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Title: The far right depends on peddling snake oil. That's why Trump taking hydroxychloroquine is no surprise
Source:
The Independant
URL Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/voice ... son-george-soros-a9522401.html
Published: May 19, 2020
Author: Noah Berlatsky New York
Post Date: 2020-05-19 12:45:40 by Willie Green
Keywords: None
Views: 3179
Comments: 20
Yesterday President Trump told White House reporters that he is taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, as well as zinc and the antibiotic azithromycin to protect against Covid-19. Trump, along with many on the Fox News network have been pushing hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure for coronavirus, even though there is no evidence it is effective. On the contrary, multiple studies have so far found no benefit from the drug, and the FDA has cautioned that its use is associated with heart rhythm irregularities. This is hardly the first time Trump has promoted unproven, or even downright bizarre, cures. In April he suggested that people could fight the virus by injecting bleach. (Health note: Do not inject bleach for any reason. For pity's sake.) His enthusiasm for snake oil has (rightly) provoked much mockery. But it's not exactly funny. On the contrary, Trump's public health disinformation is of a piece with the ugliest aspects of his ideology: the conspiracy theories, the racism, the hatred of the press. Quack cures are lies— and lies are the fuel that powers the right in the United States. There are people selling fake cures on the left too, of course. But the influence of those on the right has been growing over the last decade. Alex Jones, right-wing radio broadcaster and conspiracy theorist, has since 2013 made a substantial portion of his income from selling his own diet supplements to his credulous audience. The current secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, shamelessly plugged dietary supplement firm Mannatech during the 2015 presidential debates. Self-help guru and conservative public intellectual Jordan Peterson pushed an all-meat diet before traveling to Russia to be placed in a medically induced coma to supposedly cure his addiction to sleeping pills. Trump himself is no stranger to this type of accusation. His infamous Trump University promised students real estate success through paid seminars. In the end, the President forked over a $25 million settlement to embittered students who claimed he had duped them with a worthless education. Trump University is of a piece with Trump's political career, which has been built on conspiracy theories, bluster, and flim-flam. Trump first came to political prominence by insisting, with no evidence, on the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama had not been born in the US. As president he's lied continually, most recently insisting — contrary to his own intelligence agencies — that China manufactured Covid-19 in a lab. Selling snake oil and selling bigotry are not that different. They both rely on a contempt for one's audience and a contempt for the truth. Peddling hatred requires a near-constant stream of untruths and conspiracy theories, big and small: black people aren't intelligent; Jews are plotting to undermine the white race; trans women lurk in bathrooms to assault cis women. To get people to buy prejudice and quack cures alike, you have to pry your marks away from the solid land of fact and set them loose on a sea of bilge and nonsense. Fascists and snake oil salesman are not just peddling lies, though. They're peddling secret knowledge, and entry into a club, or an inner circle. The appeal of the supplement you can purchase exclusively is much the same as the appeal of the conspiracy theory that lets you know that George Soros, or Barack Obama, or the Jews, or the Chinese, are the true enemy. To believe in hydroxychloroquine or white supremacy is to believe that you are among the elect. The appeal of believing a lie is that you end up certain of a truth that belongs to a besieged epistemological minority. It's characteristic of Trump that we don't actually have any idea of whether or not he is taking hydroxychloroquine. He no doubt would like to believe that it works and will end the coronavirus outbreak he clearly has no idea how to confront. And he has the gift, like his followers, of believing whatever he wants to believe. That could mean that he's taking the drug. It could mean he's convinced himself he's taking it even though it isn't. It could mean that he's thinking about perhaps taking it sometime in the future and simply back-dated his intention because he felt like it would make a better story. Trump and his partisans float in a fog of falsehood. That makes them ridiculous. It also means that they can be persuaded to do virtually anything, even when it means abusing their own bodies.
Poster Comment: Maybe Trump's orange face comes from the fish tank cleaner he's been sipping...
Jordan Peterson's all-meat diet. Alex Jones' diet supplements. Ben Carson's product plugs during the 2015 presidential debates. All of these have one thing in common
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#1. To: Willie Green (#0)
Quinine water aka tonic water has been around a long time, old British remedy. Good stuff, get some.
BWAHAHAHAHA! No different than all you leftist anarchists pushing marijuana as a cure for everything from warts to cancer. Give me a break, you hypocrite.
Tanqueray & Schweppes used to be my favorite cocktail (40 some years ago) way back when I was young, single, employed & interested in going to various lounges & clubs on occasion after work... But that was many moons ago, and I barely drink any alcohol anymore... But I can see where a little tonic water with a twist of lemon might be tempting, especially with the hotter summer days approaching... Thanks for the reminder! That was so long ago, it feels like 2~3 lifetimes ago!
Give me a break, you hypocrite. Hey, I've never advocated medicinal marijuana for anything, other than to notice the national legalization trend and hoping that one day, before I croak, I can legally catch a buzz again just like my long-haired hippie days before I had to become a more respectable professional... Besides, I'm totally unaware of any side effects, other than it'll give you a mellow buzz & the "munchies"... so maybe if you've lost your appetite, you can call it a "cure" for that... Other than that, it's no worse than alcohol... So I would expect any "reform" to include the same types of restrictions we currently place on alcohol... but not any worse...
Bloodshot eyeballs, but what do I know? I've heard it is prescribed for some cancer treatment patients who have lost their appetites. Say hey Willie!
Hey Fred! Thanks for the reminder! It's been so long, I forgot all about the bloodshot eyeballs... But it did mind me that early medicinal advocates were citing treatment for glaucoma as a potential application. But now that it's been researched, it looks like that one didn't pan out due to insufficient duration. But I'm sure the diehard medicinal folk have refined their research over the years as well.. But I don't follow that stuff... I just think it's no better/worse than alcohol, and it makes sense to decriminalize, regulate & tax the legal sale, rather than spend taxpayer money to warehouse potheads in private prisons for decades... Plus it would be an added bonus if I could legally catch a buzz, chill-out & listen to some old tunes before I croak... I already know that my doctors would probably disapprove, but what the hell, I don't have much time left anyway... might as well enjoy what I have left!
I've learned that besides soldiers and goobermint workers around where I live, I'll guess 90+ percent or so smoke marijuana either regularly or recreationally. A joke at the local tavern is when 5 or 6 or them head outside near the horseshoe pits behind the wooden 7-foot high fence is that they're going out there for a "safety meeting". I can name 2 folks I know who don't use it beside myself, and I'm not against it by any means.
So are the
Meanwhile, your corrupt, greedy, rapey retard of a "candidate" is too cowardly to leave his basement to even contest that Senate seat he's forgotten he wanted to win.
Listen boris, if you expect anybody to start understanding your delusional conspiracy theories, you're gonna have to at least do a better job of explicitly naming who the hell your talking about... And try doing that in English... most of us aren't fluent in gooberese...
By quacks. People lose their appetites because of the cancer treatment. That treatment also destroys their immune system. Who in their right mind would prescribe smoking a substance which may contain salmonella bacteria or aspergillus fungus?
"My name's Joe Biden. I'm a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Look me over. If you like what you see, help out. If not, vote for the other Biden. Give me a look, though, OK?" -Gropey Dopey Quid Pro Pedo Joe, Feb. 25th 2020 joe-biden-says-hes-a-candidate-for-united-states-senate democRat rapist dumbfuck extortionist.
People lose their appetites because of the cancer treatment. That treatment also destroys their immune system. Who in their right mind would prescribe smoking a substance which may contain salmonella bacteria or aspergillus fungus? Well you're talking to a cancer patient right now, and I certainly don't advocate smoking 2-packs of joints/day for 35+ years because that's basicaly what's killing me right now... But that just shows that long-time excessive use & abuse of any substance can be detrimental to your health... Are you going to ban table salt because it adversely affects one's blood pressure? Or coffee, tea or Coca-cola because they contain caffeine? Perhaps here's a better example: Would you call this doctor a "quack" after he conducted a 16-month study (under the supervision of a "responsible", independent research laboratory)[Probably at least partially funded by Liggett & Myers at the time.] to "prove" that smoking Chesterfield Cigarettes have no adverse effects on nose, throat & sinuses... That was just a rhetorical question.... no need to answer... But that's why I support sensible Government regulation (as opposed to farcical, industry-funded misinformation)... And that "sensible" regulation would include prohibition against underage consumption (similar to tobacco) or abusive-misuse by certain professional occupations (nobody wants to fly in an airliner that's being flown by a stoned pothead pilot)... But if we're just talking about Joe-Sixpack who just wants to kick back & relax on a weekend after working his ass-off on some construction job all week... I don't see any reason to toss Joe-Sixpack in jail for ten years... And as far as your concerns with bacteria & fungus go... I never heard of them, but if they're actually detrimental to end users, then I would expect "sensible" government regulation would also prohibit such contaminants & impurities in the supply chain... Just like nobody wants to be eating virus-contaminated meat products from those processing plants in Missouri & South Dakota just because Trump's cronies find it more profitable to keep the lines running with expendable illegal immigrants... The Fox is in charge of the henhouse, & Trump keeps trying to blame someone else...
Considering that that's exactly what he was for 36+ years, it's an understandable faux pas... Certainly far less bewildering than Trump's recent suggestion that we try "injecting" disinfectant like Clorox or Lysol. So if you want to vote on who's the bigger whacknut, Trump wins by a landslide in my book..
Sure. If that's where the patient is getting it. Or are they getting it cheaper on the street?
You can do your own study. Cigarette smoking has done down 67% since 1965 according to new data published by the CDC, the FDA, and the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI). Sounds about right. Now, have new incidents of lung cancer gone down the same percentage? Nope. It's gone down a little but nowhere near 67%. Be careful. A lot of statistics talk about the number of lung cancer deaths decreasing. But that's due to improved treatment. How many new people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year? The number has remained flat. We were lied to.
Nah... There are many other causes for lung cancer such as environmental pollution, poor air quality, industrial chemicals & fumes, dusty environments etc. etc. Lotsa things can damage the lungs over the years... But only a fool would defend heavy tobacco use, even though it's still legally available (to adults) in all 50 states... I was well aware of all the dangers before I started smoking, and did it anyway (I suppose naively thinking it would never happen to me) but it did, & I'm paying the price, and looking back, I'm just being honest when I admit that I enjoyed every puff and would still do the same thing all over again But what the hell, we all gotta croak sooner or later... and I can think of many worse ways to go than lung cancer (I don't know whether or not they're actually worse, but I've lived my life and am content with what will probably be my ultimate fate... even though I'm still in no hurry to actually get there.
True. But I was told that raising taxes on tobacco and banning smoking in public areas would reduce smoking and, therefore, lung cancer. Hell, any reduction in lung cancer could be the result of addressing environmental pollution, poor air quality, industrial chemicals & fumes, and dusty environments over the last 50 years. I think we were lied to.
No. I'm saying the marijuana may contain harmful bacteria and fungi that your compromised immune system would not be able to fight off. "Are you going to ban table salt because it adversely affects one's blood pressure?" There are alternatives to marijuana for nausea.
Maybe... what works for some people, doesn't work in others... That's part of what makes cancer so insidious: There's no such thing as a "one pill cures all" treatment...
Ron Paul - Lake Jackson Texas Values
#2. To: Willie Green (#0)
Trump, along with many on the Fox News network have been pushing hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure for coronavirus, even though there is no evidence it is effective.
#3. To: Hondo68 (#1)
Quinine water aka tonic water has been around a long time, old British remedy.
#4. To: misterwhite (#2)
No different than all you leftist anarchists pushing marijuana as a cure for everything from warts to cancer.
#5. To: Willie Green (#4)
Besides, I'm totally unaware of any side effects, other than it'll give you a mellow buzz & the "munchies"... so maybe if you've lost your appetite, you can call it a "cure" for that...
#6. To: Fred Mertz (#5)
#7. To: Willie Green (#6)
I just think it's no better/worse than alcohol, and it makes sense to decriminalize, regulate & tax the legal sale, rather than spend taxpayer money to warehouse potheads in private prisons for decades...
#8. To: Willie Green (#4)
Besides, I'm totally unaware of any side effects,
doctors quacks who are "recommending" it.
#9. To: Willie Green (#0)
#10. To: Hank Rearden (#9)
Meanwhile, your corrupt, greedy, rapey retard of a "candidate" is too cowardly to leave his basement to even contest that Senate seat he's forgotten he wanted to win.
#11. To: Fred Mertz (#5)
I've heard it is prescribed for some cancer treatment patients who have lost their appetites.
#12. To: Willie Green (#10)
(Edited)
you're gonna have to at least do a better job of explicitly naming who the hell your talking about
#13. To: misterwhite (#11)
By quacks.
#14. To: Hank Rearden (#12)
joe-biden-says-hes-a-candidate-for-united-states-senate
#15. To: Willie Green (#13)
would also prohibit such contaminants & impurities in the supply chain...
#16. To: Willie Green (#13)
to "prove" that smoking Chesterfield Cigarettes have no adverse effects on nose, throat & sinuses...
#17. To: misterwhite (#16)
How many new people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year? The number has remained flat. We were lied to.
#18. To: Willie Green (#17)
There are many other causes for lung cancer such as environmental pollution, poor air quality, industrial chemicals & fumes, dusty environments etc. etc. Lotsa things can damage the lungs over the years...
#19. To: Willie Green (#13)
But that just shows that long-time excessive use & abuse of any substance can be detrimental to your health
#20. To: misterwhite (#19)
There are alternatives to marijuana for nausea.
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