Chronic illness has become a commodity to be marketed and an identity to perform. And yes only those with significant privilege can perform it this way. It's an industry now. A niche for businesses and brands to exist in.
IMO the prototype for this is Zebra-culture that sprung up in EDS spaces. The marketing of cutesy accessories and identity stuff aimed at people with this one illness.
The munchers have now branched that out to other conditions as they've started to realise you can't all have EDS and still claim its rare.
The way munching has dovetailed with influencer culture has made a million copycats all trying to perform best little sickest princess uwu.
They don't address the fact that working class sick people have to suck it up and keep working.
True munchers do seem to skew white now you mention it. Can't think of a black one.
Munchies often ask incredulously "do you seriously think anyone would choose to be ill!".
Its the type of feigned ignorance thats endemic in the minds of progressive elite types. They refuse to accept publically that survival requires difficult trade offs where sometimes the correct choice lacks moral purity.
One paper i read, perhaps the one linked above, estimates that something like 20% of visits to primary care are by people with medically unexplained symptoms. The implication is that either consciously or otherwise they are presenting ill when well.
Given people arent slow to accuse others of dishonesty, or acting witg concern only for their personal gain, is it likely that the number of people lying about their illness is so small that any research is a waste of tine?
The benefits that come with illness are extraordinary compared with the past. While the immediate financial benefits arent great, its naive in 2021 to think that money is the only motivating factor.
Status now comes from emotional capital. In fact the poorer someone is, the more emotional capital they can get.
Now consider cost benefit analysis for someone lying about being ill. Its even better for them because they get all the emotional capital of the sick role without being ill at all.
So when they say that its unimaginable that someone would want to be ill, id point out that being ill is no longer a prerequisite. In fact, the less ill they are the more the sick role benefits them.
Anyone genuinely unwell or disabled would see that making access to diagnosis easier doesnt capture people that were ill and undiagnosed before, it invites in healthy people.
I think that the underlying cause of the munchie phenomenon is the same that incentivises victimhood in many other areas of society.
Edit. I cant tell you how cathartic being able to talk about this is without being beseiged by powerlevelling chronic illness warriors. Thank fuck for KF.
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