



Economics and similar, for the sleep-deprived A subtle change has been made to the comments links, so they no longer pop up. Does this in any way help with the problem about comments not appearing on permalinked posts, readers?



Update: seemingly not



Update: Oh yeah!

Saturday, June 05, 2010

A naughty boy did it and ran away



And so Andrew Wakefield wanders off into the land of infomercials, loopholes in labelling regulation and other places where purveyors of rage-based medicine hang out. And the assorted Ben Goldacres and similar of the medical profession and skeptical hobby community use it as the occasion for yet another bout of Lisa Simpson moralising lectures on that awful media, and those dreadful gullible people who believe the media, and isn't it all so infuriating that people aren't rational, like us? I blame the media.



Except ... actually, that attitude is really a big part of the problem itself. Nothing makes people keener on medical science and evidence-based approaches than receiving compassionate, respectful, effective treatment by the medical profession. Nothing sells them quicker on woo than the kind of experience most parents of autistic kids get. Same with chronic fatigue syndrome and allergies - doctors all too often just grunt at the patients, good as call them malingerers and shunt them out the door, then wonder why it is that homeopaths sell so well. Even the dreaded chiropractors basically make their living out of poor soft skills in the treatment of back pain. The media isn't creating the demand for woo - it's responding to a demand created by the medical profession's failure to provide the kind of treatment patients need.



Nah, not worth thinking about. After all, doctors didn't go through eight years of medical school just to be nice to people! And it's certainly a waste of sacred NHS money to spend five minutes smoothing over whining patients precious ickle feelings! Fuck 'em all. If only they were rational, objective and above all well, like me, they'd be able to buck up and stop making fools of themselves. Now let's all have a good old laugh at the Daily Mail.

this item posted by the management 6/05/2010 05:10:00 AM

