Christine Miserandino’s ‘Spoon Theory’ helped chronically sick people explain their limited energy reserves to non-chronically sick people. However, in recent years, our precious energy reserves haven’t solely been used up by daily life, but also actively stolen by an all too frequently hostile world. This is where the Knives Out Theory comes in—people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME.) aren’t just managing their energy; we are dodging relentless attacks from society, media, and politicians every single day.
Every day, due to the symptom/characteristic of unrefreshing sleep, people living with M.E. wake up already exhausted, only to be hit by a tsunami wave of hate and disbelief online and in the media. ‘Influencers’, shock jocks, journalists, politicians, and even some healthcare professionals spread harmful rhetoric—claiming M.E. doesn’t exist, that people living with M.E. are lazy or malingerers, or that they just need to try harder. This constant barrage of negativity is far more impactful than hurtful words; it’s a never-ending relentless attack that drains energy. Every time a person living with M.E has to defend their illness, justify their struggles, or fight for basic rights, it diverts valuable energy that could have been used for essential daily tasks. This is energy theft—taking from people who have so little to begin with.
It’s 2025, and the COVID19 pandemic is still ongoing. Yet the world pretends it’s over. For people with M.E.—many of whom are at high risk or have had their illness worsened by COVID19 infections—this denial is another knife to swerve. Mask wearers are ridiculed, air filtration is ignored, and society has ‘moved on’, leaving behind those who are still vulnerable. Every trip outside is fraught with danger, and many people with M.E. are forced into choosing isolation to avoid a further deterioration of health. This constant stress, unease, and exclusion from society drain even more energy. Society’s refusal to acknowledge reality isn’t just frustrating—it’s physically harmful to those who are most at risk.
If hate speech and pandemic denial are knives, then politicians wield the largest, sharpest blades. They have the power to push for change—to fund research, provide disability support, and make public spaces safer. But instead, they cut funding, deny benefits, and dismiss the needs and rights of the chronically ill. By ignoring Long COVID and post-viral illnesses like M.E., politicians ensure that more people will develop these conditions without an appropriate safety net. Their policies don’t just make life harder; they actively harm the most vulnerable. Every cruel decision—every budget cut, every denial that COVID19 is airborne, every ignored plea—steals even more energy from people who are already running on empty.
Unlike the Spoon Theory, which focuses on natural energy limits, the Knives Out Theory shows how society makes energy ‘management’ even harder. Hate, denial, and political neglect aren’t just background noise; they are deliberate assaults on the lives of people with M.E. The knives are always out for people living with M.E. who are already struggling in a world that refuses to accommodate us. Until society stops throwing knives, the energy stolen by stigma, denial, and neglect will keep pushing people further into the shadows.
Let’s turn it into a ‘game’!
Knives Out: Energy Theft Edition
Objective:
The objective is to maintain limited energy reserves while dodging ‘knives’ that represent hateful comments (online, in print, and in person), denial, and neglect.
Setup:
Player start with a set number of 10 daily ‘energy points’. These points cannot be carried over to the next day.
Game Components:
1. **Energy Points:** Represent the player’s ability to engage in daily life tasks.
2. **Knives** Each knife represents a negative encounter – see possible scenarios below.
Possible scenarios:
Social media encounter: Player sees a negative post on their news feed that drains energy. If they don’t respond to the post – lose 2 energy points. Responding – lose 3 energy points.
Visit to see a healthcare professional: – An unsupportive interaction that affects energy levels due to induced stress – lose 4 energy points (long term impact of stress, negativity and stigma).
Going out in public to a non-health related setting: Facing negative societal interactions (COVID19 or disability) eg. tutting, comments, eyerolls, deliberate coughing – lose 2 energy points for each occurrence.
End of the Game:
The game ends when the player runs out of energy points. Please mark the end of YOUR game by posting #KnivesOutImOut on social media and how many instances of negativity you encountered that day.
If a player finishes the day with some energy left, they are considered to have successfully dodged the knives!(How did you do that?! Well done!) Please remember knives are entirely separate to energy management through pacing. This is energy lost entirely due to negativity of the types mentioned in this blog.
I for one will now be responding to any hateful posts or comments from the media and politicians by posting – ‘Thank you for playing ‘Knives Out: Energy Theft Edition’. Maybe it will start to open a few eyes to the physical impact of hateful rhetoric on people living with M.E.
This topic was inspired by an X post by Kelly (@broadwaybabyto) earlier today in which she wrote-
We need a revised “Spoon Theory” that takes into account being chronically ill amidst 2025 chaos The moment you check your news feed you’re out of spoons Most articles are like knives being flung into your cutlery drawer against your will Protecting baseline is hard right now’.
PS. This has given me an idea for a board game, just in case I go forward with this idea in future I am claiming copyright NOW!. ME Foggy Dog 6th February 2025.
PPS. ‘M.E.’ is inclusive of all people who meet the diagnostic criteria for M.E whether diagnosed (or not) or living under the umbrella term of Long COVID.