Fox Took "Too Much Medication?"
I just heard a sound bite of Michael J. Fox saying that the extent of his symptoms in the ads wasn't caused by going off his medication, but from "taking too much medication." If true, and if he did it on purpose, he did intend to deceive. Taking too much medication to exaggerate one's bodily symptoms for use in a deceptive and exploitive ad is shameful manipulation of the voters and, in that sense, is profoundly disrespectful of democracy.
But this is the pro cloning game plan; hype, deceive, demagogue, exploit our fixation with celebrities, and appeal strictly to the emotions. But the bloom may be off the rose.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 9:36 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
I am beginning to lean in your direction. Also, I just did a talk show and someone called FURIOUS because his ads are partisan. He said he had been a contributor to Fox's foundation, but would no longer.
I told him that Fox's foundation was not doing the ads, but this brings up an important point: Through his deceptive and partisan activities, he may be undermining the good work he wants to do through the foundation.
Here's the thing: Fox's foundation has funded some good stuff. Levesque, I believe, has qualified for human trials using a patient's own brain stem cells. I wonder if Fox would fund it? It seems to have worked very well for Dennis Turner, the one patient who has had the procedure (and as I always say, one patient does not a cure make).
I found Dr. Leo's comments very compelling. I think that people somehow believe that pharmaceuticals are more predictable and effective than they actually are. In other words, people seem to believe that Michael J. Fox can actually predict how he will feel, and how severe his symptoms will be, each and every time he takes a dose of a medication. I sincerely doubt that this is true. More likely, what is "too much medication" on one day might, indeed, prove to be too little, or just the right amount, on another day.
More important to me is the fact that Mr. Fox is doing what most people wouldn't dare to do: he is willing to appear in public under less than optimal conditions in order to raise awareness for this awful disease.
I wish people would stop making fun of him. In my opinion, he is a truly admirable human being.
On a related note, an article of mine, "Exploring Stem Cell Therapy Potentials," was published in "Alternative and Complementary Therapies" Magazine, a professional publication for holistic health practitioners. You may find a link to this article on my website, http://www.honestmedicine.typepad.com. It is listed on the left under "Julia Schopick's published articles."
Julia Schopick
http://www.honestmedicine.typepad.com
Well, Fox's overmedication sure added to the sensationism of the ad, which is a prime tactic of the pro cloners, and thus, I am sure no one on that side was too worried about it.
The key issue being argued about is Fox's deceptive advocacy. To fail to criticize him for intentionally creating a materially false impression--whi reflects a profound disrespect for the voters--merely because of his disability would be to condescend to him in a most inapporpriate fashion. He deserves our compassion for having fallen ill so young, not our pity.
By false impression, I meant what he said, not what he looked like.
Julia, do you see anyone making fun of Fox?
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