn’t hear about allergies before because it wasn’t really talked about. Even doctors were poorly educated about this subject 30 years ago. I didn’t know my husband had allergies for the first month we were dating because it didn’t come up.

30 years ago people didn’t use seatbelts, today they go as far as having dog harness contraptions in cars because they’re better educated. Is this going to far? Probably, but the extra effort is worth it to reduce the already low risk of an injury (or death) of someone they love.

These days, people (read parents) are better educated about the dangers and risks of food allergies so they are more vocal about them and advocate for their children. The risks of death are pretty small if allergies are well managed, so if I see you or your kid eating a peanut treat at the playground off to the side and cleaning up after yourself, you’ll never know my daughter has allergies, but if your kid runs around with it and touches everything, you better belive I’ll let you know. Not because I want to inconvenience you (frankly, I’m inconvenienced by having to talk to you in the first place), but because I’m trying to ensure my daughter has a good time and lives to see another day.

One of the most popular themes with the anti peanut-free zone crowd seems to be the argument that if an accomodation is made here, the accomodations will never end. Try making the argument without using an illogical slippery slope.

You are hardly “bending over backwards” for these people. You don’t own the stadium. You can’t sit in two seats at once. You aren’t being charged more than the peanut-free people. You don’t have to clean up their area or yours. They don’t impede your line of sight. You can have all the peanuts you want, provided it’s not in their section.

You haven’t made an accomodation, the Cards have. If it so offends you, why don’t YOU stay home?

If you can’t tone your rage down from a roiling boil to a manageable simmer, do the rest of us a favor and announce your presence at the next game you attend. Some of us might prefer to sit next to the people afraid of Fredbird.

This whole thing is stupid and over the top. I am a vegetarian so I don’t go to the bar-b-que place and whine or demand a no meat dinner. I eat at other places. If you are allergic to things common to the ball park-stay home and watch the game on tv!

I do feel for the people with severe allergies but there comes a point when we need to stop making ridiculous accomodations for every little thing. Whats next, you are going to demand the tours at the Planter’s Nuts factory be peanut safe?!?! Stop being selfish and take responsibility for your own life and health and stop infringing on everyone else.

Being a vegetarian is a choice and NOT life-threatening. However, if you would like to use your example: Imagine ALL restaurants served only messy meat and offered no choice and if you went to the restaurant and came into contact with the meat, you could DIE, or at a minimum, break out in hives and/or your throat start to swell shut, get a shot of epinephrine and you would have to go to the ER. So you started to avoid ALL restaurants because of the risk. Now imagine that one restaurant opened up a meat free section in the place with about 5 seats and also gave you a choice of salad on their menu. Would you not be thrilled? Would you not have missed going to restaurants? Is that wrong for the restaurant to do because they may get more people coming to their restaurant?

Give me a break…we are talking about 120 seats in the entire stadium that WERE NOT SOLD! No one is going to be inconvienced or have their peanuts snatched out of their hands if they sit in the section! It’s group seating people, we’re choosing to sit there! Tell me what other group is not being accommodated at a ballpark, who can’t attend because it could be LIFE-THREATENING!!!! People in wheel chairs can attend, people who are hearing impaired and blind can attend, people with cancer can attend, people with diabetes can attend, people who are overweight can attend, people who are allergic to sun can attend; AND NONE OF THESE ISSUES CAN BE LIFE THREATENING BECAUSE OF THE ACTUAL BALLPARK! The peanut mess at ALL ballparks is the one thing keeping this small population of families out of stadiums, and if the stadiums want to accommodate 118 seats, clean them thoroughly, put up signs and call them peanut safe, so be it!! Good for them!! The people who are allergic to inhaling peanut dust STILL won’t attend because it could kill them! However, it will allow a few more families the ability to enjoy a live, right in front of them, all American past time. They may even catch a foul ball!!! Come on people, really? This is really that big of an infringement on your lives? How? Who are the ones being selfish? You can’t possibly SHARE the stadium’s empty seats with a group of children who can’t have peanuts who may have never been to a ballgame? Really?
GO CARDS! GO RASCALS!

Wow, I cannot get over the amount of uneducated, heartless individuals who have posted on this site. It is really sad that so many people are peeved that I want my 3 year old to attend a Cards game without the risk of dying from his severe peanut allergy. How is one single section of the stadium really going to negatively affect you? It won’t! So why so many ticked of folks? God forbid any of you ever have a near death experience (as my child did last July) or require the dependence of accomodations! Until you have walked in my shoes (or any other person suffering directly or indirectly from severe food allergies) don’t be so quick to judge! And for the record, don’t you think if food allergies were cured or even curbed by a magic shot or therapy, people would be requesting a peanut free zone? There is nothing like that available (at least not for the level of severity my kid has). Think and become truly educated on a topic before you go blowing steam about it.

Thank you Cards and Rascals for making such accomodations!! You have my loyalty and business!

I can’t believe all of the heartless people here that aren’t willing to treat me special. I deserve to be treated special and you deserve to honor me. It’s my world and you’re just living in it. So pay me!

Scam-
That makes no sense. How are we asking you to treat our kids special. By not purchasing tickets in a peanut free section? WOW! We sure are asking a LOT seeing as you only have 46,741 seats left to chose from! Whatever!