Dystopia
Dystopia. Not a medical symptom, but, say, a world that is the opposite of utopian. A world where the government might, say, suppress scientific facts from the people, to better, say, control popular beliefs and to further their own political/moral agenda.
Maybe dystopia is extreme. But. What’s this? Dr. Richard Carmona, the previous surgeon general under the Bush administration, has testified before the House of Representatives today, saying that he wasn’t allowed to talk about certain topics, including stem cell research. He says he was muzzled.
Muzzle is a fun word to use.
I’m not really into talking politics, at least not blogging on political issues, but when it comes to politics vs science, I might like to spread the word. It sorta riles me up, this.
Rile is a fun word to use.
Boo, politics. Boo. A pox on you, current administration. I don’t know which pox. Maybe monkeypox? Nah, monkeypox is sorta hard core. Maybe cowpox (pic here). That’s more like it.
Anyway. Back to this muzzling business. I’m sure such things happen to a certain degree during every administration, but here’s what some other former surgeons general said to Carmona: “We have never seen it as partisan, as malicious, as vindictive, as mean-spirited as it is today, and you clearly have worse than anyone’s had.”
People are so weird, no? It’s always like high school, over and over and over again.
I have no science to back up that last statement.
ps - Dear government, I would never really want you to have a pox, so please don’t come and get me. I was just using it in the…you know…old-timey sort of way. “A pox on your house!” I only brought up monkey and cowpox because I thought it a good opportunity to expose my readers to the wide world of pox.
pps - Isn’t it creepy that I feel it necessary to write the ps that I just did? But, I don’t want to be muzzled or poxed. I do not want to rile, lest I, um, get extra parking tickets. Or something like that.
ppps - Here’s a NPR article that gives more details of Carmona’s experience.
pox, high school, monkeypox, cowpox, Carmona, surgeon general, muzzle
