Paranoia The Destroyer, by Mike Gold – Brainiac On Banjo #360 | @MDWorld

March 31, 2014 Mike Gold 0 Comments

Continuing our theme of how healthiness can be bad for your health…

In their publication Internal Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association  detailed a study co-authored by J. Eric Oliver PhD, of University of Chicago’s Department of Political Science. This entailed a survey of 1,351 adults, and here’s the bottom line: Other people’s paranoia can get you killed. Or at least your kids. Here’s the basics:

37% of the respondents agreed with the statement “The Food and Drug Administration is deliberately preventing the public from getting natural cures for cancer and other diseases because of pressure from drug companies.” 32% disagree.

20% of the respondents agreed with the statement “Health officials know that cell phones cause cancer but are doing nothing to stop it because large corporations won’t let them.” 40% disagree.

20% of the respondents agreed with the statement “Doctors and the government still want to vaccinate children even though they know these vaccines cause autism and other psychological disorders.” 44% disagree.

12% of the respondents agreed with the statement “The CIA deliberately infected large numbers of African Americans with HIV under the guise of a hepatitis inoculation program.” 51% disagree.

12% of the respondents agreed with the statement “The global dissemination of genetically modified foods by Monsanto Inc. is part of a secret program called Agenda 22 launched by the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations to shrink the world’s population.” 42% disagree.

12% of the respondents agreed with the statement “Public water fluoridation is really just a secret way for chemical companies to dump the dangerous byproducts of phosphate mines into the environment. 46% disagree.

Small numbers? Hardly. 49% believe at least one of these conspiracies. 18% believe at least three.

That bit about fluoridation is an oldie but a goodie: people have been paranoid about fluoridation since it became public policy in 1951, when was perceived to be a communist conspiracy. The story had traction. It was even satirized in the novel and the movie Doctor Strangelove. Today, I suspect its detractors think it’s part of a fatwa.

O.K. You know there are a lot of stupid people out there. So how does this affect you?

Other than making family reunion discussions even less comfortable, these people and their foundationless paranoia can get you killed – although, more likely, your kids. Vaccines had nearly eliminated diphtheria, polio, measles, and smallpox within our borders; today, all have made a noticeable comeback. You and your family can catch a nasty disease because somebody else wears a tin foil cap.

According to USA Today, people who believe at least three of these health conspiracy are less likely to use sunscreen, get flu shots or get check-ups. They are more likely to use herbal remedies and eat organic foods. Of course, not everybody who uses herbal medicines and eats organic foods are dangerous wackos.

These theories are predicated on the “fact” that the government and doctors work in collusion to poison our nation’s health. Given my work in the youth services fields, I’ve had a lot of experience with doctors and the health community and, recently, in professional capacities as well. When it comes to groups of people who are deeply troubled by our government’s activities, doctors, nurses and health practitioners make the short list. Some are more pissed about this than you are.

They know what of they speak. They have to hack through miles of government red tape – much mandated by the insurance industry. They know all too well that we’ve priced health case way too high for nearly half of all Americans. They cannot prescribe certain drugs either because they are overly regulated or beyond the patient’s financial reach.

When it comes to conspiracy theories, I have a rule to which I always adhere: first, look for benevolent self-interest. Pharmaceutical companies keep their directors wealthy by keeping people sick, but doctors need you alive in order to get their bills paid.

Ray Davies said it best:

Self-destroyer, wreck your health

Destroy your friends, destroy yourself

The time device of self-destruction

Light the fuse and start eruption…

Paranoia, the destroyer!

Mike Gold performs the weekly two-hour Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind ass-kicking rock, blues and blather radio show on The Point, www.getthepointradio.com and on iNetRadio, www.iNetRadio.com as part of “Hit Oldies” every Sunday at 7:00 PM Eastern, rebroadcast three times during the week – check www.getthepointradio.com above for times and on-demand streaming information. Gold also joins MDW’s Marc Alan Fishman, Martha Thomases and Michael Davis as a weekly columnist at www.comicmix.com where he pontificates on matters of four-color.