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Mike Phelan's avatar

Dr Love,

An NPR program, Here & Now, WBUR, Boston interviewed a couple of trump voters (a man & a woman) today (4/30) and I heard the common tropes you hear from his supporters and also the misinformation one hears from the conspiracy theories. The lady, who stated she’s a hospital administrator stated unequivocally that if you believe that “Medicine” and “Big Pharma”wanted to cure cancer you are misinformed, cancer is about making money. She also stated Kennedy was doing a good job. Whew! Both guests shared a few facts mixed in with baseless repetitions of claims and declarations being made by the administration. Your essay was timely and insightful.

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Martha's avatar

This was excellent! The simplistic nature of our collective thinking is so frustrating!

I’m in a position that doesn’t allow me to speak directly to misconceptions (I’m a psychologist, not a scientist), but I can gently question people about absurd (in my opinion) generalizations. Here are some of my favs: 1) using the term “big pharma”’as an insult, implying that all pharmaceutical companies are totally nefarious, making money without any interest in helping find treatments to problems. 2) “detox” and related diets that completely neglect the fact that, if organs such as your liver are working properly, they will take care of this for you. 3) the idea that cancer is cancer is cancer - therefore, a friend’s successful experience will apply to you. 4) “I don’t really believe in western medicine,” uttered by people with no scientific training. 5) that the way to avoid getting sick is to take large amounts of supplements. (“I take zinc and vitamin C before I travel and I never get sick.” Well, that sounds like a solid, scientific study.🙄) Thankfully, when I mention my skepticism about supplements to my PCP and his PA, they both just laugh and say, “well, if that’s what people want to throw their money away on, I guess that’s their decision.”

Again, thank you for your thorough - and thoroughly sane - approach during a very frightening time.

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