A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status.
“Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has raised suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines. “We have a solution for our problem.”
Oz, a heart surgeon, defended some recently revised federal vaccine recommendations as well as past comments from President Donald Trump and the nation’s health chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the efficacy of vaccines. From Oz, there was a clear message on the measles.
The guy is still a doctor. His showed devolved quickly because there’s only so many ways to provide content for 5 days a week, but there has to be SOME part of him that knows the science and believes it.
I’m picturing that guy sweating over two red buttons. One says “Grifter” the other says “Doctor”.
I remember when former GOP Senate Majority Leader, and heart surgeon, Bill Frist went on Bill Maher sometime around the late 2000s, or early 2010s, and they were discussing vaccines.
Bill Maher, being the shithead that he is, was voicing his vaccine skepticism even then.
Bill Frist, whom I’m loathe to give praise to, turned away from Maher, looked directly in the camera and said that vaccines were safe and encouraged everyone to get vaccinated.
Shit like that gets you labeled a Communist in today’s GOP.
He’s a grifter more than anything else and will do whatever he believes serves his own interests, and only his own interests.
Let’s just say he’s seeing where the sails are blowing
Unfortunately that small part is currently tasked with creating a cure for Lycanthropy based on RFK’s blood.
People can compartmentalize. He can be completely all over the science and believe it factually as part of medicine while also believing that spouting nonsense that is unscientific is valid if he says so, as he’s a doctor. His self interest can override his knowledge, in particular if it feeds his ego, as being a celebrity doctor would.
All doctors and scientists simplify their messaging when dealing with non scientists as a means to help them understand concepts they don’t have a grounding in. That simplification is often factually incorrect. It’s a slippery slope.
Particularly in this modern world. Our brains in general seek order and certainty, but almost everything is on a spectrum. So when scientist talk in facts and absolutes, it’s easy to negate their message with edge cases or precise sticking points that they are ignoring for simplicity. Take vaccines. They have known side effects. They are deemed safe. People can still die. Cars and planes are likewise deemed safe.