# To what extent (if at all) should one accommodate requests to desist triggering peoples OCD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575 "2024-08-11T19:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/21 "2024-08-11T23:57:55Z")
I’d say if they really have OCD they should be able to adopt behaviors to allow them to avoid watching your media. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/22 "2024-08-12T00:53:05Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > is it reasonable to ask me to accommodate all of these things ISTM there are two separate questions here: 1. Should you accommodate any or all of the requests you get, versus 2. is it reasonable to ask you to accommodate any of those specific requests? Personally, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for a viewer to politely ask if you might be willing to change some minor detail in your filming that interferes with their enjoyment of your work. But you are still completely at liberty to disregard any such request that you feel would be too onerous for you to comply with. (I don’t know whether or how the following issue could possibly affect you as a YouTuber outside the US and not charging for content, but a lot of US small business websites are getting hit with a tsunami of [troll lawsuits alleging noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act](https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/legal/legal-news/ada-trolls-and-unintended-consequences). Is there any such liability that you could possibly be vulnerable to on this issue?) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/23 "2024-08-12T01:33:33Z")
The first thing I thought of was flickering/strobing lights triggerng seizures, not an issue in this case. > [@Kimstu](#): > > (I don’t know whether or how the following issue could possibly affect you as a YouTuber outside the US and not charging for content, but a lot of US small business websites are getting hit with a tsunami of [troll lawsuits alleging noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act](https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/legal/legal-news/ada-trolls-and-unintended-consequences). Is there any such liability that you could possibly be vulnerable to on this issue?) > [@](#): > > In the United Kingdom and many [other countries](https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/disability-laws-and-acts-by-country-area.html), similar laws and regulations exist to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities, including those with OCD. > **[Is OCD considered a disability?](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-ocd-considered-a-disability)** > > Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States, people with OCD are considered to have a disability and are eligible for legal protections and accommodations. Additionally, YouTube is an American corporation so could U.S. disability law conceivably affect videos posted to it from outside the country? My take is on the order of Rick Nelson’s “you can’t please everyone”. It’s difficult to see how a demand that objects always be replaced _in a precise way_ would be a legit basis for legal action. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/24 "2024-08-12T02:14:33Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > We seem to be living in an era of aggressive victimhood. QFT, and so I can compliment you for the excellent turn of phrase. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/25 "2024-08-12T02:33:34Z")
I would make videos and not worry about the complainers. Life is too short to worry about holding a tray or straightening a crooked item on a table. It would distract the OP from creating the content of the video. I would correct something on the set. A crooked picture or something people commented about. That’s a simple one time fix. Easy peasy ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/26 "2024-08-12T02:50:28Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The first thing I thought of was flickering/strobing lights triggerng seizures, not an issue in this case. - Same. That’s something that can be warned about though there’s limits on how many different things need warning. OCD, on the other hand, has the potential to be a nightmare of conflicting demands. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/27 "2024-08-12T05:14:59Z")
I’d say don’t change anything, @Mangetout . This is on a par with those [Bored Panda listicles](https://www.boredpanda.com/irritating-annoying-ocd-imperfection/) about “things that trigger my OCD” and it’s one misaligned tile in a room or some shit like that. No, you don’t have OCD, you’re just an entitled anal perfectionist and claiming you do is insulting to people with real mental health problems. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/28 "2024-08-12T07:09:18Z")
Hehe. There is at least one misaligned tile in our newly fitted kitchen. Mrs Mangetout (who did the tiling) has a habit of drawing attention to it whenever anyone admires her work. I always follow up with ‘of course all truly great artists include a deliberate mistake in their work, to shpw that only God is perfect’ ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/29 "2024-08-12T07:12:51Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I always follow up with ‘of course all truly great artists include a deliberate mistake in their work, to shpw that only God is perfect’ I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/30 "2024-08-12T07:31:29Z")
Yeah, I think I agree - it’s sort of ‘cultivated OCD’ (although even calling it that may be insulting to people with real problems); being quirky and highly particular like Poirot, as a choice, only really works if you also have his kind of charm and manners. I don’t suppose people with the cultivated form often get called out on their behaviour, for fear of being mean to someone with the actual condition, but this is my key concern; in asking for accommodation, they’re really asking for me to cultivate this behaviour myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/31 "2024-08-12T07:37:00Z")
And case in point; I think #2 on that BoredPanda list is actually rather beautiful. And #9 is indeed how I sometimes eat a kitkat, and that’s fine _because its MY goddam kitkat._ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/32 "2024-08-12T08:55:09Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Its not so much that any one of the things being asked require effort, its just that I would have to maintain or memorise a pretty long (and doubtless open ended) list of them - I would have to obsess, in a way, about getting the superset of other peoples obsessive matters just right. ⁢ If you had to do that, that would also be an imposition. So that’s not what I’m recommending. I just think it’s reasonable to take feedback, and see if it’s something you can change. If it becomes some big list, that would be bad. But if it’s just a change in how you always do something, that’s not so bad. Maybe this analogy would help: I’ve been given advice on how to post on the SDMB to avoid annoying some people. I try to pay attention to that. But in no way do I go through a list of things before making every post. It’s just that, during the editing part before I hit submit, I reread and see if anything sticks out. I also just try to make it a habit to avoid certain things. No long list. Just things I’ve developed an eye for over time. Accommodating everything for everyone is impractical. But I’m always concerned with going too far the opposite direction, with advice like “ignore how other people feel.” I’m much more for “do what is reasonable for you. Communicate you care, but don’t go overboard.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/33 "2024-08-12T12:24:57Z")
That’s fair - also those sorts of things tend to get mentioned by multiple people independently, so it’s usually fairly clear when a minor tweak is necessary, vs an obscure requirement that happens to be the hobby-horse of one person. ---
**Author:** ![Domestic\_Samurai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@Domestic\_Samurai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domestic_Samurai)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/34 "2024-08-12T13:14:48Z")
I recently had a personal reason to do some internet searching about OCD. At its core it seems to stem from discomfort around uncertainty. OCD shows up in many ways for people, but that’s the underlying driver. Some folk experience it as discomfort and others experience it as deep, severe, consuming pain. Emerging treatment is about sitting with the discomfort and acknowledging that some things are beyond your control, not everything is knowable, and you can handle it/will survive. Given that, perhaps it isn’t actually helpful for them if you accommodate these requests. The request is an attempt on their part to manage their anxiety around this discomfort (the backward writing on the tray, for example) and to give into their compulsion (the request) continues the cycle. I am not a licensed mental health professional, just an internet searcher who has personally benefitted from this information found on reputable sites. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/35 "2024-08-12T13:22:46Z")
That’s what I thought - and I would imagine that a lot of people with an actual diagnosis of OCD know this, and therefore (with exceptions, I’m sure), the majority of people asking for accommodation or complaining about misaligned tiles, are probably not actual OCD sufferers. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/36 "2024-08-12T13:25:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > This is on a par with those [Bored Panda listicles](https://www.boredpanda.com/irritating-annoying-ocd-imperfection/) about “things that trigger my OCD” and it’s one misaligned tile in a room or some shit like that. No, you don’t have OCD, you’re just an entitled anal perfectionist and claiming you do is insulting to people with real mental health problems. Yes yes yes yes yes. There is such a thing as real mental illness, including real OCD, and it can be crippling. People like the OP’s commenters not only insult people with true mental illness, but they trivialize the conditions themselves and further marginalize the sufferers, keeping all attention on their special selves and the way a misaligned floor tile makes them feel. GAH. ---
**Author:** ![TXRebel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@TXRebel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXRebel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575/37 "2024-08-12T13:26:57Z")
I agree with that. I have way more important things to do than accommodate things that come across my desk. It would be all I did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-should-one-accommodate-requests-to-desist-triggering-peoples-ocd/1005575.md?page=1)