Wednesday 23 September 2015

When even a doctor engages in snake-oil...




Think about it for a moment.

When a surgeon and medical doctor says things he knows full well it ain't true, all for the sake of TV ratings and product placements by "vested interests", what more can we say about other "experts" we think we can trust?

Now extrapolate this reflection onto other realms.






11 comments:

  1. Good reminder.

    I guess those talking heads on television satisfy the human need for an expert, without providing the value of an expert.

    What drives them is the same that drives each one of us: The self-serving bias. So as long as you don't have exactly the same goals as the "expert" don't follow his advice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andy,

      I like the way you explore the psychological aspects of why we do the things we do in your posts.

      As a people watcher, I like to point out the interesting behaviours we exhibit. albeit in a satirical or caricature way.

      We complement each other ;)

      Delete
    2. Thanks SMOL for your "thumbs-up".

      You know, I am not a psychologist. But after realizing that we stand no chance of beating our biases, I decided to join them and learn more about their modi operandi.

      I guess that will keep me occupied for a while, a long while in fact. haha

      Delete
  2. Hi SMOL,

    It boils down to integrity which is a rare trait and seemingly weak against self interest which seems to prevail....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joyce,

      The key to healthy living is - Eat Right; Exercise More.

      We all know it; yet we still want to believe in a miracle pill or cream that can burn all the fats off without any effort...

      Same for financial independence - its Earn More; Save More.

      Yet we still fall for short-cuts and easy solutions...

      Delete
  3. Irrational Exuberance!

    People creates what people want to hear! People hear what they want to hear! Exuberance and feels shiok and follow. This kind of people may include Dr, Politicians, Lawyers, Bankers, etc etc

    Reality takes time, discipline, effort and very often even painful.

    try googling another Doctor as a replacement of Dr Oz. He is Dr Pompa! His method works for me and it is free!


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolf,

      Thanks for coming back without any baggage from the past ;)

      Someone was asking me how can I tell?

      LOL!


      Look at Volkswagen now caught cheating the emission tests.

      And Olympus cooking its books for years until it's newly appointed ang moh CEO blew the whistle on his own company...

      Singapore have our own Jade Technologies in recent years.


      Dr Pompa's site looks interesting. Burst training? Now that looks interesting!

      Delete
    2. Jarred,

      I am sometimes an ant and sometimes a grasshopper, but in both situation forward looking ones! Differentiating the inherently good and bad baggages is not difficult. :-)

      VW big bubble has burst! Tiger Woods big bubble burst many years ago. Since then, I cannot recall how many times Tiger won or where are all his posters?

      Guess when we have small bubbles burst, it can still recover back to normal or turn even better going forward.

      When one big bubble burst? Hmm...

      Dr Pompa burst training makes lot of sense to me especially when my big 4 is coming. Gone were the days of heavy bench press for me!

      I had been bursting lately and results are great. Lesser time spent, exercise is simple, and yet with better result! Why not?



      Delete
  4. Hi SMOL,

    If I may rephrase Elder's famous quote:

    "The real world is not your mother. It consists of tough men and women who look for ways to take money away from you instead of pouring milk into your mouth"

    Actually they can also be your 'mentors' lah...just pay money involuntarily and learn a good lesson. Just don't spend the money and learn nothing out of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LP,

      Yup, never let a good mistake go to waste ;)

      Same goes for relationships, even the spiritual ones.

      We had a Buddhist monk, a Catholic priest that had let their flock down. While the trial is on going for the prosperity gospel evangelist...

      They are not the firsts, and won't be the lasts...

      It all starts with good intentions.

      Delete
    2. Distractions Vs Intentions!

      Delete

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